Android TV and Google TV have been around for a while and can be found on a variety of hardware, but often the biggest problem with the platform is its limited storage. According to a new report, Google is pushing for new Google TV and Android TV devices to ship with at least 16GB of storage.
Google reportedly held a closed-door meeting with its TV partners in recent weeks, which outlined the company’s plans for the future of Google TV and Android TV. Protocol reports that much of the presentation focused on new features such as Nest Audio streaming, Fast Pair, Fitbit/Wear OS integration, and more.
However, another interesting tidbit in that same report regards a new standard for future Android TV and Google TV devices.
Apparently, Google is “strongly encouraging” its partners to adopt at least 16GB of storage on new Android TV and Google TV devices starting with the release of Android 13. The reasoning behind that is more space for apps as well as system updates.
As it stands today, the majority of affordable Google TV and Android TV devices tend to include a mere 8GB of storage, though some brands such as TCL and Hisense offer up to 32GB in some of their respective Google TV and Android TV models. The Chromecast with Google TV, meanwhile, offers only 8GB of storage, which has notoriously caused problems with the number of apps that users can have installed, how often those apps can be updated, and how often the Chromecast can be updated.
9to5Google‘s Kyle Bradshaw noted in a post from mid-2021, not even a year after the Chromecast had launched:
Until developers wise up about their storage usage or Google offers something with more storage, I’m stuck playing Tetris with my Chromecast with Google TV — manually uninstalling or clearing out individual apps’ data — to make room for updates.
Google TV is supposed to be a unifying hub for the too-many streaming services we have today. Why should I have to pick and choose my apps to squeeze into the too-small storage of the Chromecast with Google TV?
Moving the bar up to 16GB certainly seems like a great move on Google’s part, but it will be interesting to see if partners actually follow that path while the Chromecast sticks with its insufficient total.
More on Google TV:
- I can’t update apps on Chromecast with Google TV because there’s not enough storage
- Google TV adding Nest Audio support soon, Fitbit/Wear OS and smart home integration later
- Google TV preparing to add its own free live TV, here’s the channel list
Author: Ben Schoon
Source: 9TO5Google
