TV app quality

The app displays a launcher icon in the Android TV Launcher after installation. For more information, see Declare a TV activity.

The app displays both a 320x180 pixel full-size banner and at least a 160x160 pixel (at xhdpi density) app icon as its launcher icons in the Android TV Launcher. For more information, see Android TV app icon and banner guidelines.

The app launch banner contains the name of the app.

If the app is a game, it appears in the Games row in the Android TV Launcher.
For more information, see Show your game on the home screen.

The app runs successfully and without error messages, including during installation, loading, and testing. For more information, see Run TV apps.

All app interfaces are presented in landscape orientation and without vertical letterboxing/pillarboxing. Only black color may be used for bars on original format videos. For more information, see Build basic TV layouts.

The app does not display any text or functionality that is partially cut off by the edges of the screen. For more information, see Overscan.

The app does not partially obscure other apps. The app fills the entire screen and has a non-transparent background.

The app functionality is navigable using five-way D-pad controls—unless the app requires a game controller, as specified in the TV-GP criterion in the Controllers section of the Functionality table that follows. For more information, see TV Navigation.

If the app requires a game controller, as specified in the TV-GP criterion, all functionality is navigable using standard Android game controller keys. For more information, see Process gamepad button presses.

The app does not depend on a remote control device having a Menu button to access user interface controls.

Back button presses lead back to the Android TV home screen. For more information, see Provide appropriate Back-button behavior.

If the app has a live TV feed integrated on the Live tab, the app meets frictionless playback and direct-back requirements. For more information, see Back Button.

An in-app search query shows up in the search box, similar to the user interface provided by SearchFragment, and results are relevant to that query. For more information, see Search within TV apps.

The app manifest sets an intent type of ACTION_MAIN with category CATEGORY_LEANBACK_LAUNCHER. For more information, see Declare a TV activity.

The app manifest sets the hardware feature android.hardware.touchscreen and others listed in the "Declare hardware requirements for TV" to not required. For more information, see Declare hardware requirements for TV.

If the app uses a game controller as its primary input method, it declares the appropriate requirement with the <uses-feature> manifest tag. For more information, see Declare support for game controllers.

If the app provides visual instructions for using game controllers, the instructions are free of branding and show a compatible button layout. For more information, see Handle controllers for games.

The app offers interaction with advertising using D-pad controls. For more information, see Enable D-pad navigation.

For advertising that uses fullscreen, non-video ads, the app lets the user immediately dismiss the ad with D-pad or gamepad controls.

For advertising that uses clickable, non-fullscreen, non-video ads, the app does not let ads link to a web URL.

For advertising that uses clickable, non-fullscreen, non-video ads, the app does not let ads link to another app that is not available on TV devices.

For web content, the app may only use WebView components. The app may not attempt to launch a web browser app.

If the app continues to play audio after the user returns to the home screen or switches to another app, the app provides a Now Playing card on the home screen recommendation row so users can return to the app to control playback. For more information, see Display a Now Playing card.

We recommend that you pause video when the user switches out of the app, and don't integrate video with the Now Playing card.

If the app provides a Now Playing card, selecting this card takes the user to a screen that lets them pause playback.

If the app plays video or music content, the app toggles between playing and pausing media playback when a play or pause key event is sent during playback. For more information, see KEYCODE_MEDIA_PLAY_PAUSE.

While a video or audio is playing, pressing the D-pad center button pauses the media that is playing. When playback is paused, pressing the D-pad center button resumes playback. The D-pad left and right buttons fast-forward and rewind the current track, respectively. For more information, see Media events.

Items are added to the Watch Next channel based on the Watch Next guidelines for app developers.

When there is user-initiated active video playback, the app prevents the device from going into Ambient Mode. For more information, see Ambient Mode.

When there is no user-initiated active video playback or animation, the app does not prevent the device from going into Ambient Mode.

For audio-only playback, the app does not prevent the device from going into Ambient Mode unless the app implements an experience of non-static imagery, such as music videos or images, while music is playing.

The app sets the proper metadata to categorize its usage of picture-in-picture to one of the permitted usage types. It also declares a title and subtitle that accurately represent what this PIP is being used for.

For more information, see Multitasking on TV.

While in picture-in-picture, the app does not display promotional material or advertising that is not inherently part of the content source.

While in picture-in-picture mode, the app does not degrade the experience of another fullscreen activity.

The app shouldn't use excessive resources, take over audio focus, interfere with the active MediaSession, or request a disproportionate number of decoder sessions.

The app does not show any UI controls or navigable elements while in picture-in-picture mode. Apps may expose certain user controls directly in the PiP window.

Entering picture-in picture mode requires explicit and intentional action by the user within the app. The app does not automatically enter PiP (setAutoEnterEnabled set to false) unless the user is in an ongoing call.

The app must not show any UI to enter PiP if picture-in-picture mode is disabled on a device.

The app uses picture-in-picture mode only for the continuation of an ongoing activity. The picture-in-picture experience does not incentivize or encourage users to return to the fullscreen view of the app during the ongoing or after the activity has concluded.

The use of Android App Bundles is mandatory for all new and existing TV apps in the Google Play Store.

Your app must follow the Play Developer Policy Center requirements.

App functionality works as expected or as described in the app's Google Play Store listing.

App submission has uploaded at least one unaltered, high resolution screenshot that accurately depicts the current version of your TV app experience.

For apps with paid features, you must provide login credentials in the Google Play Console for testing of the full app experience. For more information, see App Access in Prepare your app for review.