Android Tv: Android TV starts adding user profiles: What is it – Times of India

For the past few months, more TV manufacturers are launching their devices with Google TV instead of using the older Android TV OS. As more companies shift to Google TV, the original Android TV experience has been lagging for months. However, the tech giant doesn’t seem to be completely ignoring the old Android TV experience. In what seems to be the first major update in several months, Google is reportedly rolling out a user profiles feature for some Android TV users. According to a report by 9to5Google, user profiles have started appearing on the Android TV “Discover” home screen design for some users. This feature was first spotted by a few Reddit users. The users claimed that a profile switcher icon started appearing in the top-right half of the interface next to the settings button and time.
Android TV user profiles: How it works
Android TV users can click on their profile icon to see a new page that will ask them to “choose the primary account for your TV”. The user profile icon will also include options to both add and remove accounts. As per the report, the page will even note that the primary account is used for watchlists and purchases.
Difference between Android TV and Google TV user profiles
Users need to keep in mind that Android TV profiles are not the same as Google TV’s user profiles. Like Google TV, Android TV doesn’t have a user switcher that changes the home screen in real-time. The user profile in Android TV looks like a new interface that helps users to control Google accounts that are linked to the device.
It also comes with a few more advanced features. As Google has started rolling out the new feature only for limited users more details about it are still unavailable. The report suggests that the user profiles in Android TV can be used for YouTube. Instead of building all of its accounts switching into the app, YouTube may integrate with the profile switcher on Android TV OS.

Difference between Android TV and Google TV
Android TV is the original operating system developed by Google for smart TVs. Meanwhile, Google TV is a skin which is designed based on Android TV. This skin is like the smartphone’s custom skins that different brands offer separately like OxygenOS and OneUI. So, when devices like the latest Chromecast models receive new features like a user account switcher, they are usually from Google TV. Meanwhile, Android TV devices including the Nvidia Shield TV wants users to offer separate experiences for different people using the TV.