Android Oreo Disables Notification Sounds on Android TV

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Notifications in general are rather new concept to society at large and many people feel they’re having a negative impact on our lifestyle as well as our health. The whole point of a notification is to alert you to a change or new information about an application or game you have installed. However, some developers have started using them to increase usage of their applications which results in the system being abused by many. One place that notifications never really made sense though is Android TV and thankfully, that has changed with the new Android Oreo update.

For the most part, notifications make sense on a smartphone and sometimes on a tablet (depending on what you use it for). We generally have our smartphones within arm’s reach at any given point of the day. We use these devices for social needs, productivity and media consumption. So knowing when that new social invite, deadline or episode is available and waiting for you can be important to you. This isn’t really the case with Android TV though.

Sure, notifications on Android TV can be helpful at times, but again, we almost always have our smartphones within reach. So there really isn’t much point of having a notification appear on the screen of an Android TV device like we have them displayed on a smartphone or a tablet. Time spent in front of the TV is generally one that encourages the person to disconnect from the rest of the world and be fully immersed in whatever it is they’re watching.

Thankfully, Google is now aware of this and with a new commit from Android Oreo has disabled notification sounds on the platform. They do still want you to have access to your notifications because they can be useful at times, but having a notification sound play on your TV is generally not considered a good user experience.