Meet’s Android TV app may soon join countless others in Google's graveyard

Key Takeaways

• A new APK teardown rumor suggests the Google Meet app for Android TV will be discontinued.
• There's no official confirmation from Google yet, but Samsung TVs previously losing the service may suggest it's going to happen.
• It's unclear when the app will be discontinued. We wouldn't be surprised if it happened quickly, though.

Most people use a laptop, a tablet or even their phone to join video calls for work or catching up with friends and family. For anyone who likes to use the biggest screen in their house to host meetings, it may soon become a bit more difficult. A new rumor suggests Google’s Meet app for Android TV will be discontinued.

Spotted by Android Authority within an APK teardown of the latest Google Meet update, the wording seems certain that Google will be dropping support for the app on the Android TV platform. The code says, “Soon you won't be able to use Google Meet on your Android TV to make calls. Click below for alternatives and to learn more.” A further string of code says, “Meet on Android TV is going away”. It's likely the second quote is a warning that will sit somewhere within the software to warn people it's the end of the service.

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There’s no official confirmation from Google that this is definitely happening, or when it will happen. We've asked Google for clarification. We normally take APK teardowns with a pinch of salt, but this wording is quite clear and history suggests this may be likely to happen. Google Meet was previously taken away from Samsung TVs in March this year. That was likely the first sign that Google was moving toward killing off the app across TVs.

Google announced that move in mid-February and less than a month later the service ceased to work on Samsung TVs, so it may be a similar timescale for the Android TV Google Meet app rather than a long deprecation process we're used to with other services.

Not the most popular use case

We don’t imagine Google Meet on Android TV was a heavily used app as it’s a relatively high barrier to entry to run meetings from a TV. Some TVs do have microphones and cameras built-in, but that’s isn't the norm and it’s likely you’d have to have plugged in your own webcam and mic to tune into your calls.

For the people that did use this software though, it’s clearly a frustrating move. In the last couple of months, multiple people have reported on Reddit that the Google Meet app for Android TV hasn’t been working as intended. It’s unclear if this is all connected with Google’s upcoming decision. It's sure looking likely that problems with the app in recent months are all connected with Google ending support.