The first big Google TV Streamer of 2026 is here – yes, six months into the year. Timing aside, though, one of the bigger improvements here is support for Thread 1.4, which gives the Google TV Streamer more power as an anchor to your smart home.
Something that’s been popping up in more smart home devices in recent years is support for Thread, a low-energy networking solution for “internet of things” devices. In other words, an optimized way for wireless smart home devices to connect. But, to do that, you need devices capable of acting as a Thread border router.
One of those devices is the Google TV Streamer.
The Google TV Streamer has included Thread support from day one, but the June 2026 update that rolled out this week improves that. The update delivers Thread 1.4 support, a version of the spec that was released back in 2024. Thread 1.4 includes support for network credential sharing over QR codes, something you’ll now see in the Google TV Streamer’s settings. A “Share Thread network credentials” button has been added that, when used, will pull up a QR code and the following message:
To add a device to your Google TV Streamer Thread network, use the device app to scan this QR code or enter the sharing code.
