At the moment, the Android TV 12 OS is only available to Google’s ADT-3 developer devices (only available to developers). For the rest of us, we have to wait till an official version is released. That said, here’s what to expect on your smart TV from Android TV 12 when it is released.

What’s New?

Major updates are coming to four (4) different areas:

Media

Avoid motion judder during playback using refresh rate switching: Motion Judder happens when the frame rate of the content you are watching doesn’t divide evenly into the refresh rate of your smart television. Android TV 12 is bringing refresh rate switching to fix this.Certified API-accuracy for reporting display modes, HDR formats and surround sound formats

User Interface

Background blurs using RenderEffect and in WindowManagerThe long overdue 4K UI supportAccessibility settings for font sizes

Privacy & Security

Microphone and camera indicatorsMicrophone and camera togglesDevice attestation via Android KeyStore API

HDMI & Turner

Support for HDMI CEC 2.0: HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) is a function of the HDMI standard that lets devices connected to your TV talk with each other. The aim of this feature is to increasing convenience for users. You can control multiple devices connected to your TV with one remote.Tuner HAL 1.1 with DTMB support and performance improvementsBetter protection model with Tuner Service

Finally, Google didn’t reveal any details concerning devices that will be eligible for an update to Android TV 12, neither did they mention when it will start rolling it out. We, however, expect it to be rolled out to consumers early in 2022.