Remap the streaming service buttons in your Google TV distant
At this level, most TV remotes have buttons for particular streaming providers, which is annoying if you happen to don’t subscribe to all of them particularly. The excellent news is that in case your machine runs Google TV, or if you happen to use a Chromecast with Google TV, you may remap these buttons to launch one thing else.
My TV, constructed by Sony and working the Google TV working system, has 4 streaming buttons in addition to a row of coloured buttons that I don’t use. As a substitute of getting them sit there doing nothing, I remapped them to do launch providers I do use, and take screenshots, for instance. To have them do this (or anything), all you want is a remapper app, which you will discover on the Google Play retailer in your TV. The most well-liked and our favourite is Button Mapper as a result of it’s free and straightforward to make use of.
Putting in and utilizing Button Mapper
Yow will discover Button Mapper within the Google Play retailer in your machine. Obtain and launch the appliance, and you’ll instantly have the ability to re-map the Residence and Quantity buttons in your distant.
Discover that you simply received’t discover any streaming buttons by default, so that you’ll have so as to add them by going to Add Buttons. From there, you may add any button in your distant and assign it to launch any app you want. For instance, I remapped the Netflix button to launch Plex, since I exploit that service much more usually than I exploit the crimson N.
[Related: Seven pro tips for the new Chromecast with Google TV]
When you have extra apps than you have got buttons, you can even assign different providers or features to single faucets, double faucets, and lengthy presses of a single button, in order for you.
Observe that, in my exams, remapping these buttons doesn’t all the time work seamlessly. For instance, when the TV is off if I press the Netflix button, mentioned service will launch as an alternative of Plex. This occurs as a result of Button Mapper isn’t working within the background till the TV activates, so my distant goes again to its authentic mapping. However when the TV is on, it launches Plex simply wonderful.
Extra than simply apps
Button Mapper not solely permits you to assign buttons to launch apps. For instance, I took the screenshots on this article after assigning the yellow button to take screenshots.
Loads of the options you may assign are particular to telephones as a result of that is an app designed primarily for Androids telephones, not tv units. Nonetheless, there are some features you’ll discover helpful on these gadgets, together with launching the Fast Settings menu, altering brightness, and controlling media playback.
[Related: Outsmart your Chromecast and stream anything you want]
You may also assign any button to launch your app checklist. By default, Google TV reveals you film and TV suggestions from numerous apps on the house display, which I personally discover to be pointless litter. If you’re with me on this one, you may simply remap the Residence button to launch a customized launcher, like Kodi.
