Android TV is getting a new picture-in-picture mode. According to the latest findings of Mishaal Rahman, Google will now allow you to place two windows in the format of your choice on the screen.
Android TV will be enriched with new features in the coming months. Based on the Android 13 update, still in development, Google will offer new features on compatible TVs. Recently, Mishaal Rahman, Android expert from the Esper blog, also discovered the presence of a new low power mode, intended to reduce the bandwidth monopolized by your television and your electricity consumption.
By delving further into the latest Android beta, the expert also discovered the arrival ofa new picture-in-picture (PiP) mode. This mode, which appeared on Android 7.0 for Android TV devices, allows you to watch a video in a small window superimposed on the rest of the content on the screen. This is convenient for following a live video while viewing other information.
Read also: Android TV now allows you to install apps on your box from your smartphone
What’s new for Android TV’s picture-in-picture (PiP) mode?
This enhanced mode will allow the user to create PiP windows of any size. You will obviously be free to enlarge the image further or reduce it. Android TV will no longer lock you to a preset aspect ratio. “Developers can create PiP windows that are even longer or wider than before”explains Mishaal Rahman.
You can also paste the PiP windows into the screen as you wish. Say you’re watching a one-line event, like a football match or a conference, you can drag the video to one corner and place the commentary in another corner of the screen. The experience is close to that of a computer. “Two windows are fully visible to the user”notes Google in the Android beta code.
For the record, Google should deploy Android 13 in the final version as early as next September. The update for Android TV is expected soon after, by the end of the year on compatible TVs. We hope to see a full preview of the Android 13 update during the Google I/O in May 2022. We will probably learn more about the Android TV version during the event.
Source: Esper