Google at its I/O 2022 introduced several new changes and improvements to a variety of its apps and platforms. The Android 13 was also announced for smartphones and tablets. And, some updates to the Android TV were also showcased at the event. One of the notable features of Android TV 13 will be the improvement of its picture-in-picture mode.
The picture-in-picture mode was officially introduced in Android 8, however, it didn’t properly support TV. Now with Android TV 13, the PIP will work on all Google TVs. And Finally, you will be able to use Picture-in-Picture like smartphones on your television screen. How? Let’s see.
Android TV 13 is bringing “expanded” Picture-in-Picture
As per Google, the usage of TV for monitoring security cameras and for video calls has increased in recent times. However, till now, users weren’t able to keep using multiple windows at a time without hindering the content on screen. With the Android TV 13, users will get a new dock mode that will not overlay or hinder the content you are seeing while in Picture-in-Picture mode. Also, it will be resized and will be placed at the bottom. Moreover, chat content will not be hidden in other apps like earlier. So, a full-fledged picture-in-picture on Android TV.
The arrival of this expanded picture-in-picture mode was teased back in March, however, the feature didn’t arrive in the Android TV 13 Beta 1. Now, it’s finally here in Beta 2.
Other than this, the Android TV 13 also supports more keyboard layouts, which could be useful for those using the non-QWERTY version of the keyboard. Fast pair for Google TV is also coming to the new OS, meaning you can quickly pair a device with the TV via Bluetooth. Moreover, audio and visuals will also be improved.
The final public build of the Android TV 13 is expected to arrive sometime in Q3 this year. So far, we have seen two Beta builds and two more are yet to come until we see the final public build. Now that some of the features have been pushed in Beta 2, Beta 3 is said to focus on platform stability. The third beta will possibly release in June 2022.