Google TV will require more RAM for future upgrades – which might leave older TVs and streaming boxes behind

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Google TV now needs more RAM than a Chromecast contains

A man holding an Android phone looking at the Google TV app.
(Image credit: Google)
  • Google TV will need 2GB of RAM in new TVs and related hardware
  • Android TV is unchanged with a 1GB minimum spec
  • It won't affect your current streamer in the short term

One of the most common criticisms of Google TV is that it isn't always very smooth on more modestly priced televisions. That's largely because Google's system requirements aren't very demanding, so a TV can meet the minimum spec with some pretty unimpressive components. That's about to change, though, which is good news for new buyers but a possible worry for existing owners.

As Android Authority reports, Google has submitted a change to the Android open-source project regarding Google TV minimum requirements. The change says that the minimum RAM must be 2GB, which is more than the RAM in the Chromecast with Google TV.

What does this change mean for your TV or streaming device?

Right now, it won't have any effect at all. But going forward, it could be an issue because if there's one thing we've learned in the decades we've been covering hardware, it's that when you up the hardware spec, the software becomes more demanding very soon afterward.

That's one reason why identical versions of iOS or Android can run so differently on different models of the same devices: the newer ones have more horsepower, and the operating system tends to be optimized for the newer spec rather than the oldest devices.

For most budget devices, Android TV may be the preferred OS since it only needs 1GB of RAM. Google's approval process also seems more generous, and Android Authority points out that we're only just seeing more projectors get approved for Google TV. Still, there are tons of Android TV ones available.

It's unclear whether the change is already in effect or if Google is phasing it in at a later date, but we should see TVs reflecting the change very soon.

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Carrie Marshall
Carrie Marshall
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.