Google TV Streamer

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Google TV is set to enter its 'Gemini era' in 2025. Today at CES, Google revealed that new Google TV devices coming later this year will integrate new hardware to make it easier to initiate conversations with your TV's voice assistant as well as see helpful information at a glance. These new Google TV devices will also feature an upgraded, Gemini-powered voice experience capable of handling more complex voice commands.

New Google TV hardware features​

Many existing Google TV devices have remotes with microphones built into them so you can talk to Google Assistant without being close to the TV. However, if you don't have your remote on hand, you can't talk to the assistant without getting up and grabbing it.

Upcoming Google TVs won't have this problem, though, as they'll have far-field microphones built directly into them. Far-field microphones can capture audio at a distance, allowing you to talk to your TV's voice assistant without picking up your remote. You'll be able to interact with the assistant on your TV in the same way you do with the assistant on a Google Home speaker.

Another new hardware component coming to future Google TVs is a proximity sensor. Proximity sensors, a staple in smartphones, allow them to detect the presence of a nearby object. Future Google TVs will use proximity sensors so they can sense when you're approaching your TV and then show you an on-screen hub that contains "personalized and informative widgets." Google is still developing this on-screen hub, but says it currently includes widgets for "the weather, a news brief with stories you may be interested in, and your morning commute."

An upgraded, Gemini-powered voice assistant for Google TV​

To make Google TV's voice assistant more conversational, Google is integrating Gemini capabilities into it. This integration provides a few benefits, including:

1. Allowing the voice assistant on your Google TV to continue conversations by linking your current query with questions you previously asked. You'll still need to say, "Hey, Google," to trigger the assistant on your TV, though.
2. Receiving responses supplemented with YouTube videos. As an example, if you ask, "What are the best places to visit in Asia for vacation in the summer?", then your Google TV will include YouTube videos in the results.
3. Customizing your TV's ambient mode with one-of-a-kind, AI-generated screensavers.
4. Searching for media and your Google Photos using conversational queries such as "What are the latest movies from Disney?" or "Show me photos from my trip to Italy."
5. Controlling your compatible smart devices with simpler commands like "dim the lights" or "who's at the front door?"

Launch partners are lined up, but there's no word about older devices​

A Google spokesperson confirmed that Hisense and TCL are lined up as launch partners for these new features, with the earliest devices to include far-field Gemini access and proximity-based widgets expected later this year.

It's unclear how many of these Gemini-powered capabilities will be available on existing Google TV devices, such as the Google TV Streamer. However, it's likely that at least some of them will come to older devices. For example, the AI-generated screensaver feature highlighted in today's announcement has been available on existing Google TV devices since September. Features that require new hardware, like the upcoming on-screen hub, likely won't be coming to older devices, though.

 

[limmk]

A strange issue with the Disney+ app on the Google TV Streamer is causing video playback to fail, and there’s no apparent fix.

The Google TV Streamer launched last year as a long-awaited upgrade to the company’s living room hardware, but some users are running into problems as of late. While the Streamer as a whole is working just fine, the Disney+ app is being left effectively unusable.

Google TV Streamer owners started reporting the problem over the weekend, with users unable to fully start playback. The Disney+ app opens and functions as normal, affected users say, but when content starts playing, video is left blank while audio starts up.

Some have noticed that launching the video stream from the Google TV app on Android works as normal, but this doesn’t fix the app itself. Others found that changing the default resolution made a difference.

This doesn’t appear to be a widespread issue, and we weren’t able to replicate it in our testing either. If you’re having trouble, let us know in the comments below. More than likely, a new Disney+ update will be released to patch the issue.

 

[limmk]

Last year, the Google TV Streamer got a small update about a month after it launched. The first Google TV Streamer update of 2025 is now rolling out and it’s more sizable.

The UTTK.241210.003 (from UTT3.240625.001) update for the Google TV Streamer raises the Android security patch level to January 2025 (from August 2024).

At 329 MB, it’s larger than the 35.35 MB update in November. Like with Chromecasts, there are just “Other bug fixes and performance improvements.” (For reference, the Chromecast with Google TV saw eight updates last year.)

Meanwhile, there is a Voice Remote update that takes the firmware from version 1.00 to 1.02. To install, reboot your Google TV Streamer after the update.

This update is not yet reflected on Google’s firmware version and release notes page. According to users (via Android Authority), this update fixes an issue with Dolby Atmos getting stuck, while the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio are no longer listed as detected codecs. Connected webcams are also more consistently detected.

On your Google TV Streamer, go to Settings > System > About > System update to get the first release of 2025.

 

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Just under two months after the previous update, another new Google TV Streamer is now rolling out with a new security patch and seemingly not much else.

The first update for the Google TV Streamer started rolling out in February with a few months jump in its security patch. It went from August 2024 to January 2025 and weighed in at 329MB.

Now, another new update is rolling out.

UTTK.250305.003 weighs in at just 187MB and brings the Streamer up to the April 2025 security patch, a three month jump. The changelog only lists “other bug fixes and performance improvements” and there’s no explanation for what’s new after installing the update either. There’s a good chance we’ll learn further details about the update as users install it in the coming days. Interestingly, the update didn’t show a changelog on our Damien Wilde’s device, but a user on Reddit did see that changelog.

We’ll update this post as more details come to light.

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This update comes after “News Briefs” started rolling out to the Google TV Streamer and after BBC iPlayer launched in March.

 

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[OnePunch!!]

with new update I managed go back to google steamer
Disney plus works already

the old chrome cast still can use but not as smoothly as google new steamer

 

[limmk]

Last year, Google introduced new Plastic-Free Packaging across all its hardware as part of its 2025 goal announced in 2020. The company has now adjusted the box for the Google TV Streamer.

“Peelable closure labels” — paired with outer sleeves that cover the primary box — are a big aspect of this new design. This pill-shaped sticker with adhesive on the underside replaces tear strips, and has the benefit of leaving “no rough, torn edges or dangling flaps after opening.”

Our new closure system combines a sleeve with a peelable label to provide both tamper evidence and box closure. Because box closure is heavily aided by the sleeve, the peelable label primarily keeps the sleeve in place and provides tamper evidence.

The box for the Google TV Streamer was already a bit more conventional in not having a sleeve (though there’s a retention pack), but it made use of a wide peelable label that you tore off to lift the top flap and access the contents.



As of May 2025 (per the manufacturing date), Google has updated the packaging to use a slightly more traditional closure mechanism (tuck end). There’s a much smaller peelable label. After removing, you pull back the tab from the slit/cutout and then proceed to untuck the top flab.

Old box: Background | New box: Foreground​

There’s more friction with this common design, which helps keep everything secure. In comparison, if the sticker was somehow torn off or pushed aside on the old box, the contents could fall out since no other mechanism was securing it.

As of the Pixel 9a, the two peelable labels and sleeve design are unchanged. When Google introduced this design last year, some pointed out how a nefarious party could just glue down the label after removing, or replace it entirely compared to tear strips or shrink wrap. We’ll see if the Pixel 10 series makes any changes.
Google presumably updated the TV Streamer packaging now as it will remain on sale for a few more years.

 

[Henry Ng]

How much is it now in Singapore and does it has Starhub TV+ app?

 

[OnePunch!!]

How much is it now in Singapore and does it has Starhub TV+ app?

shopee Lazada sold it
app can install

 

[Gustav]

bought it in japan for ard $130, can install starhub tv + from play store

 

[limmk]

Google announced today that Gemini is finally rolling out to Google TV — one of the company’s last remaining platforms that was still relying on the old Google Assistant experience.

However, today’s announcement raises a looming question: When will your Google TV device receive Gemini? Google is notorious for its staggered rollout approach with new software features, and unfortunately, Gemini for Google TV is no different.

Whether you have a Google TV streaming box or a television with Google TV built in, here’s everything we know about when you’ll get the big Gemini update.

Google TV devices that are getting Gemini today​

As of today, September 22, Gemini is only available for one specific family of TCL televisions — specifically, the TCL QM9K series of TVs. There’s a good chance you don’t own a TCL QM9K television, and that’s because TCL just released the TVs in the United States today.
The QM9K is available in four sizes, including the following:

• 65-inch model for $3,000
• 75-inch model for $3,500
• 85-inch model for $4,000
• 98-inch model for $6,000

Every model ships with Google TV and Gemini available out of the box, and at the time of publication, they’re the only Google TV devices on the market with Gemini working on them right now. So, if you absolutely need to experience Gemini on Google TV ASAP, the TCL QM9K is what you’ll need to buy.

The Gemini Google TV update will continue throughout 2025​

If you don’t feel like spending thousands of dollars just to use Gemini on Google TV, the good news is that Gemini is coming to other Google TV devices. The bad news is that we don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen.

According to Google, all of the following will receive Gemini “later this year”:

• Google TV Streamer
• Walmart Onn 4K Pro
• 2025 Hisence U7, U8, and UX
• 2025 TCL QM7K, QM8K, and X11K

It’s unclear if all of these devices will receive Gemini at once or if Google will expand Gemini to them one at a time. It’s hard to imagine Google’s own Google TV Streamer being stuck with Gemini for too long now that TCL’s new televisions have it, so don’t be surprised if the Google TV Streamer is the first device on that list to get Gemini.

However, even if that’s true, we still have no idea what “later this year” means. Gemini could be available on the Google TV Streamer and these other devices later this month, in October, or we may be waiting until late December. All we know for sure is that these devices are getting Gemini at some point before the end of 2025.

There are also plenty of other Google TV boxes/televisions not mentioned in that list. Google notes that “this is just the start,” so Gemini may come to additional devices in 2026. But, at least right now, Google has only confirmed Gemini availability for the models above.

 

[limmk]

Google is rolling out a new software update for the Google TV Streamer, with this latest update delivering a surprisingly outdated August 2025 security patch.

Since its launch last year, Google has rolled out three software updates for the Google TV Streamer. The first arrived in November 2024. The first update of 2025 arrived in February, with Google moving from the August 2024 security patch to a much newer January 2025 patch. The pattern continued in May, with the April 2025 patch being delivered barely a month late.

But, now, Google is a bit behind the curve.

The fourth Google TV Streamer update is now rolling out as UTTK.250729.004 and brings with it the August 2025 security patch, over two months out of date.

The update weighs in at just 227 MB and has a very short and vague changelog:

This software update includes:

• Security Patch Updates to August 2025
• Other bug fixes and performance improvements

Software updates for TVs are never going to be at the same cadence as smartphones and other devices, but it’s a little disappointing to see the TV Streamer not only just now seeing its first update in five months, but also being behind the curve again in terms of security patches.

Whatever the case, this update is rolling out now and you should be able to download it immediately by going to Settings > System > About > System updates.

 

[limmk]

TL;DR

• An update is starting to roll out for the Google TV Streamer.
• The update replaces Google Assistant with Gemini.
• The release is happening over the next few weeks.

Last week, Google began the process of removing the ability to switch between Google Assistant and Gemini. We also started seeing reports of Gemini replacing the old digital assistant on Android Auto. The phase-out continues this week with Assistant now getting replaced on the Google TV Streamer.

Today, Google shared a short blog where it announced that owners of the Google TV Streamer should soon start seeing Gemini for TV. The rollout will occur over the next few weeks, so you may not see the update right away. As expected, this integration of Gemini will come at the cost of Google Assistant.

Once the update arrives on your streaming device, you’ll be able to use Gemini by pressing the microphone button on your remote. With this change, you’ll now be able to use more natural language to discover content. For example, you could ask, “I like dramas, but my wife likes comedies. What’s a movie we can watch together?”

The tech giant adds that you’ll be able to use Gemini for more than just finding your next show. You’ll also be able to use the AI to guide you through a DIY project, explain a school topic to your child, and help you with recipes.

 

[limmk]

The Chromecast with Google TV (4K) is getting its first notable update in months with the October 2025 security patch.

2025 has been a rough year for Chromecast updates, with Google starting the year with an Android 14-based update that ended up pulled due to various issues and was finally re-released in June of this year with the same January 2025 security update. The current stable update, UTTC.241218.008.H1.13427172, is now being replaced with an overdue security patch.

Chromecast with Google TV (4K) owners can currently check for updates and find the UTTC.250917.004 update available. This patch is still based on Android 14 but delivers the October 2025 security patch, ending the 10-month drought for a new patch.

The update weighs in at over 760MB.

The changelog is as follows:

• Security patch updates to Oct 2025
• System stability and improvements

While it’s unclear if there are any issues with the patch, at least one user claims it fixes an issue with IPTV.

 

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[Henry Ng]

Where to buy this Google TV streamer (original from Google) with 12 months manufacturer's warranty in Singapore?

 

[limmk]

Where to buy this Google TV streamer (original from Google) with 12 months manufacturer's warranty in Singapore?

Wait for promo before purchasing the Google TV Streamer

 

[Henry Ng]

Wait for promo before purchasing the Google TV Streamer

I found an alternative, Xiao Mi TV Stick 4k (GEN 2) at $69.90

 

[PattyTheChuggyTrain]

I found an alternative, Xiao Mi TV Stick 4k (GEN 2) at $69.90

how's the performance of the xiaomi tv stick ?

looking to either get the Google streamer or the xiaomi.