TL; DR
- Google will soon be rolling out user profiles on Google TV so that every user in the household has their own personal area when using the platform.
- That news comes over a year after Google TV debuted in September 2020.
- Google TV’s ambient mode is also getting an update with viewable maps with game results, weather information, news and more.
Google TV was introduced over a year ago. In everything the platform did right – a user-friendly interface, deep assistant integration, compatibility with other services, and more – there was one glaring omission: individual user profiles. Fortunately, Google heard our screams and is now doing something about it.
Today the company announced that custom Google TV profiles will follow shortly. With personal profiles, every member of your household can set up their own profile in the Google TV user interface, so that they can receive their own TV and film recommendations and add media to their personal watch list. The Google Assistant will also be available on any profile associated with the person’s Google Account. This means that you’ll get personalized Assistant recommendations on your Google TV profile, just like you would on any other Assistant-enabled device.
According to Google, downloaded apps and app logins are used for all user profiles, so you don’t have to start the setup process from scratch every time you set up a new profile. Practically.
Related: Google Chromecast with Google TV Review
Google TV’s Ambient Mode is activated when you are not actively watching something. It can search your Google Photos library or a curated art gallery. It also shows basic information such as the weather and time. This mode will also get a nice upgrade in the coming weeks. Google adds volatile maps to Ambient Mode that show sports scores, weather, news, and more based on the user profile. You can scroll through each card if you want more information, or leave them alone for a few minutes to activate full ambient mode to view your photo library or curated artwork.
User profiles and viewable maps in ambient mode will “soon” be introduced on Chromecast with Google TV and on Google TVs from Sony and TCL. Google says profiles will be available worldwide, although Ambient Mode maps will initially only be available in the US.
Two more updates to the front of Google TV. At some point “soon” the Google Home app for Android and iOS will have a virtual remote control function that can be used to control Google TV and Android TV devices – a dedicated remote control is not required.
And finally, in addition to YouTube TV and Sling TV, Google has also integrated Philo into its live TV offerings. You can see Philo Live TV suggestions on the Live TV tab in Google TV after adding Philo as your live TV provider.