Google might skip Android TV 15 and go straight to Android 16 for TVs

The version of Android that you’ll find on TVs is very different from the one you’ll find on phones and tablets, which makes sense as they’re vastly different form factors that serve different purposes. However, Android TV is still based on the same underlying codebase as Android for handheld devices, which is updated at a pace that’s far too frequent for TV makers to keep up with. Because of this, Google is apparently moving Android TV to a biyearly release schedule, which means the next major release might be based on Android 16.

Unlike smartphones, most people upgrade their TVs every 5 to 10 years, primarily based on factors like price, screen size, and hardware specifications, rather than software features. As single-purpose media consumption devices, TVs don’t rely as heavily on software updates as general-purpose smartphones. This means there’s less pressure on TV makers to release major Android version upgrades or equip their devices with the latest Android TV platform. Nonetheless, Google still needs to update the Android TV platform so that it can introduce new features and meet regulatory requirements, which often leads to significant delays in adoption by TV makers.