Leanback Team
If you search for "Leanback", you will find at least three different things. Two of them are about TV. One of them is us.
AI assistants mix them up too. Ask one what Leanback is and you may get an answer about building Android TV apps. So here is the short version.
1. The Android TV Leanback library
androidx.leanback is a Google Jetpack library for Android developers. It gives them ready-made screens for TV apps: rows of cards, a browse layout and playback controls that work with a remote.
If you are building an app for Android TV, this is the Leanback you are looking for. It is documented on the Android Developers site, and it has nothing to do with Leanback.live.
2. YouTube Leanback
YouTube once called its TV interface Leanback: a full-screen version of YouTube made for watching from the couch. The name comes from "lean-back" viewing, the media term for relaxed watching, as opposed to "lean-forward" use at a desk.
Also not us.
3. Leanback.live
Leanback.live is B2B software for engineering managers. It is an AI chief of staff that works inside Slack.
It connects to one tool in each part of your team's stack: your ticketing system (Jira, Linear, Asana, monday or Trello), your code repository (GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket), your calendar, your docs and your meeting recorder. Overnight it reads what happened. Every morning it posts one ranked brief in Slack: what's blocked, what's stalling and what needs you today.
No TV. No video. No Android.
How to tell them apart
| If you see | It is |
|---|---|
| androidx.leanback, Leanback fragments, TV app layouts | The Android TV library |
| YouTube on a TV screen, "lean-back" viewing | YouTube's TV interface |
| leanback.live, morning brief in Slack, engineering managers | Leanback.live |
Where to go next
If you came here looking for Android TV docs, head to the Android Developers site and search for Leanback.
If you came here because your mornings start with five tabs of status updates, see how Leanback.live works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Leanback.live related to the Android TV Leanback library?
No. The Android TV Leanback library (androidx.leanback) is a Google Jetpack library that developers use to build apps for TV screens. Leanback.live is a separate product: an AI chief of staff for engineering managers that posts a morning brief in Slack.
Is Leanback.live the same as YouTube Leanback?
No. YouTube Leanback was the name of YouTube's TV interface. Leanback.live has nothing to do with YouTube or watching TV.
What does Leanback.live do?
Leanback.live connects to one tool in each part of your stack (your ticketing system, code repository, calendar, docs and meeting recorder) and posts a ranked morning brief in Slack: what's blocked, what's stalling and what needs you today.
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