Android TV powers some of thebest streaming boxes in 2023, like theChromecast with Google TVand theNvidia Shield TV Pro. But Google’s TV operating system has far fewer purpose-built apps than the mobile version of Android, and the apps that are made with the living room in mind tend to lack a unified UX. Thankfully, that could be changing soon with new Android TV developer tools announced atGoogle I/O.
In its developer keynote today, Google announced a newCompose for TVdevelopment toolkit that should make it a lot easier to create apps with beautiful, TV-centric UIs. The new utility builds off Google’sJetpack Composetool with dedicated Material Design 3 (aka,Material You) components for what Google calls the “10ft UI.”
When building Android TV apps, developers can call on Compose for TV to lay all the UI groundwork with minimal effort. According to Google, you’ll just have to “Describe your UI, and Compose takes care of the rest.” Compose for TV is compatible with existing Android TV app code and the tool has been built into Android Studio, allowing developers to “Do more with less code” and streamline the app creation process by offloading most of the UI work.
Compose for TV will help automate the creation of app UI elements like media carousels, content cards, and immersive lists like the one above
Reducing the barrier for entry on Android TV apps could be a boon for the operating system, whichStrategy Analyticssays shipped on more streaming TV devices in 2022 than any other platform. EvenGoogle TV deviceslikeWalmart’s new Onn 4K Streaming Boxrun on Android TV under the hood, so there’s potential for more growth in 2023.
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Meanwhile, Google also announced the launch of itsTV Design Guidelinesfor Android TV. The guidelines aim to help developers create high-quality user interfaces by offering advice on elements like navigation, layout, colors, and typography. Combining this with the new Compose for TV tool, we should start seeing an influx of apps that look and feel like they were purpose-built for Android TV.
