Android TV 13 is now officially out, but you probably wouldn’t expect to see it on consumer devices anytime soon. This is more of a developer milestone than anything, as Android TV updates are generally slower and less comprehensive than regular Android updates. Even Google’s own Chromecast devices just received Android TV 12 earlier this year.
Even if you were to receive an OTA today, it’s unlikely you’ll notice any major changes, as most of the new additions to version 13 are backend, aimed at developers. The user interface is largely the same. You can read the full changelog here, but we’ll highlight a few highlights anyway.
User adjustable resolution and refresh rate on supported HDMI source devices are finally a thing. Operating system-level power saving has generally been improved, including the addition of methods that allow the device to pause playback if the HDMI signal changes to something new. The AudioManager APIs now support predictive audio routes for supported audio formats and speaker groups.
There is a new keyboard layouts API in Android TV 13 that allows you to select different language layouts for remote keyboards. Some changes to how keyboard and controller button mappings are handled are also applied, specifically for use by game developers.
Privacy and accessibility have also been improved. Hardware mute switch states, when available, are now reflected in system privacy controls, and there are new user controls for microphone access by Assistant software.
As we mentioned, it’s unlikely you’ll see Android TV 13 on your consumer device any time soon, but if you’re a developer, you can start using the full release of the operating system right now on your ADT-3 dev kit or Android Emulator for TV .
Source | Through