Google TV Freeplay gets a redesigned app with favorite channels, more [Gallery]

In yet another behind-the-scenes update, Google TV has added several more free channels to Freeplay, as well as rolling out a revamped app experience.

The appeal of free channels on Google TV (still a US exclusive) was always in large part that they’re built directly into the homescreen, but there’s also been a dedicated app experience for a while. It’s rather barebones, though, only being able to stream an app and show a horizontally scrolling list of other available channels.

It was a very basic experience, and one that was far inferior to Google TV’s “Live” tab. However, with the “Free Channels” shortcut on the homescreen being a more obvious means of entry for some users, it’s still an important part of Google’s offering.

As the library of free channels on Google TV continues to rapidly grow, though, an updated app experience was inevitable, and it’s now arrived.

Alongside the rollout of “Freeplay” branding, Google TV has also added a new app experience for its free channels. The new app has an updated screen for picking channels and sorting through the full channel guide. You can see channels in categories such as recently watched, popular, and various genres of shows.

Perhaps most useful is a “Favorites” section where you can pick channels that you want to more easily find. You can set a favorite by clicking on the channel name on the guide.

Of course, this updated app experience is just for when you use the Freeplay shortcut on the homescreen. You can still access free channels alongside paid channels from YouTube TV via Google TV’s “Live” tab.

This new design started rolling out a few days ago in line with the “Freeplay” branding on the homescreen, but it’s currently inconsistent. Some devices, in our testing, have the “Freeplay” icon on the homescreen with this new app, while others still have “Free Channels,” but with that shortcut either opening up this new experience or the older, limited one. Freeplay branding has also vanished from the “Live” tab on some devices in our testing, but we expect this all to settle as the rollout continues.

Meanwhile, the new Google TV Streamer is set to start shipping to customers very soon, and was spotted on store shelves recently.

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