为Android TV Box开发的应用程序是否与平板电脑和移动设备相同？ 可以使用PhoneGap / Cordova开发Android TV Box应用程序吗？

Question

I am new to android tv box development. Can the apps developed for mobile and tablet be used for android TV Box (not the android TV) ? Since the tv boxes have remote controls, and each manufacturer follows different design and standards for remote, how are events handled for each of these set-top boxes? Moreover is the play store for these apps same as android phone and tablet play store? If I want to release an app on phone, tablets and android TV set top box, do I have to maintain a different apk for android tv set top box ? Is cordova supported?

Sorry. I am very new to this, and cant find any relevant help on other sites. I need to know about android set top boxes, for example, https://droidbox.co.uk/ , and not the android TV.

Answer 1

I don't have tv box myself, but from informations I got box is just android tv without screen. So if you want to write app for Nvidia Shield which is based on android 5.X, you need to meet all requirement for Android TV.

There are also older devices based on android 4.X. Those devices usually have pointer which you can move using remote (some even have a mouse). In that case I think that most android phone/tablet app should work on them. To make your app visible in Google Play on those devices you need to add to your manifest following line:

<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.touchscreen" android:required="false" />

There is only one Play Store for android apps. Which apps will be available for which device depends on app manifest file and its required features. Also you don't need separate apk for different devices.