Google Updates Android TV Home Screen With Four New Promotional Category Tabs: Report

Google is updating the Android TV residence display with new tabs for promotional classes, as per claims on social media. The Android TV expertise is nearly on the verge of being phased out in favour of Google TV, however some low-end TVs or older fashions nonetheless run the working system (OS). For them, the tech big is alleged to have made adjustments, with three new tabs becoming a member of the present Play Next bar on the interface’s residence web page.

Android TV Home Screen Update

User @aniruddhdodiya shared a picture of the up to date Android TV residence display in a put up on Reddit. It exhibits 4 new tabs that includes promoted classes on the house web page — Play Next, Top Selling Movies, Popular Movies and Shows, and Trending on Google. This is alleged to look beneath the carousel of utility shortcuts on the TV.

The new tabs on Android TV residence display
Photo Credit: Reddit/ aniruddhdodiya

These tabs already seem on the Google TV residence display and have now been launched on the Android TV expertise as nicely.

This change is anticipated to be a server-side change for the reason that TV doesn’t have a brand new replace and runs on Android 9.0, removed from the newest Android 14 TV OS that the newest TVs include.

Notably, earlier stories counsel Google has made adjustments within the launch schedule of the Android TV OS. It is alleged to ditch an yearly launch mannequin in favour of a bi-yearly launch technique for updates. The firm reportedly skipped on transport out Android TV 15, based mostly on the Android 15 OS. It is anticipated to instantly launch Android 16 in 2026.

While this can be a latest announcement, it’s not the primary time that the corporate has skipped out on OS updates. It didn’t roll out the Android 13 TV replace and instantly launched Android TV 14 final yr.

Since older fashions and low-end TVs normally run the Android TV OS, Google additionally lowered the RAM necessities in November 2024. TVs at the moment are required to have 1GB of RAM, in comparison with the earlier 1.5GB demand. It would permit TVs to output in 1080p decision, whereas 4K streaming would nonetheless require 1.5GB of RAM.