Never lose your remote again: Google TV introduces a new Find My Remote feature in Android 14 for TV
According to Google, a ‘Find My Remote’ feature is finally coming to some Google TV devices as part of the new Android 14 for TV update Android Authority.
References to the feature, which was already available on the Walmart Onn 4K TV Pro streaming box, were discovered in an emulator version of Android 14 for TV sent to developers after its unveiling at the recent Google I/O developer conference, where major announcements took place regarding Gemini, Android 15 and more.
The feature, which is already included in some of the top streaming devices, such as several Roku streamers, is designed to locate a lost remote by emitting a sound from the remote itself to alert users to its location. On the Onn 4K TV Pro, users can press a button on the front of the box, which will trigger this alert with both a beep and a flashing LED light on the remote. The search process takes 30 seconds if the remote is within 30 feet of the Onn streaming box.
How it works with other Google TV devices
The Find My Remote feature comes standard with Android 14 TV devices like Google TV, but it’s unclear if it will work with older TV devices. If so, it will be added via a firmware update.
Of course, for this function to work, you also need a remote control with a speaker and an LED that emits sound and light. Could this indicate third-party design updates on future Google TV devices?
If Find My Remote is coming to older devices via an update, the question arises whether you need to update your remote or if there is another method to find the remote without sound, such as a more obvious flashing LED.
If you are someone who regularly loses your remote, this will prove to be an extremely useful feature. Now we just have to see how this one will work, if at all, on existing Google TV devices.