The company already has the Android TV OS 13 stable versionbut as usual, it is not yet available on any commercial device and surely this version will take time to reach users. Android TV updates are much slowerA few weeks ago, Google updated its Chromecast with Google TV to Android 12.
Android 13 for TV, news
As is often the case with the release of new versions of Android, Google is more focused on reporting the news at the API level so that developers know the possibilities offered by the new version when developing their applications for televisions.
performance and quality
Android 13 for TVs helps developers deliver high-quality experiences to users across different types of devices with the following improvements:
- Improvements to the AudioManager API to allow developers to anticipate audio support with the active audio device so they can select the optimal format without starting playback.
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Users can change the default resolution and refresh rate on compatible HDMI-connected devices to provide a more reliable playback experience.
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HDMI state changes now appear in the MediaSession lifecycle, allowing dongles and other HDMI devices to pause content and save power when they detect that the user has changed the input source and is no longer viewing that HDMI.
Accessibility and entry controls
Android 13 also brings new features to make our TV more adaptable and accessible thanks to the following features:
- Hardware mute switch states are reflected in system privacy controls.
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Updated user controls for Assistant microphone access on the remote.
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The InputDevice API now supports different keyboard layouts. Game developers can refer to keys by their physical location to support different physical keyboard layouts.
- A new Audio Descriptions API created in AccessibilityManager allows an application to query for new audio description preference settings system-wide, helping developers provide audio descriptions according to a user’s preferences automatically .
From today Android 13 for TV It is only available for the ADT-3 developer device and on the Android TV emulator. Developers will be able to test this new version in the Google TV interface or in the standard Android TV interface to start adapting their applications.
It is unknown when Android 13 TV will arrive on the first televisions and Chromecast with Google TV. As I said at the beginning, Android TV updates reach devices at a different rate, and not all versions end up reaching televisions. For example, the Chromecast with Google TV skipped Android 11 as it was a version that hardly brought any significant changes.
Via | Google