For you Google TV owners out there, one of the best apps that any Google TV owner should have has recently been updated. Of course, we’re talking about Google TV Remote. If you’re unfamiliar with what that does, it essentially turns whatever Android device you own into a remote for your Google TV. It connects to the Google TV over a WiFi network and you can use your phone or tablet to control the Google TV.
It’s been around for awhile but it had some caveats that drove people crazy. One such example was the d-pad. Instead of being able to tap up and down, you had to slide on the d-pad to move around the interface. This was not only obnoxious, but it also made controlling things much more difficult. This is but one of the few things that got changed in this latest update. Instead of swiping, people can now tap the d-pad to move around interfaces, which makes things a lot less frustrating.
All Google TV owners should be using the Google TV Remote app
Perhaps the biggest feature added is voice search. You can now talk to your phone and it’ll perform the search on your Google TV. This can be very useful if you’re searching for a specific episode of something on Netflix or if you’re using something like a Plex server and you want to find something in your library. Of course, you can also use it as a regular Google Search where you can find things online.
In addition to fixing the d-pad and the voice search function added, the Google TV Remote now also allows for Accessibility. So if you use that particular feature, it is now available to you as well.
If you already own the app, the update notification should’ve come to you by now. If not, or if you’re thinking about trying this app for the first time.