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YouTube TV is set to roll out an update this week for the Android TV app which will bring some fixes to issues experienced by users.
The confirmation on the update was made in a reddit post by a YouTube engineer and confirms the fixes are “tentatively” scheduled to roll out with a June 26 app update. The build number associated with this updated version will be 1.07.
At present the current version of YouTube TV for Android TV is 1.05.07.
The fixes mainly apply to playback issues. For example, the post notes that there seems to be an issue with the playback of live TV and DVR recorded content on the NVIDIA SHIELD where the playback immediately fails.
In spite of the fix for this expected to be included with the upcoming update, the engineer notes this is still an issue that’s being investigated as YouTube has yet to identify the core issue.
For owners of a Sony TV powered by Android TV, there’s also a fix coming for your device. If you have been experience stuttering or dropped frames since upgrading the OS to Android 8.0 (Oreo), then you should also expect the update to fix this issue once it is received on your end.
Android TV aside, the post also explains there’s a ‘locked to orientation’ fix for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 and S5 which was fixed in the last (version 3.24) update to the Android mobile app.
Speaking of the 3.24 update, apparently some mobile users also experienced an issue with this update in general and that’s due to be patched in the 3.25 version which is said to be starting to make its way out to devices today.
At present, the Google Play Store listing for the Android mobile app has yet to be updated reflecting the information in the post with the 3.24.1 build (updated on June 20) listed as the most recent version.
YouTube TV has found itself growing considerably in the last year as more people look to not only cut the cord, but also move away from the traditional players in the streaming space.
For example, while both Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV are newer services compared to the likes of DIRECTV NOW and Sling TV, Hulu and YouTube seem to continually be picking up new subscribers each quarter and in some cases, at an impressive rate.
In contrast, Sling TV has remained rather stagnant on subscriber growth while DIRECTV NOW seems to be losing subscribers at an alarming rate.
Therefore, YouTube TV will want to make sure it is on top of any and all Android TV bugs as these could prove to be a deal-breaker for users considering the ease at which they can now switch from one service to another. This is particularly true for issues affecting the SHIELD and Sony TVs as they are likely to be some of the most commonly-used Android TV devices in general.
Of course, in spite of Hulu with Live TV seeing the biggest subscriber growth of all the live TV streaming services in the past few months, that’s unlikely to be something YouTube TV has to worry about when it comes to Android TV. As Hulu has yet to update its Android TV app with live TV support.
In other words, if you are looking for a live TV streaming service that you can access via an Android TV device, Hulu with live TV is not it.