Android TV to get Google Play Instant, Gboard TV, PIN for purchases

You don’t get a lot of space on your smart TVs so you have to be careful with the number of apps that you install. Don’t you wish you could try out a new app first without installing it? If you have an Android TV-powered device, you will get that chance soon as Google is letting developers have Google Play Instant on the platform. Soon users will also get other features like Gboard TV, a PIN code for purchases and other improvements to how they use Android TV aside from watching videos.

Google Play Instant was introduced back in October 2017 to give users the chance to test out an app without having to download it already. And soon, this will be an option for app developers on the Android TV platform. When developers enable Google Play Instant support, users will see a “Try Now” button beside the “Install” button, for those times when they’re still undecided whether or not to download the app.

Typing out on your TV when you’re searching for something to watch can be a pain. Google will soon bring Gboard TV for those who are finding it hard to type out on the TV screen. You will be able to experience new layouts and features on your Google Keyboard for TV, including speech-to-text and predictive typing. Searching, typing, logging in to accounts should not be that hard and hopefully when this rolls out, it will be a cinch.

Users will also soon be able to make in-app purchases easier when using Android TV to do so. You can use a PIN code when confirming your purchase instead of entering your Google Play password which can sometimes be tedious. The other upcoming features include Android TV emulator for developers to test out their TV projects and features, an auto low latency mode so when you’re gaming you get smoother visuals, and some leaseback library improvements.

Google didn’t say exactly when these new things will roll out for end-users but developers can already try it out on their products. When Android TV rolls out these features, we’ll let you know.