Handling Inbound Calls on Your Screen: How Google TV Supports Compatible Applications

Need a distraction from your favorite show or movie? Google TV will soon notify you of incoming calls from select apps, such as Google Meet. The feature is currently rolling out to streaming sticks and smart TVs, but it doesn’t actually work yet.

Call notifications for Google TV were first discovered by Mishaal Rahman last year. The feature’s been in development for some time, and it can now be enabled through Google Meet. As explained in the Google TV settings, call notifications will appear onscreen when you’re logged into the Google TV account associated with your preferred calling services.

For those wondering, Google TV does support USB webcams. But very few people actually use their smart TV for video calls. Webcam support on Google TV is also a bit hit or miss, and popular devices like the Chromecast with Google TV don’t have USB accessory ports—a USB-C hub can get you around this hurdle, if you’re so desperate.

Even without a webcam-equipped TV, the call notifications feature may be useful to you. Let’s say that you’re expecting a Google Meet call from a family member. Instead of peeking at every notification on your phone (which would distract you from whatever’s on TV), you can mute your phone, focus on the TV, and wait for the Google TV call notification.

Presumably, Google TV call notifications won’t be exclusive to Google Meet. Other apps, such as Zoom, should pick up on this feature. But if Google really wants to go the extra mile, it needs to get Meta on board, as most non-iPhone users seem to rely on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for video calls.

The call notification is currently rolling out to streaming sticks and smart TVs. But even if you enable the feature in Google Meet, it doesn’t work yet. We assume that Google will make an announcement when the feature goes live.

Source: Mishaal Rahman , 9to5Google

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