It might be strange to say it, but Apple TV has been my favorite Apple product for years. Maybe because, unlike the Mac or the iPhone, I orient it mainly towards leisure and it’s always a pleasure. However, Android TV came into my life a few years ago and changed my perception.
This is the operating system that came standard on my not-so-new TV and I got the most out of it. I still use tvOS, since I didn’t get rid of the Apple TV and it’s still connected to my living room TV. However, I really miss the things Android TV gives me. And as always, trying everything helps
I wish Apple TV would copy all of this from Android TV
The market is full of identical or very similar products. And in essence, an Apple TV and a TV or TV Box with Android TV too. Ultimately, both have the primary mission of providing entertainment options, usually on streaming platforms. And both fully serve their purpose, but It’s in the extras that Android TV wins the game over Apple TV. At least in my opinion.
A much more customizable controller
I love the Siri Remote, the Apple TV remote. In fact, I’m even a fan of previous generations, whose design was somewhat chaotic and which, I understand, requires some learning. However, once fitted it is fully functional. However, I miss a larger controller and not because of the size itself, but because of what it offers.
I understand the obvious difference between my Apple TV remote and my Android TV remote, assuming the latter is the TV remote and as such has digital buttons and functions for watching traditional TV. And I doubt Apple will focus on that, especially when they are champions of simplicity.
However, having a controller full of buttons also allows you to have shortcuts. On Android TV there is an application that allows you to configure quick shortcuts for the controller, like the classic YouTube or Netflix buttons which integrate many to open these applications with a single touch. In my case, I take some of the many “useless” buttons on the remote to assign other shortcuts (from opening other apps that don’t come standard to taking screenshots or opening a certain settings panel).
Lots more apps on Android TV
The Apple App Store and Google Play Store are two giant app stores. The biggest ones, in fact. However, In the field of television, Google beats Apple squarely. There are a lot of apps other than regular streaming apps that aren’t available in tvOS.
See for example the content players, which exist in tvOS, but in my experience they are much less complete and almost always paid. Free options abound on Android TV. We also note the absence of certain tools such as web browsers and even VPNs. Without going any further, it’s only been a while since one of the most popular VPN apps came to tvOS.
So things, I understand that it is not Apple’s fault but that of the developers who do not bet on tvOS. They will have their reasons for this and it is not me who will tell them what they should or should not do. I’m just basing this on my experience and my type of use on a device like this, and the reality is that on Android TV I have many more options.
There are games on both, but more on Android TV
I often immersed myself in the best Apple Arcade games. There are some real gems out there, although the truth is that Even adding it to the App Store catalog doesn’t satisfy me. And be careful, I’m not looking for triple A titles, far from it. I love the indie style with casual games, and as with apps, there are more options on Android TV.
And that’s it Android TV is also capable of running games that are not natively on the platform. These are mobile versions that, although it is true that they do not offer the same experience as the versions created for televisions,
No external memory on Apple TV
A TV Box or a television with Android TV has USB ports. An Apple TV doesn’t do it
At a time when the greatest consumption of content is streaming and where in tvOS and Android TV we have the main applications, the truth is that not being able to connect external memories It’s not a drama, but it’s something that I ultimately missed. Especially when I wanted to see content that is not available on the platforms and that I keep on an external hard drive or USB stick.
On Android TV, it’s easy to connect it and start watching that content using a file manager which, by the way, doesn’t have tvOS either. When I want to do something similar on an Apple TV I have no choice but to upload it to a server on my local network.which ends up being handy, but is a bit tedious to set up at first.
Be careful, Apple TV is also superior to Android TV on other points
Not everything is perfect and Android TV is also far from it. Despite these advantages that I particularly find compared to the Apple TV, the latter ultimately remains superior in terms of sections such as performance. And Android TV, either because of the poor hardware of the TVs it’s built into and/or because of poor resource management, tends to slow down too easily. Not to the point of being a problem, but a stunning difference from the tvOS Fluidityeven on older Apple TVs.
Another problem I encountered is the very little storage that comes with Android TV-equipped devices. Here I include both TVs and Chromecast. The ones that offer the most are 8 GB of space which fills up easily and continually pushes me to free up space on my Android TV to be able to install apps or just use them without the memory filling up. On Apple TVs, the minimum is 64GB, which, at least in my experience, is more than enough for a device like this.
Another disadvantage of the Google system is that the interface is too loaded with content. I managed to take advantage of this flaw by taking advantage of the series and movie recommendation system, even if it tires me out in the long run. The tvOS interface is simple: it presents you with the applications and that’s it. And although there are launchers for Android TV that resemble Apple TV, in terms of performance they are much more diminished than with the original.
So no, I don’t think Android TV is superior to Apple TV either, even if you see that the latter has some points of improvement which would once again make me appreciate it much more. Who knows, maybe the changes to the App Store in Europe will bring surprises with many more app options. Even homeOS, which we once talked about, could bring a small revolution to Apple’s system.
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