Google TV for Android is the next app set to receive a Material You home screen widget

In version 4.38.7.4 of the Google TV for Android, it’s been discovered by 9to5Google that the app is now appearing in the system’s widgets list as an available option for your device’s home screen. You may remember that YouTube just got its very own “MY” widget back in December just in time for Christmas and before that, Google Play Books finally got a refresh for the first time in its entire life.

As you can see below, the widget features a Google-style search bar complete with the “Google TV” logo across it. On the right side, there’s a TV remote! As someone who constantly has to launch the app to get to the remote control, I appreciate this.

While it can be placed as a vertically inconspicuous widget that takes up the entire width of your display, it can also be stretched to fill out the entire screen. My guess is that this will then show you featured movies and TV shows, but at this time, it really doesn’t show anything as it’s still early in development.

Before these improvements, which are no doubt in preparation for the Pixel Tablet, Google cared about Android’s widgets just enough to create them back in the Ice Cream Sandwich days (Android 4.0 circa 2011). We really don’t know much else about the Google TV home screen widget, but I know I’m going to love it.

Here’s to hoping it has a way to quickly add things to the Watchlist while you’re on the go. Oftentimes, I encounter movies and shows while traveling or by recommendation, and instead of fidgeting with the TV app, I just Google search it and tap the mobile web-based bookmark icon. Let me know if you’re a widget user or if you think they’re a waste of space!