Google TV isn’t just about a spruced-up TV interface with a fresh design. It’s also your one-stop shop for everything entertainment. It brings together all your streaming apps into a single place in a more cohesive manner than the plain-old Android TV did. And it goes far beyond. This mobile app enables more cross-device functionalities.
Many new Android streaming boxes and TVs come preloaded with the new interface, so let’s find out how to use Google TV and make the best of its various smart features.
What is Google TV?
The Chromecast with Google TV was the first streaming device that gave us a taste of Google TV. Google TV brings a bunch of improvements over Android TV, which was heavily centered on your apps. The new interface gives your movies and TV shows more prominence on the homescreen. This way, you don’t need to jump between apps to find something to watch when sitting on your couch. Everything is in one place and easy to access.
Another way Google TV saves you the hassle is by bringing together the Continue Watching list from your participating apps to the homescreen. You could jump to the next episode without going into the app first. And the same goes for Google TV’s watchlist feature. You can create one watchlist (similar to what apps like JustWatch offer) that syncs to your Google account and syncs across your device. So, if you add a new movie to your watchlist from a Google Search, it instantly appears on your Chromecast.
Google TV exists alongside Android TV (which got its own facelift not too long ago). But more brands like Sony and Hisense have adopted Google’s new TV interface. Hopefully, Google will gradually replace its old TV software with Google TV and make it your living room streaming hub.
How to use Google TV?
The only way to get Google TV is to buy a TV set or a streaming box that comes preloaded with it (unless you want to load it onto your existing Android TV with a process that is quite involved and not meant for everyone). Your current best option is Google’s Chromecast or one of the recent TV sets from Hisense, Philips, Sony, or TCL.
Use the Google Home app on your phone to seamlessly set up your new Google TV device. Follow the guided setup process and link your device to your Gmail account when prompted to get your watchlist and content synced across all your devices. Soon, you will see the brand-new Google TV homescreen.
Find your personalized recommendations
From the homepage or the For You tab, you’ll notice that content is the focus. The top carousel is updated regularly to feature top releases (a new show available on your streaming services), themed content (like Christmas specials), and sometimes ads.
Below that, you will see the Top Picks for You strip filled with movies and TV series that Google thinks you will like based on everything that Google knows about you.
Just select a title to learn more about it via Google’s Knowledge Graph and jump to the movie on the streaming service it’s available on. Easy peasy.
Under the apps list sits your aggregated Continue Watching list. It brings together your Continue Watching lists from various apps on the TV and puts them in one place. Depending on your region and app support, the list could fetch your stuff from Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Hulu, and more. If one of your apps doesn’t play nice with Google TV’s integrations, you can use them the traditional way by going into the app first.
Change the recommended content settings
To manage which apps are allowed to show recommended content on the homepage, follow these steps:
- Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and select Manage services.
- Toggle on all the apps you want to see and turn off the rest.
Access live TV and your watchlist
You will see a dedicated section for live TV content in the top menu. Google TV integrates popular linear TV services like Pluto TV and its own YouTube TV into this section for quick access. It cannot get better for people who like their live TV channels as much as their streaming services.
Your Google watchlist is available under Library, along with your rented and purchased movies from Play Movies & TV. While it’s convenient to have a universal watchlist, we wish Google offered better filters and sorting options to manage the list on the TV, which would be helpful if you have hundreds of films on your list.
How is the Google TV app different?
The Google TV app for Android and iOS phones is a rebranded and redesigned version of Play Movies & TV. The For You tab on the app mimics what you see on your TV, from the main carousel to your top picks.
A uniform interface makes you feel right at home when trying to pick something to watch after dinner. And a phone app makes it easy to manage your watchlist instead of having to type on your smart TV with the remote’s D-pad. Google recently added a Highlights section that shows a stream of entertainment news articles.
While you can buy and rent movies from the same app and find your previous purchases, the app’s best feature is its new virtual remote that is quick to set up and easy to use.
Google TV tips and tricks
Google TV adds a ton of new features for you to play with while still staying true to its Android TV legacy. You can tweak a lot to make the experience truly personal. Here are some of the best Google TV tips and tricks that you should check out.
Add multiple user profiles
Each of your family members can have their own profile, giving them a personal space on your living room TV. This way, each person gets their watchlist and personalized recommendations without any mix-ups.
- Click your profile icon.
- Select Add account.
- Click Add an account (or Add a child if you want to set up a profile for your kids).
- On the Google login page, sign up with the person’s Gmail ID, and their account is added.
- To switch accounts, click the profile icon.
Create a Google watchlist
With the new TV interface, you can create a single watchlist for your streaming services. And since it’s integrated into Google Search, adding new content is easier and faster than using an app like JustWatch.
- Click on a movie thumbnail.
- Select Watchlist.
Another way to add movies to your Google watchlist is through Google Search. When you look up a movie, tap the Want to watch button to add it to your list.
To access your watchlist on your TV, go to Library from the top menu. You can also find your watchlist under the Your Stuff tab of the Google TV app.
Use the virtual remote
When on the same Wi-Fi, you can use Google’s redesigned Android TV remote to control your TV with your phone. This is how you can set it up:
- Go to the Google TV app on your phone.
- Tap TV remote.
- Select the TV from the list.
- Enter the code displayed on the selected TV.
- Tap Pair.
Now you can navigate around your TV with just your phone. Even turning the TV on and off is supported. Google TV also integrates with your smart home, so you can ask Google Assistant to play music from YouTube Music or shows from Netflix.
Use your phone’s keyboard
While TVs have become smarter, entering text on the big screen should also get smarter. Instead of tediously using the TV remote’s D-pad to enter each letter, use the virtual remote you just set up to use your phone’s qwerty keyboard.
When using the virtual remote, tap the search bar (works across the TV OS), and the qwerty keyboard appears on the phone.
Now you can easily type your complex passwords or that movie title that Google Assistant cannot get right.
Copying text from your phone and pasting it on your TV via Gboard is possible using this method.
Cut the clutter with app-only mode
All the recommendations stuffed on a chaotic-looking main page aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you’d rather use a simpler, app-only interface, you can do so with Google TV.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Accounts and sign-in.
- Click your profile.
- Select Apps-only mode.
- Click Turn on.
With the Apps-only mode enabled, you only get the top carousel and the app list on the homepage.
Enable HDMI-CEC
On compatible TV models, you can allow your Chromecast dongle to control the basics of your TV without needing two remotes. For instance, turning on the Chromecast with Google TV also turns on the TV, which is helpful when casting things from your phone as you won’t need to turn on the TV separately.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Display and sound.
- Choose HDMI-CEC.
- Select Enable HDMI-CEC.
Use Google Photos in Ambient Mode
The idle standby mode on Android TV is one of the most interesting places. While it can pull some of the serenest photos from Google’s library, you can cycle through your photos to show them on the big screen. You need to do this from the Google Home app on your phone.
- Open the Google Home app.
- Select the TV.
- Swipe right and tap Personalize Ambient.
- Tap Google Photos.
- Select the album, individual people, or recent highlights.
Now, your Google TV shows your memories from the selected albums as screensavers when nothing is playing on the TV.
Get Google TV for cheap
You don’t necessarily need to spend hundreds of dollars on a new TV set to access all the new things that Google’s spruced-up TV UI brings to your living room experience. While the 4K Chromecast was the cheapest way to get Google TV until recently, the new HD-only Chromecast with Google TV has taken the crown, costing just $30. It’s perfect for your old HD TVs or to carry on your trips to plug into the hotel room TV.
