No one can buy Google's latest Android TV reference device
Developing apps for Android can be a challenge, but Google has traditionally done what it can to make life easier for creators, giving them access to resources like the Android Studio development environment. In addition to Studio's software emulator, devs working on Android TV have even had access to dedicated testing hardware: the ADT series. Google is currently working on Android TV 14 with the help of the new ADT-4 box, but this time it won't similarly be making that hardware available to external developers.
So far, Android TV developers have been able to test their apps with both software and hardware tools. This past January, Google released the latest Android Studio Electric Eel, a huge improvement on its predecessor as it allowed for testing apps on connected devices — something which the development community had been wanting for a while. That may be fine provided you have an actual device for testing, but there aren't any commercial units on sale running Android TV 14, which is currently in beta.
This wasn't a problem for previous versions of Android TV, as in theory developers could test apps on stuff like the ADT-3 box. This device, manufactured by Askey for Google, was originally released in 2019 and was the best way for developers to consistently test apps in Android TV in ways they couldn't do using the Android Studio emulator.
This time around, though, if a developer wants to check how their app would run on Android TV 14, they seem to have no choice but to use the emulator. Google confirmed this at the latest Android TV Partner Bootcamp, saying the company will not be offering the device externally, as reported by Android Authority.
The new ADT-4 seems to be based on a device currently sold by Amlogic, specifically the S905X4 Developer Box. This could provide some hope for both bedroom coders and official Android TV partners, as they may be able to buy one directly from Amlogic or a reseller. The device costs $200, which is considerably more than the $80 price tag for its predecessor the ADT-3.
It's not immediately clear what Google's motivations here are, nor if it has any other hardware plans in store for the Android TV development community. We've reached out to Google for comment, and will share anything we learn here.
Source: Android Police
