Google Has 110 Million Monthly Active Android/Google TV Devices

Google’s Android TV and Google TV devices experienced strong growth in 2022, with over 110 million monthly active devices.

In May 2021, the number was 80 million, so it’s reasonable to assume that most of the recent growth can be attributed to the Chromecast with Google TV. That said, TCL said this past week that it sold 10 million Android TV/Google TV-based smart TVs last year too.

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Google confirmed the new usage figure to 9to5Google, which mentioned an official statement but did not publish it.

As you may recall, Amazon announced this past week that it has sold over 150 million Fire TV devices to date. It’s hard to compare that figure, which represents total units sold, to Google’s monthly active devices figure.

And Roku announced that Roku Operating System (Roku OS)-based smart TVs were the best-selling smart TVs sold in the U.S. in 2021 for the second year in a row. That figure, too, is impossible to compare to the Amazon and Google figures.

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Conversation 7 comments

  • cnc123

    07 January, 2022 - 11:37 am

    <p>I bought a new Sony TV with Google TV installed this year, and though I don’t like Google or its privacy practices, it ended up replacing an HTPC for me. I need on-device VPN and a browser as well as basic keyboard and mouse support, and Google TV lets me do that fairly easily. I couldn’t figure out if there was a straightforward way to do those things on AppleTV.</p>

    • cnc123

      07 January, 2022 - 1:13 pm

      <p>Also, you can sideload a YouTube app that doesn’t show ads on Google TV, and I’m fairly sure there’s no reliable way to block YouTube ads on AppleTV.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      09 January, 2022 - 2:07 am

      <p>I bought a Sony Bravia Android TV a couple of years ago. It never received the regular monthly security updates it seemed to get them about once a quarter. After about a year, they dropped Android completely on it. Since then (2018), the TV has been disconnected from the network, as it is a security hazard.</p><p><br></p><p>I will never buy a "smartTV" again, at least, I will never buy a TV because of its smart features, it is just a waste of money. The way the manufacturers go about the security of the "smart" side of their devices, you need to replace a perfectly good device every 18 months to 2 years, because the "smart" side has been abandoned and has become a distinct security problem for your network.</p><p><br></p><p>I’d like to see more things split up. TVs and Smart doing a Beatles and going it alone.Fridges and Smart doing a Sonny &amp; Cher. The washing machines and Smart doing an Ike and Tina Turner…</p><p><br></p><p>The problem is, we’ve taken commodity white goods that we expect to last at least a decade and stuck a cheap 10€ PCB in it with no support that will turn the item into a dangerous insider in your network within months, that is ready to betray you to the next passing hacking crew. Yet we pay more than a 10€ premium for these "Smart" versions of our long serving white goods, without actually seeming to worry about their security in 6 months, let alone in 5 or 10 years time.</p><p><br></p><p>With manufacturers having to carry spare parts now for a decade (new EU laws), at least, that puts the white goods back into the realm of where they should be… Except that they should&nbsp;<strong><em>NEVER</em></strong>&nbsp;be put on your home network, especially, they should not be left on your home network if they are not getting their monthly security updates!</p><p><br></p><p>The above Sony "smart" TV, after 12 months, it stopped getting security updates. I don’t really care about feature updates, they are nice to have, but a device isn’t "smart", if it isn’t getting the monthly security updates (it was an Android TV, so Google was pumping out monthly security updates, but Sony was pushing out an update every 3 to 4 months, and stopped completely after a year or so), it is just a downright dangerous device. I removed its network privileges and it complains regularly that it can’t get the latest adverts, but at least it isn’t selling me out to ReVil or Hafnium… Instead, I put a cheap "streaming box" next to the TV and use that, it costs 30€ every few of years, but even if I replace it every 4 years, that it still cheaper than replacing a 1,000€ TV every 12 months, because the manufacturer is bored with supporting it.</p><p><br></p><p>The same goes for the rest. The "smart" part of each smart white good is only usable for a few months, before you need to block its network access. And, really, what benefits do they really offer? Turn my washing machine on, when I’m not at home? Yes, fine, but I’m not there to fill it up with dirty washing and soap, so I don’t need to turn it on, and if I want it to start later, so it finishes when I get home, I can set the timer as I’m packing the washing into it!</p><p><br></p><p>The same for the dishwasher. Oh, but it can order salt when it gets low. Yeah, but the salt for my non-smart dishwasher is in the same cupboard as all my other supplies and I just add it to the shopping list manually, when it runs low. I don’t need to pay a few hundred Euros, just to save me 10 seconds of work every few months…</p><p><br></p><p>Begone smart crap, the dumb products are a much smarter choice!</p>

  • bats

    07 January, 2022 - 11:54 am

    <p>The Chromecast with Google TV is okay, but severely underpowered for those who are used to other Android TV devices, like the Nvidia Shield. I find it great for 3 reasons: 1) Voice commands are very easy 2) It’s close tie-in with Youtube TV and 3) The deep integration into one’s Google Account, for example the "Watchlist". This device is an absolute no-brainer for anyone who is knee-deep in the Google ecosystem, particularly Pixel/Android phone users. What I don’t like about this device (Chromecast w/ Google TV) is that the storage space isn’t much. People are realizing this with their inability to install new apps as well as update their current ones. I for one, have experienced it myself. Also, though it’s not a huge deal, once you are close to maximizing your installed apps, operation tends to be laggy. Obviously, there needs to be a more higher end version of the device that offers more power. However all in all, for people who don’t have complex entertainment needs, it’s a great device.</p>

  • SYNERDATA

    07 January, 2022 - 10:40 pm

    <p>This is such a crime. Google is claiming Android TV numbers by other hardware manufacturers like they were Google TV numbers. Chromecast was at 7 million prior to Google’s decision to turn Android TV into Google TV so that it can claim other people’s products within their own numbers in order to compete with Fire TV and Roku. </p><p><br></p><p>Google TV came out a year ago. It did not achieve 110 million in a year. It is hijacking Android TV.</p>

    • sglewis

      08 January, 2022 - 1:40 pm

      <p>A crime? That’s awfully melodramatic. It’s also inaccurate. The article references both Google TV and Android TV. Furthermore, I’m sure Amazon counts third party Alexa devices like the Lenovo alarm clocks when they cite Alexa usage. I’m pretty sure Microsoft counts all Windows licensees, not just those using surface gear. Etc, etc, etc,</p>

  • Donte

    10 January, 2022 - 10:30 am

    <p>I would take those numbers with a grain of salt. </p><p><br></p><p>I have 3 LG TV’s in my house, two are new in 2021. All 3 have Google powered whatever. All 3 have Apple TV’s and I NEVER use the built in apps.</p><p><br></p><p>I do connect them to the internet, to get firmware updates, so I am sure they were counted. You can almost NOT even get the TV going without massive nagging about downloading an app etc…etc…etc. Sort of like installing Windows without a Microsoft account. Then deep in the settings you can finally turn off the app guide but it warns you might lose whatever. I still do it.</p><p><br></p><p>If I could buy just a TV without any of it I would.</p>

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