Announced about a week ago, the Google TV Streamer will be one of the first devices to run the Android 14 operating system

While the “Made by Google” event is currently underway with the announcement of the Pixel Buds 2 and Pixel Watch 3, the news that the Google TV Streamer will run Android 14 was brought to us by Android Authority The news that the Google TV Streamer will be powered by Android 14 was brought to our attention by Android Authority The site discovered this by obtaining a copy of the device's firmware, codenamed “kirkwood

With Android 14, the new Google TV Streamer, which will very likely join the ranks of the best streaming devices when it is released next month, will offer various improvements beyond just performance Specifically, it will include Picture-in-Picture mode support, accessibility features, and performance improvements

Android Authority also claims that the Google TV Streamer will be powered by a MediaTek chip, which will eliminate the Chromecast name and the long-favorite Amlogic processor It will also run the 32-bit version of Android 14, even if 4GB of RAM is added

It's no secret that Google is discontinuing the Chromecast name in favor of the Google TV name, which will be one of the biggest upgrades; a comparison of the Google TV Streamer and Google Chromecast shows a completely refreshed The array of great upgrades built on top of the design showcases just how far this new device has come

Concurrent with these changes is an upgrade to the Android 14 platform operating system, which is believed to be the first to be introduced on the new streaming device with Android 14, Google TV Streamer will be able to offer accessibility, performance, multitasking, and other impressive enhancements

One of the improvements Android 14 will offer is standby power consumption, which will allow users to switch between low energy mode and optimized energy mode, better thanks to Android 14's Thread networking stack

Android 14 also gives users more freedom in device and app control with a new API that allows apps to embed custom prompts in Google TV Streamer's Device Controls interface In conjunction with this, Google TV Streamer will also provide access to the Google Home panel, making control of the smart home ecosystem much easier

Since most existing Chromecast devices run on Android 12, it is unclear at this time if older devices will be able to retroactively access Android 14 for TV While performance improvements and smart home integration may not be supported, it would be great to see older Chromecast and alternative devices like the Formovie Theater upgraded with the Android 14 for TV interface