APK Android TV compatible ?

[JeromeMartinez]

(received by email)

Before there were an Android TV version, I don't find it today. I've tryed to install the apk on the TV but it won't install... Please could you share me the old apk Android TV compatible ?

[JeromeMartinez]

@g-maxime @cjee21 maybe you have ideas about what changed and/or why it is not anymore compatible?

[cjee21]

It was never for Android TV AFAIK. I do not see any Android TV stuff while working on the Android app.

For Android TV we need to make it work with remote control input and declare Leanback Launcher in the manifest to make it appear in Android TV launcher.

I do have access to a Google TV if you ever need help for testing.

[cjee21]

https://developer.android.com/training/tv/get-started/create

[cjee21]

Happy New Year!

I tried making an Android TV app for MediaInfo using Jetpack Compose. Here is the recording from the emulator (the emulator is outdated so the HTML is missing borders and dark mode).

MediaInfo.Android.TV.webm

[cjee21]

I tried making an Android TV app for MediaInfo using Jetpack Compose.

It is now at https://github.com/cjee21/MediaInfo/tree/Android-TV/Source/GUI/Android/tvapp

---

Known issues/limitations:

• if user backs out of report view while MediaInfo is still parsing then quickly opens another file, the report for previous file may be shown instead of the currently opened one (prevented)
• it happened once or twice that MediaInfo report is corrupt, unknown cause, possibly rare race condition with multi-threading (likely prevented)
• launcher banner icon text is not rendered correctly on devices that use adaptive icon (fixed)
• when returning from report view, previously selected location is not remembered (fixed)
• file browser does not show folder structure (now full file path is shown but cannot browse by directory)

[cjee21]

It is now at https://github.com/cjee21/MediaInfo/tree/Android-TV/Source/GUI/Android/tvapp

Tested on Sony Google TV (Android 12)

[cjee21]

It is now at https://github.com/cjee21/MediaInfo/tree/Android-TV/Source/GUI/Android/tvapp

Here is the latest version of that branch running on Android TV 16 emulator.

Android.TV.16.mp4

Looks similar to running on Sony Google TV (Android 12).

[cjee21]

Now that the Android PR is merged, I can make a PR for adding the Android TV GUI app if you want it? Should I?

[JeromeMartinez]

@cjee21 could you do a PR, now that I merge the other one?
It is a different dir, does it mean that we need to package another app, it is not the same as the current app we deplay?

[JeromeMartinez]

Should I?

We clicked on "comment" at the same time :-D.
Yes!

[cjee21]

It is a different dir, does it mean that we need to package another app, it is not the same as the current app we deplay?

At the moment I made it as a separate APK with different app ID. I used this method because of the following reasonsbut I am no Android app expert and never published to Google Play before so open to changes:

• There is no common GUI code/element and only MediaInfoLib is common between the two GUIs
• I wanted to start from scratch with Jetpack Compose without affecting existing GUI
• The TV app needs media access permissions that the phone app does not need and I do not know a way to have different permissions in manifest if they are a single app.

Technically it is possible to have a single Google Play entry and app ID for both phone and TV but there are some apps that also use separate IDs and Google Play entry for both apps.

[cjee21]

Example of an app with different apps for phone/tablet and TV: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=The+Walt+Disney+Company+%28Southeast+Asia%29+PTE+LTD&hl=en

[JeromeMartinez]

I would prefer to have a single ID/app on Google Play for avoiding to manage 2 apps and comments and so on, it may be a burden at long term,, but "needs media access permissions that the phone app does not need" is a blocker, many Mobile phone users don't like too many permissions. On the other side, media access permissions is legitimate, I don't know yet.

no common GUI element is another issue, as we'll have to maintain 2 codes, but better to have a Proof of Concept than nothing.

I am interested in that but not sure yet about how I would like to have it at long term.

[JeromeMartinez]

needs media access permissions that the phone app does not need

What would be the impact on the Mobile phone user? Is something impacting much in practice?

[cjee21]

needs media access permissions that the phone app does not need

What would be the impact on the Mobile phone user? Is something impacting much in practice?

It will show up in the list of permissions the app uses. On newer Android versions that use runtime permissions, it will not ask for it on mobile since it is not triggered in the mobile codes but it may still appear in the system settings for the app.

The reason for difference with TV is that the TV does not have a system file picker like on phone so media permissions is used to access and show all media files directly in the app UI.