Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Android TV interface has removed the Discover tab and replaced it with a new “Free” tab.
- As the name suggests, the new “Free” tab offers free movies, TV shows, and live channels in one convenient location.
- We spotted the change on an old Android TV projector, but it’s something newer Android TV devices are either already seeing or will receive soon.
- The contents of the outgoing Discover tab, i.e., recommendations and watchlist, have been rolled into the Home tab.
Google has effectively killed off the Discover tab on the Android TV interface. In place of Discover, you will now see a new “Free” tab that brings together free movies, TV shows, and live channels in one place.
Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
Android Authority’s Stephen Schenck spotted the change rolling out today on his older Android TV projector running Android 10. Given that it’s appearing on such an old version of Android TV, it’s very likely that newer Android TV devices are either already seeing the change or will receive it soon.
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Google originally introduced the Discover tab on Android TV back in 2021. It served as a central hub for personalized recommendations and your watchlist, and also displayed trending content. However, the company confirmed a shift earlier this year. In September, Android TV users began seeing a notice on their home screens stating, “Your recommendations and watchlist will move to the Home tab.” Now, that transition appears to be complete.
Stephen Schenck / Android Authority
The Discover tab has disappeared entirely, and the Android TV interface now shows tabs for Home, Live, Shop, Free, and Apps. Personalized recommendations and your watchlist haven’t gone away. They’ve simply moved into the Home tab now. You can still tweak what you see by scrolling to the bottom of the Home tab and customizing your recommendations.
As the name suggests, the new Free tab is focused solely on no-cost content, acting as a centralized hub for free movies, TV shows, and channels available on Android TV.
The rollout appears to be a server-side change, meaning there’s no software update required. If you haven’t seen it yet, it should show up automatically on your Android TV device over time. As a reminder, this change applies to Android TV, not Google TV, which uses a different interface and content layout.
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