Android is a very popular operating system that runs on many gadgets. Other than smartphones, watches, and tablets, the OS also powers vehicles, and some of the best Android TV boxes and televisions that you can find. Recently, Google has made a significant move in the world of Android TV.
The Alphabet owned-company has retired Android TV 13 and introduced the beta version of
Android TV 14 alongside Android 14 beta 3. This release follows the
pattern set by the previous version, with the first beta of Android TV
13 dropping in May 2022, based on the upcoming Android version at the
time. The final build of Android TV 13 was released in December, a few
months after the public release of Android 13.
At present, Google has made emulator builds of Android TV 14 available for download. However, details about the changes for developers and users, as well as the ADT-3 images, have not yet been published.
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An interesting code change reveals that Google is completely retiring Android TV 13. The upcoming build of Android Studio Canary will mark the OS as unsupported, discouraging developers from creating "T images unless necessary."
According to 9to5Google, this decision means that Google has ceased working on the Android TV 13 update for all Android TV and Google TV-powered televisions, including Chromecasts. Once the platform achieves stability, existing devices will be able to upgrade directly to the forthcoming Android TV release. Google has already informed its partners about this change and will no longer certify builds based on Android TV 13.
Notable in Android TV 14 is a discovery by Mishaal Rahman of a major change that allows users to receive call notifications from supported apps directly on their TV screens, enhancing connectivity and convenience.
While Android TV 13 primarily focused on under-the-hood changes, introducing new APIs and accessibility options, Android TV 14 is expected to bring about more significant changes and exciting features. The hope is that Google and its partners will promptly roll out the update to their devices once the OS is released to the public.