Google gives Android TV developers instant apps, speech-to-text, and predictive typing

Even before the pandemic, the battle to own your living room was reaching a boiling point. Now the big screen is bigger than ever as 2020 accelerates the streaming wars and raises the smart TV platform stakes. Naturally, Google is making every effort to avoid being left behind. Today the company gave Android TV developers new tools, including Google Play Instant, the Play Store in the emulator, PIN code purchases, Gboard TV, auto low latency mode, and leanback library improvements.

The smart TV space is largely dominated by Tizen and webOS globally, with Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV winning over U.S. consumers. While Google saw plenty of success with its cheap Chromecast TV dongle early on, consumers did not convert to Android TV as they upgraded their TV experience. Rumor has it a Chromecast Ultra powered by Android TV is coming later this year, so this might be Google’s early attempt to get developers excited about its platform.