What you need to know
- Android TV includes a basic framework for sleep timers, but it's hardly a handy experience at the moment.
- Updates to the Google TV Home app signal that Google will expand sleep timer functionality with new features.
- Sleep timers may come to the main Google TV operating system with the ability to easily pause, resume, and manage them.
Sleep timers are a convenient way to make sure your favorite shows or movies don't continue running in the background after you fall asleep. Android TV includes a rudimentary sleep timer function, but Google TV currently doesn't feature a user-friendly option. As Google TV is the operating system you probably interact with most often via supported TVs, Chromecast hardware, and the Google TV Streamer, it's safe to say the experience has been lacking.
Now, there are signs that Google is working on expanding Android TV sleep timer functionality to the main Google TV operating system, as reported by Android Authority. The publication found code strings and references to sleep timers in version 1.0.756918669 the Google TV Home app. This app serves as the main Google TV interface, and it's what you interact with while navigating and controlling Google TV streaming devices.
These code strings point to features that aren't currently offered for the sleep timer in Android TV. Additionally, their appearance prominently in the Google TV Home app suggests the sleep timer will eventually come properly to the Google TV operating system.
Cancel timerPause timerResume timer%1$d seconds until TV turns off%1$d minutes until TV turns offYour sleep timer has ended, but something went wrong when turning off your TV. You can still turn it off manuallyUnable to turn off TVAndroid TV doesn't support pause and resume functions for sleep timers, hinting that a refresh is in the works for the feature. Sleep timer notification warnings at various intervals are new, too.
Other code strings hint at Google letting users take sleep timer actions directly from the notification warnings. For instance, you might be able to add time to a sleep timer when a notification warns you that your Google TV device is about to shut down. However, the full details are currently unclear, since these code strings haven't materialized into actionable or viewable notifications just yet.
Either way, it seems to be a good sign that Google is working on building a proper sleep timer for Google TV. Previously, Android TV's implementation of the feature required OEMs to build their own user-interfaces for the handy tool. Soon, Google TV users may be able to use convenient sleep timers to make sure their nighttime binges don't continue after their eyes close.
