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

Google is finally bringing Android 14 for TVs to supported 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 let users multitask and watch two different videos at the same time. Apart from this, the tech giant is also offering different energy modes to offer users granular control over energy consumption. New accessibility features as well as artificial intelligence (AI)-powered personalised descriptions are also being added.

In a post made on its developers-focused blog, Google said, “We're bringing Android 14 to TV! The next generation of Android provides improvements in performance, sustainability, accessibility, and multitasking to help you build engaging apps for TVs.” The tech giant also announced a new Compose for TV feature for developers which will allow them to build new apps with Jetpack Compose, the company's latest Android development toolkit.

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

Multitasking is also a big focus area for the company as it is 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 ‘qualified' Android 14 TV models. It has not announced the list of TVs which will offer this feature, but the rule of thumb says newer and premium smart TVs are likely to get it.

Finally, accessibility features are also being introduced. These include colour correction, improved text options, better navigation for users, and more. All of these features can be toggled on and off using remote shortcuts. Further, Gemini AI has also made its way to Android TV. Google will be adding personalised descriptions for movies and TV shows on the Android TV home screen, powered by Gemini.