Google TV is apparently getting a ton of new powerful capabilities

Google’s Android TV may be one of the best smart TV platforms out there, but it hasn’t seen major new features in the past couple of years. Yes, Google did introduce a significant UI overhaul in the form of Google TV, but it’s mostly a cosmetic change and doesn’t add many new capabilities to the underlying Android TV platform. However, if a new report is to be believed, Google has big updates in store for Android TV and Google TV devices.

According to Protocol, Google is planning to closely integrate Android TV with Wear OS. This will eventually enable interactive video workouts on your TVs, complete with the ability to see one’s heart rate and other real-time fitness stats on the TV screen. Google will reportedly roll out these features sometime next year, according to slides from a closed-door partner event the company held recently.

In 2024, Google apparently plans to better marry the Android TV platform with its smart home products. The integration should give users smart home controls on their Google TV and Android TV devices, such as watching the feed from their security camera without interrupting their content-watching experience.

Updates headed to Android TV and Google TV this year

Other immediate updates that may come later this year could enable newer wireless audio experiences. As per the report, Google is currently working on a feature that’ll turn Nest speakers into wireless speakers for Android TV and Google TV devices. The company also reportedly wants to bring this feature to third-party audio hardware. Besides this, Google is said to be working on adding Fast Pair to its Pixel Buds so they can easily connect wirelessly to Android TV devices.

To make space for all these updates, Google recommends that device partners support Bluetooth 5.0 on Android TV and Google TV devices running Android 13. The company is also encouraging partners to provide at least 16GB of internal storage for apps and system updates. Most Android TV devices in the market restrict internal storage to 8GB, including the Chromecast with Google TV. This makes downloading new updates and apps challenging without having to offload installed apps.