Google released the Chromecast with Google TV last year, which uses a custom build of Android TV. The changed software is still compatible with all Android TV apps, but has deviated in a number of key ways, including how it handles multiple users. After many people were annoyed by its absence, parental controls are coming to the Google TV platform.
Android on phones and tablets has provided robust support for multiple users since the Jelly Bean days, but very little of that functionality has ever been ported to the TV operating system. Android TV only has an optional limited profile, where certain apps can be hidden with a 4-digit PIN. The Play Store, most system settings and even some storage folders are completely blocked in this mode. The implementation of Google TV is slightly different, with limited multi-user support based on Google accounts, but secondary users still cannot set their own home screen, have separate app data, or configure different streaming accounts.
Account picker on Google TV
The poor multi-user support is certainly a problem for something usually shared with all people in a household, but Google is happily working on a (partial) solution. A company representative said in a supporting thread that Google TV will soon have ‘Kid Profiles’, which sounds like Android TV’s original limited profiles:
I just wanted to post an update that Kids Profiles should be rolling out in the next month (or so). Limited profiles are indeed obsolete in [Google TV] and replaced with the new “Child Profiles” feature, which allows you to set up a safe space for children on Google TV. During onboarding you can choose which apps you want to make available to children. YouTube kids are available by default and other installed apps require a parent opt-in before making them available to the child. Leaving the child profile can be restricted by a pin code to prevent children from accidentally returning to the parent account.
This still isn’t true multi-user support, but it should, at the very least, address complaints from parents that children can access content on Google TV. Here we hope for a rapid rollout.
