Google has finally released the Android TV 13 update for its Android TV OS, after months of being in preview mode. This update brings with it a wide range of features and improvements to Android TV, making it easier and more enjoyable than ever to watch your favorite shows and movies. While you won't be able to get it on any device you own right now, here's what it has to offer.
Although Android TV 13 isn't a huge update, Google has announced a few features that users will find useful.
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Android TV 13 adds several new features that are sure to please users of all skill levels. A new feature for HDMI allows users to change the default resolution and refresh rate. In some cases, this will result in more reliable playback.
HDMI mode changes in Android TV 13 can now communicate with MediaSession . This helps some HDMI devices save power or pause content when the HDMI state changes . Additionally, the AudioManager API can be used by developers to predict which audio mode is optimal for content before that content starts playing.
Some other changes include different keyboard layouts and the ability for game developers to reference keys on a real physical keyboard based on their location. This was made possible through improvements to the InputDevice API. Additionally, there is now a system-wide toggle for audio descriptions that allows apps to recognize and use the user's settings to generate audio descriptions within the app itself.
Android TV 13 likely won't be released to consumer devices for some time, like most other Android TV. For example, the Chromecast with Google TV 4K only updated to Android 12 a few months ago.
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Not only have they improved privacy and accessibility, but the different features for the hardware mute tool are now reflected in the system privacy settings. There are also new user settings for microphone access from the Assistant.
Android TV 13 is only accessible on the ADT-3 (a device intended for developers) and the Android TV emulator in Android Studio. Currently, there are versions of both Android TV and Google TV.
Source: 9to5google.com
