Google makes Android TV more like Google TV

Google has launched a new Android TV update that redesigns the home screen and makes the platform look a little more like the new Google TV user interface.

At the top of the Android TV home screen now are three tabs: Home, Discover and Apps. The Home tab still provides quick access to favorite apps and channels and the Apps tab provides a dedicated section for all of a user’s installed apps.

However, new to Android TV is the Discover tab that features personalized recommendations based on what users watch and what’s trending on Google. The Discover tab features movie, show and live TV recommendations from across most apps and subscriptions.

Google said users will start to see the new tabs on their Android TV devices in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Germany and France starting today. The update will roll out to more countries in the coming weeks.

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The newest Android TV update comes after late last year Google launched Google TV, which it said is “building on everything we learned from Android TV.” The platform provides an aggregated watchlist so users can bookmark and access content their viewing from different services in one place. Google TV also places Google Assistant-powered search up front and provides cross-platform results along with content recommendations that pull from all available streaming services.

Google TV also incorporates an “On Now” section and channel guide for live and linear content. The new platform is similar to Apple TV, Comcast Flex and other products that have focused on unifying search, discovery and access to lots of different streaming services.

Google said it will be launching the Google TV experience on many more devices in the Android TV ecosystem. The platform debuted on the newest Chromecast and it will be available on 2021 smart TVs from Sony and TCL.

Over time, all new retail devices on the Android TV OS will have the Google TV experience, according to a Google spokesperson. Until then the company will continue bringing new features to current Android TV devices.