Google TV bundles streaming services and gives users recommendations on seriesand films that are of interest to them. We explain how you can get the mostout of the app with these five tips for Google TV.
1. Choose your streaming services
Google TV, as you may know, is the successor to Google Play Movies. The mostimportant thing about these apps is that they are completely adapted to themodern age where streaming services take the upper hand over renting or buyingmovies.
To discover recommended films and series in Google TV, you must first setwhich services are represented in the app. We explain how it works:
- Open Google TV on your phone * Press it profile icon * Choose Manage services * Check the streaming apps for which you want to see recommendations * End with Finished
It is a pity that a popular app like Netflix is not yet available in theGoogle TV app on phones, while Netflix does work on the Google TV software forsmart TVs. It is also not known when this situation will change.
2. Train the algorithm
Still, we can expect Netflix support to come sooner or later. So if you are abig Netflix fan, it may be interesting to already use Google TV to train thealgorithms for the recommendations.
Every time you stream a movie or series or choose to ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’, theapp draws conclusions from that. For example, if you watch a lot of Marvelseries on Disney+ and like them, you can expect more recommendations fromMarvel content and superhero series in the future. You will also see similarcontent from streaming services other than Disney +.
3. Cast directly
One of the newest features in the Google TV app is the cast function.Previously, you could stream content on your phone or tablet, and thenpossibly cast it on your television from the Disney + or Prime Video app. Nowyou don’t have to leave the Google TV app for that. The cast icon can be seenas soon as you tap on a movie or series in Google TV.
4. Use the Watchlist
The Google TV watchlist can serve as a source of inspiration for times whenyou’re looking for something new to watch. Whenever you come across somethingnice, but you can’t watch the movie or series right away, you add it to thewatch list. You can do this easily via the ‘Watch list’ button.
Afterwards you will find all the content of your ‘Watchlist’ in the Watchlisttab. There are also handy filters that allow you to choose between films andseries, for example. If you happen to have a Chromecast with Google TV or asmart TV that already has the software as standard, you can also find the sameviewing list on your television.
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5. Think of the virtual remote control
By the way, if you have a Google TV or Android TV – discover the differenceshere – you can use your phone as a remote control. A virtual remote control isbuilt into the Google TV app. To use it, tap TV remote control at the bottomright of the app. Then tap the name of your smart TV to connect it and confirmby entering a number code.
Then you see a simple remote with navigation arrows, a back button, volumebuttons, a power button and a button for the Google Assistant. Everything youneed. If you have several televisions in your house, you can switch betweenyour TVs at the top of the remote control by tapping the correct name of thedevice.
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6. Buy or rent movies
Did you enjoy using the Google Play Movies app to occasionally buy or rentmovies? You can still find those functions in Google TV with the ‘Shopping’tab. You will always discover the necessary information about the series orfilm and a review from Rotten Tomatoes will also appear. When you buysomething, you pay via the payment method you have set up in the Google PlayStore.
What do you think of the Google TV app? Do you use them often, or will you doso more often after reading these tips? You may not find the app very usefulat all as long as Netflix doesn ‘t work. Let us know in the comments.