Within the Android ecosystem, The updates that receive the least attention are those for Android TV (and Google TV). At the end of the day, most people don’t care what version of Android their TV or streaming device is running. However, if you belong to a niche interested in having the latest version of Android on your TV, we have bad news for you.
Normally, Smart TV with Android TV or Google TV as operating system They take a long time to update and some never do.. This is why many wonder… How often does Android TV receive updates? To resolve the matter, Google has stepped in to answer this question and the answer is disheartening for enthusiasts.
Google now pushes out a big update to Android TV every 2 years
Although it was not communicated publicly, according to Android Authorityfrom now on New (major) versions of Android TV will be released every two years. Google informed its Android TV partners of this decision in early 2024. Therefore, the next version will arrive in 2026, the next in 2028, and so on.
It should be noted that This six-monthly update policy for Android TV also applies to Google TVbecause in reality this version is just a customization layer for Android TV.
Has it always been like this? No, until recently Android TV had a habit of updating itself annually, almost on par with Android versions for phones and watches. However, everything changed when Google decided to skip Android TV 13 and instead release Android TV 14 in May 2024based on Android 14 (released October 2023). From there, the Android TV release schedule fell behind the usual Android schedule.
Which version of Android will have the next big Android TV update?
What remains unknown is which version of Android the next big Android TV update will be based on. If the 2024 one arrived with Android 14, it would be logical to think that the 2026 one is based on Android 16although it is not excluded that it will come with Android 15. Everything will depend on the development times that Google manages at that moment.
And what will happen to minor updates?
Google has not changed its policy on security updates and Google Play services for Android TV. These updates will continue to arrive quarterly (although they may vary depending on the manufacturer and model)while app updates will continue to depend on developers who will be able to send them whenever they want (subject to verification by Google).
