1 week Ago By Ben Schoon
The idea of Google TV when it launched four years ago was to make it easier to find content across a sea of streaming services, but as the next chapter in Google TV begins, what if the platform evolved to help you just switch back and forth between services? This issue of 9to5Google Weekender is a part of 9to5Google’s rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox early! Streaming has gotten expensive . For many, signing up for two or three subscriptions can cost as much as some cable packages, all while still not giving you access to all of the content you actually want.
As a result, we’re seeing more and more bundles. But, in reality, most people are only using a couple of these subscriptions at a time, making spending the tens of dollars each month on the ones you’re not using as much feel mostly pointless. Lately, I’ve been keeping Disney+ and Hulu active primarily, and turning Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and Netflix on for a month or two at a time.
It’s a little tedious, but it saves a bunch of money. What if that could be automated, though? The idea of Google TV back in 2020 was to help everyone find the content they want to watch quickly and easily from a central location, and I can’t help but feel like the next logical step there is the ability to automate what services you’re actually using. Imagine it this way.
You’re adding content to your watchlist on Google TV, and a new Netflix show catches your eye. But, currently, you’re not subscribed. This hypothetical version of Google TV could spin up your account, set a timer for a couple of months, and then stop the payment when you’re done.
In theory, this could leverage Google Play’s “pause” function for subscriptions, allowing Google TV to automate the task of pausing one subscription while perhaps enabling another. This would be an incredibly useful function, but the sad reality is that it’ll likely never happen. For one, the “pause” idea would require all of these streaming services to actually use Google Play Billing, something that’s highly unlikely as long as a 30% cut is in the picture.
Beyond that, it’d also probably create some bad blood between Google TV and those services. Just look at Netflix’s reaction to Google TV even simply wanting to surface Netflix’s library outside of their app . They’d never be on board for something like this.
Plus, there would probably also be a lot of friction with the money-saving bundles that exist now, like the one that bundles Disney+, Hulu, and Max . This is all a dream, but it’s a nice one in my book. If Google ever managed to do this – and to be clear, there’s no sign this is even on the drawing table – it’d probably usher in a new era for the platform.
At least we’ve got the Google TV Streamer to look forward to this coming week! This Week’s Top Stories Google TV continues to build up ‘Freeplay’ Google TV is picking up the pace when it comes to free channels, adding well over a dozen new options in the past couple of weeks, as well as launching a revamped “Freeplay” app experience. Google TV Freeplay gets a redesigned app with favorite channels, more [Gallery] Google TV now has 150 free channels built into the homescreen Google TV adds several more free channels including The Bob Ross Channel Hell has frozen over: The iPhone has RCS now It’s been a long wait, and many thought it’d never happen, but the iPhone has RCS now. The rollout of iOS 18 has enabled RCS support across all major carriers, finally improving messaging between iOS and Android.
There are still some hurdles left to overcome, but it’s never been better than it is now. iOS 18 rolling out RCS to the iPhone for better Android messaging Google Fi waiting on Apple to enable RCS for iPhone users Google working on RCS encryption between Android and iPhone More Top Stories Fitbit app redesigns Heart Rate stats page Nest Protect now (barely) shows up in Google Home app, years after it was promised These new trackers for Android’s Find My Device network might have the most clever hardware yet The best Android emulators for playing your favorite classic games [Video] Samsung’s September 2024 update is rolling out to these Galaxy devices Samsung opens One UI 6.1.
1 floodgates, updates now available for these Galaxy devices [U] Samsung has paused One UI 6.1.1 updates for the Galaxy S23 Ultra to fix camera issues Google Maps on Android Auto adds an easier ‘Add Stop’ button Google Photos now lets you flip your photos and videos horizontally Android launcher developers team up in bid to get Google to fix the experience New Wear OS watches will get health upgrades from the company that almost got the Apple Watch banned Review: The Hisense U8N with Google TV makes a strong argument to skip OLED From the rest of 9to5 9to5Mac: First iPhone 16 pre-orders arrive as lines form at Apple Stores around the world 9to5Toys: Sony officially debuts epic PS1-style 30th anniversary PS5 Pro, PS5, controllers, and more! Electrek: BioLite launches home backup battery you can install yourself Follow Ben: Twitter/X , Threads , and Instagram.
