An Android TV is a great source of entertainment. You get to enjoy all your favorite movies, series, sports, and whatnot. There are a bunch of apps for all that. But how many of you know that Android TVs are also good for your video calling needs? You can simply plug a camera and microphone into the TV or Android TV boxes to make your Android TV audio/video call ready. Google Meet is one of the apps that streamlines such an experience, but sadly it might be deprecated soon on the Android TV platform.
An APK teardown suggests Google Meet could soon be deprecated on the Android TV platform
Today, the news was first reported by Android Authority, all thanks to the findings of a popular code tinkerer, AssembleDebug. The publication reported that the Google Meet app could be in its last days on the Android TV platform. According to the latest report, AssembleDebug found some code strings in the latest update for Google Meet that suggest the app could soon be deprecated on the Android TV.
The code strings found during the APK teardown include some messages that hint towards the possible deprecation of the Google Meet app. One of the messages reads “Soon you won’t be able to use Google Meet on your Android TV to make calls. Click below for alternatives and to learn more.” While the other mentions “Meet on Android TV is going away.” It is important to note that the code strings mention the term “deprecation.”
There’s no confirmation from Google in this matter though
Are you wondering what the deprecation of the Google Meet app on Android TV would mean for you? Since the message in code strings is quite clear, the deprecation of the Google Meet app would mean you won’t be able to make calls using it on your Android TV. That’s not all, if you are in a corporate setup, hosting meetings won’t be possible in the near future. In fact, the app will be absent entirely.
However, you don’t have to worry about the deprecation of the Google Meet app. If you read carefully, there’s a term “Click below for alternatives” in the code strings. That means, that whenever the deprecation happens, you might get alternative apps for audio/video calls on Android TV.
All that said, there’s no mention of the upcoming change in Google’s documentation for setting up “Google Meet Calling.” Or, rather the company may not have updated the documentation yet. In any case, there’s no official confirmation about possible deprecation. Time will tell if Google keeps the Meet app on Android TV or deprecates it.