When Google shut down Google TV in 2014, it replaced the platform with something completely different: Android TV.

It has been relatively well-received by both developers and manufacturers alike. Google TV had a lack of apps, but Android TV has access to the Google Play, so developers with a mobile app can easily apply some modifications to make an Android TV app. Plus, Android TV has Google Cast support. In a nutshell, Android TV is essentially Android optimised for the big screen.

It is easy to operate, can be controlled via voice using Google Assistant, and has some decent apps. Here's everything you need to know about it, including how it works, when you can use it, and which devices offer it.

Nvidia Shield TV (2019)

A little bit of history

Google hasn't made it easy to keep track of its TV offerings. Google TV was originally designed to run on televisions, but was shut down in 2014 and replaced by Android TV.

The move makes sense as Android is a platform - and we're familiar with it from phones and other devices - although that's not the end of the complication. 

Google then reintroduced the Google TV name in 2020 with the launch of the Chromecast with Google TV. Google TV is an interface sitting on Android TV and some manufacturers have moved their interface to Google TV - which you can read more about here. More recently, Google changed the name of Google Play Movies & TV (the Android app) to Google TV too, so here's alignment across offerings on different platforms.

So, your confusion is forgiven - critically, Google TV is about supplying content and recommendations, really, which Android TV is the platform it actually sits on.

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Google

What is Android TV?

Simply put, Android TV is designed to bring the sorts of things you enjoy on your phone to your TV. That doesn't mean you'll be taking calls through your TV or trawling through emails, but it's about ease of navigation, access to entertainment and simple interactivity. It's about making your TV smart and doing it with an interface that's recognisable and easy to use.

It offers voice control thanks to the integration of Google Assistant and gives you control across other devices, like your Android phone and WearOS watch. The card-based interface behaves in a familiar way, making it easier to do the things you want to do without a convoluted menu system.

Essential entertainment apps are available, and there's the opportunity for Android's app developers to adapt apps for the big screen experience. That can be anything from information services like weather, through to gaming. Android TV lets you quickly customise your TV's content to suit you.

For a TV manufacturer it presents a distinct advantage: why design your own smart TV platform, when Google has already done it? Why develop your own apps, when the community will be developing for Android TV? Why have your own app store when Android TV offers Google Play? For Google, it offers a distinct advantage too: it puts Android on the big screen in your house, and it provides another avenue to serve you its content.

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Google

How does Android TV work?

Discovery

Android TV is simple to learn and use. When you fire up your television or set-top box, you'll see the main screen/home screen. It is filled with a vertical stream of rows, and you navigate through each row from left to right. The top row is the Content Discovery bar, which highlights suggested content from popular apps you use. You may see tutorials on YouTube or The Walking Dead from Google TV.

Given that Google has subsequently relaunched Google TV and discovery is at its heart, your Android TV may instead be using the Google TV layer rather than the original Android TV interface, but it's still just as easy to use.

Right at the top of the interface you'll see the search utility powered by Google Assistant. Android TV supports voice commands, as long as you have the necessary hardware that'll allow Android TV to hear you. In fact, the entire interface is based around voice-activated searching, which you can use through one-click remotes with a built-in mic. Simply click on it to start your search.

Supported voice commands include simply stating a video game title ... or more complex searches like "All the Oscar-winning movies from 1989". When you speak a search, Android TV will not only show you all related results in Google Play but also results from Netflix, Hulu, etc. When sifting through results, you'll notice handy cards below. They contain informational bits like who's who in the movie you're about to watch, other popular titles from the video game developer you're browsing, YouTube clips featuring the actor you're looking at, etc.

Apps and content

Now, back to the vertical rows on the home screen. The second row is a list of featured apps, like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, BBC iPlayer, etc. On select TVs and devices, you may also see the manufacturer's apps. 

You'll also see a vertical row for TV inputs, like HDMI 1 and HDMI 2, allowing you to easily control and switch between inputs, while the vertical row below that showcases apps you've downloaded or have available on your device, like the Google Play Store, Music, Album, Movies and TV Google Play, etc. Click on any of these apps in order to browse and find more content.

You can browse the full list of Android TV apps available here.

Gaming

Below the Apps row, you'll see a list of all the games you've downloaded. Android TV supports single-player, multi-player, online, and offline gaming. You can use up to four gamepads, Android phones, or tablets at once when competing against friends. You can also finish a level on your phone and play the next one on your TV, as Google Play Games saves your progress.

Settings

The last row on the home screen isn't necessarily a row but rather a dedication area where you can click through to access settings, timers, and help guides. If you enter the Settings option, you'll see smart TV settings such as Channel Setup, External Inputs, Display, Sound, as well as Network and Accessories menus for Google Cast, Bluetooth (so you can add a device), and System Preferences and what not.

Chromecast

One of the coolest features in Android TV is the ability to use it for casting. Android TV comes with Chromecast built-in.

If you don't own an Android TV-compatible television, but want to cast content from your laptop or mobile device to your television, you need to buy a Chromecast dongle from Google and plug it into your television. But not if you own an Android TV-powered television or set-top box. With one, you can send everything from movies and music or even browser tabs to your television.

There's no Chromecast dongle required. Just tap the Cast button on your mobile app to start playing on your TV.

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Pocket-lint

What are the Android TV alternatives?

LG turned to WebOS in 2014 for its TV interface on its top TVs and the results were excellent. Samsung, on the other hand, has been pushing a platform it's heavily invested in: Tizen. Either way, if you're after a new, smart television, most manufacturers serve up their own interfaces.

Another foe to Android TV is set-top boxes from the likes of Apple, Roku, and Amazon. While Roku devices try be neutral and serve up access to content stores from Google and Amazon, Apple TV serves up Apple's own goods primarily and Amazon Fire TV devices also heavily push Amazon Prime Video and Amazon's own services first.