After several developer previews and beta versions, the official version of Android TV / Google TV Android 12 has been finally released.
Android TV 12 has a great improvement over the previous version. It provides several major features and improvements. This system brings a redesigned UI, supports 4K UI rendering, dynamic refresh rate switching, background blur, improved support for HDR format and surround sound format, Android 12 style microphone and camera indicator to enhance privacy, and more. Developers should like especially the dynamic refresh rate switching. Now, they can integrate the feature to seamlessly switch between frame rates.
Media:
- Switching the refresh rate during playback no longer shows motion jitter;
- Accuracy of certified API for reporting display mode, HDR format, and surround sound format.
UI:
- Use RenderEffect and WindowManager for background blur;
- 4K UI support;
- Accessibility settings for font size.
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Privacy and security:
- Microphone and camera indicator;
- Microphone and camera switch;
- Device authentication through Android KeyStore API;
- Android 12 for Android TV microphone and the camera toggle.
HDMI & Tuner:
- Support HDMI CEC 2.0;
- Tuner HAL 1.1 with DTMB support and performance improvements;
- Use Tuner Service to provide a better protection model.
Although this is the final version, it is still aimed at developers. This simply means that ordinary users cannot download it on Chromebox or Android TV. They need a device called ADT-3, which is an Android TV adapter for developers.
With the official release of Android 12, we are also making the most recent platform release available for TV. Take this opportunity to start building and testing your apps to make them compatible with the latest Android release on the new Google TV experience. Alternatively, the build images for the standard Android TV experience are also available for download.
We have added further customizations in Android 12 to improve the experience and compatibility on TV devices. Some of the highlights coming with Android 12 for TV are media playback improvements, more refined user interface capabilities, and privacy and security enhancements. In addition, we are introducing better standards support and improvements for HDMI and tuners.
Google said that existing ADT-3 developer devices will automatically receive Android TV 12 updates over the air. If not, click here to download the mirror manually and flash in.
However, we still have no hint when this update will come to the Google Chromecast dongle. As a reminder, it is still running Android TV OS 10 and hasn’t seen any updates in a few months.
