Google TV needs to copy Apple TV’s new Control Center – it’d be a perfect fit

Ben Schoon | Jun 7 2023 - 5:30 am PT

At WWDC earlier this week, Apple quickly went through a new update coming up for Apple TV, which revamps Control Center with smart home integration and more. Google TV needs to copy it immediately.

The existing version of Control Center shows user profiles, focus modes, options for SharePlay and AirPlay, and more. It’s useful, but with tvOS 17, Apple is introducing a revamped Control Center for Apple TV.

Apple announces tvOS 17: redesigned Control Center, Find my Remote, FaceTime app

This updated version brings with it a tabbed interface with options for headphone/speaker controls, smart home controls with live camera previews, and also typical quick settings. The smart home controls especially caught my eye, with a live preview of your cameras as well as shortcuts for scenes.

To say this is a big deal is an understatement because it really does something useful for consumers as the TV becomes more and more of a central piece of tech in the home.

And, really, I just want Google TV to copy it.

Apple’s idea here melds perfectly with Google TV as it stands today, with the latest homescreen update for Google having introduced a tweaked UI for the top right corner that has icons for search and settings. Expanding that to include smart home controls and audio settings would feel natural and be a huge improvement for the current experience.

Google has mentioned in the past that it wants to improve smart home integration on Google TV, and that seems like a no-brainer given the company’s excellent work in revamping the Home app on mobile. In theory, Google could even beat out Apple’s take on this, as Google Home supports more devices.

Back before 2020’s Chromecast came out, too, it was even shown that Google was working on better integration with Nest devices. Yet, today, all we have is the same Google Assistant integration that’s been around for over five years now.