The latest version of the Google TV Android app has a widget. Awesome! But it seems a bit limited. Seems to be Google took the plunge and released it a little earlier than expected. Or at least that’s what this report of 9to5Google points to.
If you’re not familiar with it, Google TV is a service that consolidates all of your streaming subscriptions into one place. Its dedicated app is one of the things you’ll need to enjoy the free service, but you’ll also need a Chromecast or a TV that comes with Google TV. You can also get a remote control, if you fancy one – the one Google made – but the app already has a feature for that.
So why would Google TV need a widget? Well, to be honest, from what we’ve seen, that’s more confirmation that a widget is in the works. At the moment the widget can only be placed on Pixel 7 Pro phones, which run the latest version of Android 13 QPR2.
If you are one of those people, you can download the Google TV app and it will give you the unique opportunity to place a 4×5 widget on your screen. And after doing that, it will shrink to a smaller horizontal bar. Yay?
Some screenshots of upcoming widgets taken by 9to5Google.
Currently, the Google TV widget allows you to do the following:
- Click the magnifying glass to open your keyboard (yes it is confusing)
- Tap the remote to open the virtual Google TV remote
- Tap the Google TV logo in the middle to open the app
It doesn’t take a rocket science degree to see how it can’t work exactly the way the Big G intended. Especially considering how much screen real estate the widget expects you to sacrifice, just to display a small strip with three functions. And yes, this is our way of confirming that it won’t let you resize it. However, it may prompt you to receive a working Google TV widget. Maybe it will follow Hulu’s steps and bring up a list of content you might be interested in, or it could just be a working copy of the remote, saving you the hassle of not having to open it. app itself. That would be nice, right?
Android is home to many widgets and many of them are owned, maintained and regularly updated by Google itself. This, however, does not seem to attract users too much. Hopefully, when the Google TV widget is truly complete, it will offer more reasons for users to use it.