Latest Plex update adds Google Assistant support on Android TV

By Joe Maring
published

Plex remains as one of the best ways for accessing your local movies, TV shows, and music files, and in the latest update to v6.9.0 of its Android app, a lot is being added and fixed to make your Plex experience as enjoyable as possible.

The changelog for v6.9.0 is quite lengthy, but one of the biggest additions is support for Google Assistant on Android TV. Google Assistant just debuted on Android TV in late September, so it's great to see that Plex is already updating its app to take advantage of it.

With Assistant on Plex, you'll be able to use your voice for searching through your library of content, skip to the next episode of a series you're watching, etc.

In addition to this, the update also allows you to see the status of your hardware transcoding as an overlay over Plex's video player, background scanning and thumbnail generation for local playback, a personalization screen for Plex News on mobile, and plenty more. Add this together with more bug fixes than we have time to mention, and you're looking at a healthy update.

Plex v6.9.0 is available now on the Google Play Store, but if the update isn't showing up for you quite yet, you can also download the APK file here.

Hulu for Android TV now supports Google Assistant voice commands

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

6 Comments
  • If it weren't for their recent policy changes and less than stellar Live TV support, I would consider going back. I prefer to have a bit more control of my media. I'm using Emby for the moment.
  • The removal of the ability to opt out of data mining is sad. I only use Plex for Live TV now. And out of the house have to rely on 3rd party channel because Plex's app is crap still.
  • This is not true. The only metadata that is collected is what is required by third-party services to allow apps like Hulu or Amazon to function. Read the actual explanation instead of spreading disinformation. They do not collect anything on your local media, only if you chose to use external services.
  • Did they not reverse their decision due to customer backlash?
  • That could be. I haven't checked since that change. That being said, I still prefer the way Emby handles Live TV. I also don't want to give up the ability that I have with Emby to access my servers and share my content without going through a central server. It does have to authenticate my license, but users I choose to share with don't need any special account.
  • Interesting, was not aware that anything further than a basic Plex account was needed. Will look at your software, but I think Plex will meet my needs.