Chromecast with Google TV rolls out long-awaited personalized screensaver

What you need to know

• Google announced personalized screensavers for its Google TV dongle late last year.
• The feature is officially rolling out to Chromecast with Google TV devices in the U.S.
• The new screensaver gives users access to various cards with personalized content.
• Some users started receiving the feature back in March with a newer UI.

After a long wait, Google is finally rolling out its personalized screensaver for Chromecast with Google TV devices.

The feature takes Google TV's Ambient mode to another level, bringing additional personalization to one of the best streaming devices by displaying cards that provide quick access to glanceable information, similar to a widget. This can include weather, news, sports, content recommendations from streaming services like YouTube, and more.

The feature appears to have a different UI from what was shown last year. Initially, the cards appeared much more prominent, taking up a significant portion of the center screen (below). Now, they appear as a small row at the bottom of the TV, keeping the screensaver images in clear view. This new UI was first spotted in May when some users started receiving the new screensavers.

The company initially announced the feature in October last year, alongside personalized profiles for multi-user households. However, the new profiles were eventually delayed earlier this year before rolling out (sort of) in May. When users do start receiving the personalized profiles, the new screensaver will sync with each individual profile to show results tailored to whoever is signed in.

Google says the new screensaver experience should roll out "in the coming weeks," although it appears many users are noticing it on their Chromecast with Google TV devices. The feature is apparently enabled by default, but as per Google's support page, it can be turned off fairly easily. To do so, navigate to Settings > Accounts & Sign in > Google Account > Google Assistant. Under "How personal results appear," select Never show proactively to turn off personalized results.

The feature is only available in the U.S. and will come to Sony and TCL Google TV sets. Google suggested in the initial announcement that the feature would eventually roll out to other regions.