Android TV Will Be Updated to Android 10 by End of 2019: Report

There are a lot of smart TV platforms – many made by certain manufacturers for their own televisions. However, some manufacturers, including Sony, Vu, TCL, and MarQ by Flipkart, use Google’s Android TV platform, which offers access to a wide range of apps, games, and services. A new report suggest that Android TV, currently on version 9.0 Pie, is set to receive a major version update by the end of 2019, taking the platform onto Android 10. The latest version is in the works already, and TVs on the platform could see updates rolling out in the coming months.

A report by 9to5Google cites information learned by an attendee of Google’s Android TV presentations at the recently concluded IBC 2019 show. The report suggests that Google is ‘on track’ to release Android 10 for Android TV by the end of 2019, although the timeline remains unconfirmed officially and could be pushed into 2020 depending on progress by the developers.

It’s worth noting that Android 10 for Android TV isn’t the same as Android 10 for smartphones, which started rolling out for various devices earlier this month. Naturally, the differences in hardware and the obvious differences in screen sizes for devices on the two platforms means that the software is very different. However, there are similarities between the two versions of Android, along with key integration features that help users use their smartphones and TVs together.

There are a couple of other announcements related to Android TV as well, including the launch of a new dongle for developers on the Android TV platform. The ADT-3 dongle comes as the successor to the ADT-2 which was released prior to Android TV version 9.0, which is seen on many new smart TVs.

Additionally, a new upgrade policy has also been implemented, stating that device makers using the Android TV platform are now required to release two major platform updates, instead of the mandatory three earlier. This means that a smart TV running Android TV version 10 would need to be updated to at least version 12, as and when it is released.