Google TV Streamer gets its first update this year. It mainly improves smart home functionality

It can’t be said that Google is showering its streaming device with updates. Owners of the Google TV Streamer had to wait until June for the first one this year, a full six months. What’s even more interesting is that the most important new feature has nothing to do with TV. It concerns the smart home – specifically the Thread protocol, which is being upgraded to version 1.4.

Thread 1.4: QR code instead of blind pairing

Thread is an energy-efficient wireless protocol for smart home devices – sensors, light bulbs, locks, and similar small items for which classic Wi-Fi would unnecessarily drain battery life. For such a network to function, it needs a so-called border router, an intermediary between Thread and the rest of the home network. And the Google TV Streamer has been fulfilling precisely this role since its launch.

The update adds support for the Thread 1.4 specification and with it one visible change: a button labeled Share Thread network credentials has been added to the settings. Pressing it displays a QR code, which you can scan in the new device’s app to connect it to the existing network. No complicated pairing, no retyping codes. Google also considered security – before displaying the QR code, you must confirm your identity with a PIN or a phone prompt. Logically, whoever has access to the code can manage the entire network.

What else the specification hides

Thread 1.4 can do more, although you won’t notice it externally. The specification standardizes the connection of devices to cloud services via a border router, enables simultaneous use of Ethernet and Wi-Fi alongside the Thread network itself, and improves problem diagnostics. Just for the record – the specification itself has been around since autumn 2024, so Google took its time with the implementation. On the other hand, better late than never, as there aren’t many border routers with Thread 1.4 on the market yet.

First update of the year only in June

The package itself is labeled UTTK.260317.003, has a size of 219 MB, and in addition to Thread, brings the April security patch and the obligatory “bug fixes and performance improvements.” The previous update arrived in mid-October last year, with the August patch. The pace is therefore not exactly breakneck – last year, the Streamer received three updates, and the first of them was already in February. Fortunately, new features of the Google TV environment itself, including the Gemini assistant, do not depend on system updates and arrive continuously via applications.

You can find the update on your device in the menu Settings → System → About → System update. Distribution is gradual, so if it hasn’t reached you yet, try again in a few days.

Do you use Google TV Streamer as a smart home hub, or just for content consumption?

Source: 9to5Google