The Google TV application for Android will offer users a handy widget to access certain features more quickly … but likely also show recommendations for content to watch.
The Google TV app on Android continues to evolve. A few weeks ago, it benefited from a new design that allows it to better integrate with the Material You interface that the mobile operating system has adopted since Android 12. And as you can see. 9To5Googlethe app will soon offer a widget.
Traces of this feature have been discovered in Google TV version 4.38.7.4, which appears in the list of widgets. Currently, the widget is not ready and should be implemented in a future update, but we already know that it should adopt a default size of 4×5 on the home screen, which is quite bulky.
An impressive yet complete widget
The widget has a search bar. Tapping the magnifying glass icon opens the smartphone’s virtual keyboard, which allows you to search for specific content. A remote control icon will also appear. It refers to the tool to navigate through the smartphone in the Google TV interface on television, similar to what the Shield TV app offers for the NVIDIA TV box of the same name. Tapping the Google TV logo in the center simply opens the Home tab of the app.
Given the 4×5 space required to insert the widget, it is likely that the final version of it will incorporate other functionalities. In particular, we can think that content will be highlighted by the widget via a system of recommendations, like the Netflix application widget for example. already do.
Google TV shouldn’t be the only Google app to get new widgets. The Contacts and Google applications should also benefit from a widget each. These have already been spotted and are functional on Pixel 7 Pro running Android 13 QPR2 beta. They currently do not work on other smartphones.
Source: 9To5Google