New information has come through on the future of Android updates for the Google Nexus Player via a confirmation the Android TV box will not be receiving any more major updates in its lifetime. In other words, the Nexus Player will not be getting updated to Android P – the new version of Android that is currently available as a developer preview. The confirmation on this comes from AndroidPolice who state they have received confirmation from Google on the end of major update support for the iconic Android TV box.
To some, this is unlikely to come as too much of a surprise as the writing was already largely on the wall for the Nexus Player considering Google did confirm it had ended support for the Nexus program in general. While this was largely understood to include the Player – as well as the Nexus 6P and 5X – this latest confirmation is more of an official one specifically relating to the Nexus Player. This does, however, also confirm that as of right now there is no dedicated Android TV hardware available on the market to test-run the new version of Android. Likewise, unless a major new release is announced within the next couple of months, this looks likely to remain the case up until (and beyond) the release of Android P.
In spite of the major OS update support having now come to an end, the Nexus Player has proved to be a sustainable device in more ways than one. In terms of OS support, the Nexus Player originally launched in 2014 with Android 5.0 (Lollipop). Since then it has seen major update to Marshmallow, Nougat, and most recently, Oreo. Few Android devices receive such extended levels of support. Another example of its staying power is the fact that it is still making the headlines in this respect. As this was technically the first consumer-ready Android TV device and one that has since seen a number of newer boxes coming through and departing again without having garnered as much interest. In fact, the Nexus Player itself was discontinued mid-way through 2016 although it was effectively unavailable for months before its discontinuation confirmation came through.