Have you ever lost your TV remote and ended up searching for it all over your house? It can be challenging, especially when a child or pet is the culprit. Situations like these can be frustrating, and hence people have long been asking for a capability to help locate the remote.
Amazon’s Fire TV Pro already comes with a similar feature, and fortunately, Google is also working on one. The search engine giant recently announced Android 14 for TV, which is reported to bring a new “Find My Remote” feature to Google TV devices.
Google TV Will Soon Get a “Find My Remote” Feature to Help You Locate Your Remote
Google held its I/O 2024 conference last week, making several software-related announcements – mostly focused on AI. The company also unveiled Android 14 for TV, coming to Google TV devices soon. Meanwhile, it released an emulator build of the update with all the upcoming changes and features it announced.
Mishal Rahman, a trusted source for all things Android, fiddled with that software build and found traces of a new “Find my remote” feature (via Android Authority). Considering that most Smart TVs today ship with smaller remotes, which are even more prone to getting lost, this new feature will come in handy for many of us.
Walmart's Onn Google TV 4K Pro Already Comes With This Feature
Walmart launched the Onn Google TV 4K Pro recently, which is one of the best Google TV streaming devices you can purchase for under $50. Among its many interesting aspects was the new “Find my remote” feature. While the Talk Android team has yet to get their hands on the device, Elias Saba from AFTVNews has reported how the feature works.
Moreover, Mishal confirms that this is the same feature that Google is working on in the upcoming Android 14 for TV update. The string he found in the update's emulator build matches how this feature works on the Onn Google TV 4K Pro, making it the first Google TV device to ship with “Find my remote.”
Here's How the New “Find My Remote” For Google TV Will Work
As per AFTVNews, the Onn TV 4K Pro's box has a dedicated button on the front to activate the “Find my remote” feature. Pressing the button makes the remote beep and flash a small LED light for 30 seconds, making it easier to locate. When found, you can press any button on the remote to turn off the alert before its 30-second limit. The remote needs to be within 30 feet of the streaming box for the feature to work.
Besides, upon asking the Onn TV 4K Pro to find the remote using its hands-free voice control feature, it responds with “Sure, locating the remote,” but the “Find my remote” feature doesn't trigger. It could be due to a bug, or the feature isn't fully ready yet, or maybe the Onn TV 4K Pro's hardware doesn't fully support the feature.
What Google TV Devices Will Be Compatible?
It's still not official which devices will support the “Find my remote” feature, but we can take a guess based on all the information we have.
While Google is preparing this feature for the upcoming Android 14 for TV update, the Onn TV 4K Pro, which boasts it while running on Android 12, suggests that it might be possible for some older Google TV devices to receive this feature. However, it seems unlikely since the feature requires compatible hardware in the remote to function. Considering that Onn's streaming box was just launched, it would have included the necessary components, unlike many older devices.
That said, you can expect upcoming Google TV devices that ship with Android 14, and even some with Android 12, to have the “Find my remote” feature. To learn more about it, we'll have to wait for an official announcement from Google.
