Google TV mobile app redesign adds new services and recommendations – TechCrunch

[ad_1]

Following the debut last fall of Google TV, the new UI for Chromecast devices, Google is revamping its companion Google TV app for Android. The updated version of the mobile app for Google TV includes an updated user interface, extensive set recommendations, and more TV shows and movies to watch.

The app in the previous days was known as “Google Play Movies & TV” (wow!), But was renamed simply “Google TV” along with the changes made to Chromecast in September. Here, users can browse over 700,000 movie and TV episodes from the best streaming apps, find new things to watch and rent, or buy movies and shows, including new releases.

Now, Google is updating the look of the app with new 16: 9 widescreen movies and show posters that it claims will give the app a more “cinematic” look.

Image Credits: Google

Plus, it adds Rotten Tomatoes scores directly under each poster to help users make decisions about what to watch next. You can also visit the detail page of a movie or TV show and mark it as “seen” to improve the app recommendations. This will allow Google TV to provide further recommendations based on your viewing history and may be useful if you are not a regular user of the app to start tailoring its recommendations based on your interests. However, the feature won’t help you keep up with your progress on a show, as the Reelgood or TV Time apps allow, as you can’t mark individual episodes as watched, only entire series.

Recommendations are another feature that has been improved with the latest version to be more aligned with what you would see with the TV experience. In addition to presenting multiple lines of personalized suggestions to browse, the app’s recommendation system will now be based on what you’ve watched in the past, your interests from your Google Account, and trending and popular content in your region. Trending recommendations come from what’s popular or trending in Google products, what’s mentioned on the web, and selections handpicked by human editors. For example, you might see tips suggesting “summer blockbusters” or other timely tips.

Users will now also see a new movie and how new content is released from the services they subscribe to.

Image Credits: Google

The app has also expanded its range of content by adding new providers such as Discovery +, Viki, Cartoon Network, PBS Kids and Boomerang, as well as on-demand content from live TV services, including of course YouTube TV, as well as Philo and fuboTV. These providers were not previously available for search and discovery within the mobile app, following the platform update in the fall.

Google said at its I / O developer conference in May that the Android TV operating system has reached an install base of 80 million monthly active devices, but did not analyze the number of consumers who streamed through the rival. of Roku and Fire TV, Google TV. for Chromecast, which is powered by the Android TV OS under the hood. Instead, Google combined that figure with the numerous Android TV OS-based devices on the market that include those offered by other streaming device brand partners and TV service providers, meaning the number also included the level of operator and set-top boxes, which is a different type of market.

The company said the new features are now available on the Google TV Android app in the US, but cannot offer a timeline for other platforms or international expansion.

[ad_2]