What’s happened? Google TV is experimenting with a polarizing Netflix feature that asks if you’re still watching after you’ve been inactive for a while, and it could soon be available on your device.
- An APK teardown of the Google TV Home app (by Android Authority) reveals strings of code that are supposed to ask users whether they’re still watching.
- The message reads, “Just checking in. This channel will stop playing because you haven’t used the remote in a while,” and asks them, “Are you still watching?”
- If viewers respond by selecting “Keep watching,” the playback will continue. Otherwise, the platform will pause playback and eventually put your device into sleep mode.
Why is this important? A significant number of users fall asleep watching something on their television (or any other streaming device), only to wake up and realize that the series or movie continued playing after they dozed off, and their device kept running for the entire night.
- The Google TV feature in question will not only save your internet, but also the frustration that comes with figuring out which episode you were watching before dozing off.
- It could also help you save energy and potentially extend the lifespan of your device (especially if it’s a projector).
- The feature could also provide developers with an option to use Google TV’s prompt, as opposed to implementing one of their own.
Why should I care? Such a feature already exists on the popular streaming app Netflix, where it appears after 90 minutes of inactivity and pauses idle playback. However, this is the first time a platform is seen trying to adopt it.
- If you’re someone who likes to have something playing in the background, the feature could be very annoying, unless there’s a “don’t ask me again” option.
- For those with limited data caps, stopping unnecessary streaming could also prevent data allowance exhaustion.
OK, what’s next? Google needs to spend some time defining the threshold for inactivity, allowing users to customize the feature or opt out, and determining whether it applies to just channels (as mentioned in the prompt) or also to apps. Ultimately, it will be user feedback that shapes the feature.
