The Google TV interface has been warmly embraced as an improvement over the previous Android TV versions, but it looks as if a new feature pencilled in for this year has been pushed back.
User profiles were due to be added in November, the aim was to tailor content for individuals in a home even more by offering separate profiles that can be logged into. You could create up to 12 profiles, including setting up a profile for children.
However, we’re into December and there’s no sign of the user profile update, with Google now saying that the feature has been delayed and will be rolled out in the coming months, which likely points to a release early in 2022. The company did not give a reason as to why the feature has been delayed.
With Google TV profiles, you would have been able to get recommendations that were tailored to you, with Google TV keeping an eye on what you watched and helping you discover more of what you like. You ‘Watchlist’ would be your own personal tab of the things you like to watch and kept them separate from other people in the household, and the same would apply to Google Assistant recommendations, which would be linked to your profile to give you more specific answers.
Despite that disappointing news, another feature is rolling out to Google TV users as of now. The Ambient Mode cards appear when the screen is idle, displaying information such as news, sports and weather, as well as on-screen shortcuts so you can jump into content quickly. That’s only available to a small number of users in the United States at the moment.
We reviewed the Google TV with Chromecast when it came out, commenting that it was an “excellent, feature-packed streaming stick that matches, if not beats its Fire and Roku competition.” The Google TV UI is currently available on Sony TVs, with other TV brands looking to upgrade in the near future.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
