Google's 4K Android TV dongle is real -- but it's for developers
The ADT-2 runs Android P and connects to Google Assistant.
A Google-branded TV dongle spotted floating through the FCC is real, but the bad news is you probably won't be able to get one right now. The company just announced during its I/O developer event that this device is the ADT-2, intended to help developers working on apps for Android TV (a sign-up sheet is here, expect priority if you have an Android dev account, and to get one free if you're at the event). The platform is now supported by over 100 partners, including TV manufacturers, home theater devices and, increasingly, pay-TV set-top-boxes.
The team announced that over 3,600 apps and games are currently available for the platform, and they showed off the "content first" app experience that launched quietly with Android Oreo. Just like Google's other platforms, AI-powered assistant features are expanding here, with support for more languages and countries, as well as an improved flow.
With Android P, setup is apparently getting much easier, with automatic detection of nearby Android phones, and a better experience in the browser for anyone using iOS or another device like a laptop. If you're using Android already, it will automatically prompt you to install any apps that have compatible versions for the TV, similar to the way things work on Wear, and it can automatically fill in passwords saved on other Android devices. Finally, a revamped settings menu tries to detect what you want and put it first, observing things like any setup options you've skipped, or options recently toggled.
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