‘Improved performance, shorter start times’: Google TV is finally getting a key technical upgrade to catch up to Apple TV 4K

• 64-bit Google TV apps should deliver smoother, faster performance
• Developers told to prepare for "upcoming" Google TV/Android TV devices
• Target date is August 2026

Google has asked app developers to prepare for "upcoming 64-bit Google TV and Android TV devices" by making sure their TV apps are available as 64-bit versions.

Developers have plenty of time to prepare: the new rules come into force in August 2026.

Moving from 32-bit to 64-bit is good news for Google TV and Android TV users with compatible hardware, because 64-bit apps generally deliver faster loading times, less lag and better overall performance.

And streaming fans can see that in action on an Apple TV 4K, because Apple started the 64-bit app transition ten years ago and completed the switchover in 2019.

Does Google's 64-bit move mean new hardware?

Yes, but not necessarily from Google: while there's been some speculation that Google is working on a new 64-bit Google TV Streamer for launch next year, the operating systems are also used by third party products such as the Nvidia Shield and several of the best TVs, including the Sony Bravia 8 II. Google's blog post notes that three versions of the Nvidia Shield are 64-bit capable.

While Apple removed 32-bit support in tvOS 13 back in 2019, Google isn't following suit. "We’re not making any changes to 32-bit support, and Google Play will continue to deliver apps to 32-bit devices," Google TV product manager Fahad Durrani wrote.

What Google is doing here is asking developers to futureproof their apps, and from next August that means submitting both 32-bit and 64-bit versions for maximum compatibility.

That means users of existing Google TV and Android TV hardware don't need to worry about their apps disappearing or being left without updates in the foreseeable future, but depending on your device it might mean a performance boost is coming next year – or it might mean your next device gets the boost.

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