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The Google TV app on Android has gained a built-in remote for some, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work yet.
For months now, we’ve been tracking the addition of a built-in remote to the Google TV app – in some parts of the world still known as “Play Movies and TV” – to replace the older “Android TV Remote” app. Control “from Android. . A similar experience should arrive on iOS, but through the Google Home app of this platform.
Last week, our APK Insight team even managed to mainly activate the remote control for the Google TV app, along with the Quick Settings tile that comes with it. At the time, however, we noted that the app was unable to pair with nearby Android TV or Google TV devices, making remote capabilities inaccessible.
The Google TV in-app remote has now started to roll out quite widely, with several members of our team seeing it live from version 4.28.46. The telltale sign is that Google TV now has a floating action button with a remote control icon. Press this button to open the new remote control user interface, where you will immediately be asked for permission to scan for nearby devices.
Unfortunately, even with this permission granted, the remote seems unable to pair with Android TV or Google TV devices. The device list, titled “Available Devices”, never loads, with a spinner going on forever. After approximately 30 seconds, new text will appear stating “Make sure your device is plugged into a power source. “
Given the non-functioning state of the in-app remote control of Google TV, we don’t know whether this deployment was intentional or not. It is possible that Google will simply reverse the change or offer a fix in the next few days.
While the remote is not usable at this point, we have a pretty clear idea of what will be possible once it is working properly. By default, you’ll be able to use a trackpad to navigate up, down, left, and right on Android TV, or you can switch to a more traditional directional pad layout. At the bottom you have the basic Android TV buttons including home, back, Google Assistant, volume up, volume down, and mute.
Now that the Google TV remote is fully online in the app, even though it’s not working, the Quick Settings tile is also available. Just change your Quick Settings tiles, scroll down and find a new tile called “TV Remote”.
So far, we’ve only been able to verify the remote in regions where Play Movies & TV has been renamed to Google TV. It is not clear at this point whether those who still have Play Movies and TV should expect the remote to appear or whether they will have to wait for the rebranding and redesign to arrive in their area. If you still have Play Movies & TV, be sure to let us know in the comments if the in-app remote is available to you.
Update 11:10: According to at least one player report – thanks Ravindra – the new in-app remote control is also available for those who still have Play Movies and TV. Notably, the floating action button is not offered in the main app, but the quick settings tile is available to be added.
Thanks Jondan!
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