Google I/O 2017: Android TV Will Soon Have Updated UI, Assistant & 360-Degree Videos

Google has announced some new features for Android TV during the 2017 I/O conference which is set to arrive alongside Android O. The company also revealed that it will be bringing 360-degree YouTube videos on TVs.

Google Assistant On TVs

Google first announced at CES 2017 that it will be bringing the Google Assistant to the Android TV platform. The company’s plans regarding that haven’t changed, but now we know that Google Assistant for Android TV will arrive “later this year.”

Google Assistant on Android TVs will function similarly to how it works on other Android devices. Users can bring up the Assistant with the “OK Google” command to play video content from YouTube, Netflix and other services, or even bring up weather information. Assistant on Android TV will also be able to control other connected home devices as well.

The only major caveat with having Assistant run on Android TV is that it requires a voice remote in order to work. Google says that it is already in talks with its TV manufacturing partners to find a way of letting Google Assistant to work by simply talking directly to the TV.

A Content-Focused UI

Another major update that's set to arrive for Android TV is the redesigned user interface. The new UI will be divided into several rows. The top row will be for all the user’s favorite apps, which users can easily pin.

The second row called “Watch Next” will be house episodes of shows that a users is currently watching. This section is designed for binge-watchers who can now easily jump back onto watching their favorite shows.

The last row will house various video apps which can display previews of its content. For example, a user can pin the Netflix app on this row and the app will display recommended shows based on the user’s viewing habits. If a user pins the YouTube app, it will display videos that are currently trending.

The philosophy behind the change is that Google wants content to be the priority of the redesigned Android TV UI.

“One of things we realized was we needed to make it easier for users to get to their content. There's more and more content available from more and more sources, and so it gets more and more complex for users to actually find all the right content,” director of Android TV Sascha Prueter said.

“What we saw was users don't want just a big list of apps and then jump into every app to find out if it has the content they want.”

360-Degree YouTube Videos On TV

Google revealed during its I/O conference that it will be bringing a major update to the YouTube app so users will be able to watch 360-degree videos on their TVs. The update will first arrive on Android TV devices, followed by the YouTube apps for the Xbox one, PlayStation 4 and 2017 4K smart TVs from Samsung and LG, according to CNET.

For devices that have game controllers, users will simply have to move the the joysticks to look around a 360-degree YouTube video. Users who have smart TVs will simply have to use the arrow keys on their remote control.

Google hasn’t announced an exact release date for the YouTube app update, but the Nvidia Shield TV might be the first Android TV device to come with 360-video support, as speculated by 9To5Google.