- Google is currently working on Android TV 14 based on Android 14.
- It’s developing the OS on its ADT-4 reference device.
- Unlike with previous iterations, Google doesn’t plan to offer this device to developers.
One of the main reasons why Google made its Nexus (now Pixel) lineup was to have a reference device to develop and test new versions of the Android OS on. If you wanted to test Android 14 on physical hardware while it was in its Developer Preview phase, for example, you had to have a Pixel phone. Although Google does sell its own hardware running Google TV — which is based on Android TV OS — the company doesn’t use this hardware when developing new versions of Android TV. Instead, they develop Android TV on the ADT-4 set-top box, an unreleased device that Android Authority has learned will not be released to anyone outside of Google.
Developing an Android app isn’t easy, especially not when you have to deal with getting it to run well on devices from multiple vendors. Since there are so many different hardware vendors making Android devices, for example, it’s impossible for developers to test their apps out on each and every Android device that their users might potentially have. Instead, most developers test their apps out on an emulator through Android Studio, on a reference device recommended by the OS developer, and on a handful of retail devices that represent a good chunk of their user base.