Android 12 for TV will be a major update with several important new features

• Google has rolled out a new beta of the Android 12 for TV update.
• It comes with several major new features that offer a visual upgrade.
• The list includes native 4K UI and dynamic refresh rate support.

Google is preparing a major update for smart TVs running on the Android TV operating system. New reports suggest that the Android 12 for TV update will come with several new major features, especially for those with high-end televisions.

Smart TVs have gone from being gimmicky to offering plenty of features and making it easier than ever to cut the cable. While only the budget TVs adopted Google’s operating system initially, we are now seeing major TV players like Sony use Android TV even for their premium and high-end smart TVs.

For instance, the Indian smart TV market posted a 55% annual growth in the first quarter of this financial year, according to data from Counterpoint Research. The top five spots were dominated by Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and Sony, of which Xiaomi and Sony offer Android TVs.

Keeping the overall growth of the smart TV segment in mind, Google is preparing the Android 12 for TV update with some important new features aimed at these powerful TVs – this includes 4K UI rendering, dynamic refresh rates and more.

Google has released the Android 12 Beta 3 for TV update that details these new features. Here’s what Android 12 for TV includes:

Native 4K UI support

This feature is aimed at allowing apps and the user interface to make full use of the high-resolution displays on TVs. While smart TVs with 4K resolution displays support 4K playback, the user interface itself is rendered in 1080p and upscaled to 4K.

In simpler terms, native 4K UI support will make things look a lot better on TV.

Dynamic refresh rate

Dynamic refresh rate allows app developers to switch between different refresh rates, based on the needs of the user interface and the content being displayed or played back.

Nvidia’s Shield TV has had this feature for a while now.

Privacy and security enhancements

Privacy and security have become an important aspect of the modern smart TV experience since there are some TVs in the market that support cameras and microphones out of the box.

The new update will show indicators whenever an app uses the camera or microphone. Users will also be allowed to turn on or off the camera and microphone. When turned off, apps will not be able to access those features.

There are more features that will likely be detailed in the coming days and weeks. However, it remains to be seen if companies update the existing smart TVs to Android 12 for TV, since most TVs currently run on the Android 9 Pie update.

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