Shield TV seems to be preparing Android TV 11 update in a closed beta program

Ben Schoon | Oct 5 2021 - 7:31 am PT

Google’s Android TV platform doesn’t rely on major system updates for its biggest new features, but often those updates can breathe some life into aging hardware. Nvidia’s Shield TV lineup has been sitting on top of Android 9.0 for years now, but it seems that Android 11 is in the works.

A few reports of a closed beta program for “Shield Experience 9.0” have appeared online before being swiftly deleted, but one thread did gather some attention on Reddit. The post on r/AndroidTV mentioned that the update brings Android 11 to the Shield TV before it was deleted.

In the comments for the post that are still visible, the user confirmed they had joined a beta program, and another user, presumably in the same program, reminded the original poster that the information was confidential. However, that was after others had already posted about the same update that the folks at Android Police uncovered.

Nvidia previously confirmed that it would not be updating the Shield TV lineup to Android TV 10, as the update wasn’t substantial enough to justify the update. Android 11, though, is a slightly bigger update. Some notable parts of the update include native support for more controllers including the Nintendo Pro Controller. Further, Android TV 11 supports auto low-latency mode for compatible TVs. These points could prove valuable to Nvidia, especially given the Shield TV’s gaming focus through GeForce Now. Android TV 12, meanwhile, makes even bigger updates including 4K UI support, privacy improvements, and some other tweaks.

Speaking to Nvidia, the company had no comment to share regarding the alleged beta.