Google Announces Android 14 for TVs With Picture-in-Picture Mode, New Energy Modes

Finally, Google is bringing Android 14 for TVs to compatible Android and Google TVs with multiple new features and improvements. The new operating system for smart TVs will finally add a picture-in-picture mode that will allow users to multitask and watch two different videos at the same time. Apart from this, the tech giant also offers different power modes to give users granular control over power consumption. New accessibility features are also added, as well as personalized descriptions powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

In a post on its developer-centric blog, Google said: “We're bringing Android 14 to TV! The next generation of Android delivers improvements in performance, sustainability, accessibility and multitasking to help you build engaging apps for televisions”. The tech giant also announced a new Compose for TV feature for developers that will let them build new apps using Jetpack Compose, the company's latest Android development toolset.

The big focus with the new operating system is performance and sustainability. Android 14 for TV will have new power modes that will let users decide the experience they want from their Android TVs. There is a low power mode that will reduce the standby power consumption of the smart TV. Then there's a boosted power mode that keeps network connectivity active even when the TV is on standby. Finally, there's an optimized power mode that supports Google Cast over Wi-Fi, but not over Ethernet.

Multitasking is also a big area of ​​focus for the company, as it's finally introducing a picture-in-picture mode. However, this will not be available on all smart TVs. Google says the feature is being reserved for “qualifying” Android 14 TV models. It hasn't announced the list of TVs that will offer this feature, but the rule of thumb is that newer and premium smart TVs are likely to have it.

Finally, accessibility features are also being introduced. These include color correction, improved text options, better navigation for users, and more. All these features can be turned on and off using remote shortcuts. Additionally, Gemini AI has also arrived on Android TV. Google will add custom descriptions for movies and TV shows to the Android TV home screen, powered by Gemini.