Ask HN: Is Android TV already a dead platform?

2 pointsfr0styMatt210y ago2 comments

To anyone in the know, is Android TV a dead platform? It certainly seems that way.

From stock apps that haven't been updated in forever (you _still_ cannot subscribe to channels from the YouTube app, for example) to the fact that the featured games and apps haven't really changed in months, what's the landscape looking like?

Is it a platform worth writing apps for?

2 comments

bobajeff10y ago

I would say so. Pretty much the only Android worth paying attention to is the phone and tablet version.

The market hasn't responded very well to Android TV or Android Wear (wanna guess what the reception's gonna be for Android Auto?). I would think that Google would be very interested in keeping it alive regardless of market response but then again you'd say that about Google Plus.

That said Chromecast is still alive so if your app can support that it's probably worth the effort.

fr0styMatt2OP10y ago

Such a shame. I've no app at the moment but am looking at my options.

The Nexus Player is 99% perfect as a TV box, but it makes no sense the things it misses; like YouTube subscribing. Why would Google cut such a feature from their app?

I have none of the network issues that others complain about and I'm not interested in pulling my phone out of my pocket, unlocking it then waiting for an app to load just so I can Chromecast something to the TV.

I think Google made a big mistake making the app selection so curated. Well it probably would be okay, if they were actually going to curate it on a regular basis and present now content.

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