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TCL is now rolling out a software update for its Google TV-powered televisions, bringing a few noteworthy changes to the mix. That’s based on a recent report detailing the under-the-hood alterations from 9to5Google.
The changelog associated with the update is effectively opaque. That only reads “Optimize product experience and performance improvements.” But the biggest change here is for security. Namely, the latest Google TV update for TCL sets comes with the April 2022 security patch for Android TV OS 11.
What else is new with this Google TV television update from TCL?
While that may not be the most exciting change, it does mean that TCL Google TV-enhanced sets will be more secure than ever. Since the patch protects against a veritable wealth of potential problem bugs.
But the update to security isn’t the only change here. As noted in the abovementioned changelog, TCL is also optimizing and improving performance. So the UI found on TCL televisions running Google TV, among the most popular and best smart TVs around, should be snappier than ever. As should app launches and other smart TV aspects
The change is arguably one that’s much-needed. Especially given last year’s removal of TCL TVs from Best Buy amid a wave of user complaints about the performance. The issue itself was fixed relatively quickly. As a result, the removal was brief, with TCL TVs returning in December. But any update that takes the company further away from any potentially lingering problems can be viewed as a net positive.
In terms of user-facing changes, the only difference found by the source was a change to the system-level UI. Namely, TCL moved the system update options to the Google TV UI, moving closer to the experience found on Google’s TV-powered Chromecast. That’s as opposed to the custom system-level settings UI typically used by manufacturers.