Android TV 12 is officially here. What changes does it bring?

One month after the release of the stable version of Android 12 for smartphones, the updates also saw Android TV and Google TV. However, according to the XDA-Developers portal, it will take a while for it to reach regular users as well.

Most of us will wait until the new year to update

Although it is a stable and not a beta version, it is still only available to developers. This means that you can’t just download Android 12 to your Android TV device yet. The update will probably not be available to the public until early 2022.

If, in spite of everything, you want to try the new operating system now, you will need the ADT-3 Developer Kit. Google says its owners will receive the update automatically. It can also be downloaded and installed manually via the Android Developer website.

What news does Android TV 12 bring?

Android TV 12 offers several interesting new features and improvements compared to the previous version. For example, it features a sophisticated user interface with 4K resolution support, dynamic refresh rate switching, background blur, improved support for HDR and surround sound formats, or indicators showing microphone and camera usage to improve privacy.

Complete list of changes

The media

• The update prevents tearing while switching the refresh rate

User interface

• The background is blurred using RenderEffect and WindowManager
• Support 4K interface resolution
• Accessibility settings for font sizes

Privacy and security

• Microphone and camera active use indicators
• Switches for easy on and off of the microphone and camera
• Device verification via Android KeyStore API

HDMI a tuner

• HDMI CEC 2.0 support
• HAL 1.1 tuner with DTMB support and performance improvements
• Better protection with Tuner Service