Android TV gets its Android 10 upgrade as Google details ADT-3 streaming dongle

Ben Schoon | Dec 10 2019 - 8:59 am PT

Since it doesn’t have the same features, Android TV’s major system updates usually lag a fair bit behind smartphones. Today, though, Google is announcing the Android 10 update for its TV platform alongside some new hardware for developers.

Cutting right to the chase, Google says that Android 10 is now available for Android TV. This is arriving just before the end of the year, just as we previously detailed.

API level 29 is now available for the platform but, of course, this doesn’t mean any hardware will be updated in the very near future. Typically, it takes several months for manufacturers to put out updates to the newer versions.

What’s new in Android 10 for TV? It’s not a huge update like Oreo was, but the same performance and security updates from Android 10. Google says that it’s excited for Project Treble to help bring updates quicker and that more secure storage and encrypted user data are arriving with this update as well.

Today, we are bringing Android API level 29 with the recent performance and security updates made with Android 10 to Android TV. We’re excited to provide faster updates through Project Treble and more secure storage with encrypted user data. TLS 1.3 by default also brings better performance benefits and is up to date with the TLS standard. In addition, Android 10 includes hardening for several security-critical areas of the platform.

To help developers get ready for the eventual rollout of Android 10 on Android TV devices – we assume the Nvidia Shield TV will be among the first to get it – Google is also launching a new developer dongle. ADT-3 is the third developer device for the Android TV platform. It features a quad-core A53 processor, 2GB of RAM, and supports 4K 60fps HDR HDMI 2.1 output for video.

The ADT-3 is pre-certified and Google says it will help developers design for the “next generation of Android TV devices.” ADT-3 will be available for purchase in the coming months through an OEM partner.