Google makes Instant Apps and PIN payments available in Android TV

Google has introduced the innovations that owners of Android TV televisions can expect with the release of version 11 of the operating system. Among other things, the Instant Apps functionality will be available, as will payments with a pin code.

The Google Play Instant on TV functionality allows users to quickly open and try an app without the need to install it first. Google first showed this Instant Apps functionality on Google I / O in 2016 and released the feature for Android in May 2017. Users can still install the app as usual.

Furthermore, users are given the option to complete payments by means of a pin code when purchasing content. This eliminates the need to handle this by using a password on Google Play.

The new Android TV version brings a number of other innovations, such as the option for developers to test their apps, as the Android TV emulator now has Google Play support. Developers no longer necessarily have to test their services on real devices.

Google is also introducing improvements for Gboard TV, the software on-screen keyboard for Android TV. This concerns, for example, a speech-to-text functionality and the prediction of typed terms and searches. There are also Leanback Library improvements that simplify app navigation.

In addition, users can support auto low latency mode expect. This function, which is part of the HDMI 2.1 specification, makes the television automatically switch to a picture mode with a low latency. All image processing techniques are then turned off. Developers can include support for allm in their Android TV apps.

Google has announced that allm is the only feature that comes exclusively to Android TV 11, XDA Developers writes. All other five mentioned innovations also come to versions 9 and 10 of the Android TV operating system. The Android 11 Developer Preview for Android TV became available at the end of June, but it is not yet known when a final version will be released.