Do you actually use the apps built into your TV? [Poll]

Ben Schoon | Aug 8 2024 - 11:15 am PT

Virtually every TV sold today has the ability to run its own apps, and that’s Google’s reasoning for pulling the plug on the Chromecast series. That presents an obvious question. Do you actually use the apps on your TV?

Smart TVs dominate the market today. Whether it’s from a major brand like Sony, Hisense, TCL, and more, or a smaller generic brand, you’re probably going to find some kind of connected experience on board. That might be something by the brand itself, such as Samsung’s Tizen, LG’s use of WebOS, or Vizio’s SmartCast, or a more widely available platform such as Fire TV, Roku, or Google TV.

The wide availability of streaming options built into TVs is the reason that Google decided to ditch the Chromecast dongle, the company explained.

When we launched Chromecast, most TVs had few (if any) apps, streaming was unreliable and complicated and connecting your TV to your phone, tablet or laptop was clunky and hard. Chromecast was our answer to this problem…

Since then, technology has evolved dramatically. Streaming and smart TVs abound. We invested heavily in embedding Google Cast technology into millions of TV devices, including Android TV. Android TV has expanded to 220 million devices worldwide and we are continuing to bring Google Cast to other TV devices, like LG TVs.

So the question then is obvious. If you have a smart TV, do you actually use the apps on it?

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The apps on a smart TV are completely optional, especially if you have another device plugged in over HDMI. Dongles like the Chromecast or Fire TV Stick are often an upgrade over a smart TV’s built-in experience (especially for cheaper TVs), while even most game consoles have apps for popular services like Netflix and Disney+.

How do you prefer to use those apps on your TV? Through the TV itself, or through another device?