Image: Android Authority
What if you could launch your most-used app or switch inputs with just one button press? That’s what Google seems to be working on with the latest Android TV 14 beta builds, which hint at the possibility of remappable shortcut buttons on Android TV remotes. According to Mishaal Rahman, the beta builds of Android TV 14 contain strings that suggest users can create custom shortcuts to their preferred apps or input sources, and assign them to a blank button on their remote. This would allow users to quickly open their favorite app or switch to another device without navigating through menus and options. However, this feature is not enabled by default in the beta build.
Another interesting thing to note is that the current Google TV remote and the Google G10 reference remote do not have a blank “star” button. This implies that we might see new TV remote hardware soon that would include such a button. In fact, there have been previous leaks of a Google TV remote with a star button.
But don’t get your hopes up too high, as this feature is unlikely to work with existing branded buttons on your Android TV remote. Those buttons are locked and licensed by the TV manufacturer and the service provider, and Google probably won’t let users override them. You need a blank button for remapping to make sense. So even if your TV gets updated to Android TV 14, you probably won’t be able to use this feature unless your TV remote already has a blank “star” button. You will most likely need new hardware to enjoy this feature.