After earlier this month rolling out the new Android 11 operating system for mobile, Google is now introducing Android 11 updates for Android TV.
The company said Android 11 on Android TV introduces performance and privacy improvements, new features tailored for the TV and updated developer tools.
The update also introduces support for auto low latency mode and low latency encoding, which means that a window can request that auto low latency mode or game mode be used, if available, by requesting minimal post-processing.
“This is particularly useful for game and videoconferencing applications, where low latency is more important than having the best possible graphics,” the company wrote in the Android developers guide.
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The Android TV update also adds support for more third-party gamepads including the Steam controller and Nintendo Switch Pro controller, which will support both USB and Bluetooth connectivity on Android TV.
Android TV also now supports Instant apps, which allows users to try out apps within Google Play without needing to install them first. The platform also now lets users input a pin code instead of their passwords when they purchase content from Google Play.
The company said that Android TV OEM partners will be launching and upgrading devices to Android 11 over the coming months. Android 11 is now available as a system update to ADT-3 developer kits, which is an Android TV streaming media player device for software developers to test and validate their applications.
To help with faster app testing, Android 11 has added Test Harness Mode, which allows third-party app developers to automate a device or a fleet of devices as well as wipe all user data on an Android device, retain ADB keys and skip all first-time setup screens. The company said this enables the user to run a UI test immediately after startup without any manual interaction.