Hi all,
I’m currently using an Apple TV 4K with Home Assistant and have the Apple TV Touchpad card installed via HACS. I use the touchpad extensively and, to be honest, it’s become my primary way of navigating the Apple TV. The ability to swipe around menus and tap to select works very well from a dashboard.
I’m considering replacing the Apple TV with a Google TV Streamer 4K, mainly because I’m finding the Apple TV integration somewhat limiting from a Home Assistant perspective. For example, attributes such as app_name and app_id often don’t update when switching between streaming apps unless media playback actually starts. This creates challenges for some of my dashboards and lighting automations.
Before making the switch, I have one major concern:
Is there an equivalent to the Apple TV Touchpad card for Google TV / Android TV devices?
Ideally, I’m looking for one of the following:
- An existing HACS card that provides swipe/touchpad navigation.
- A Lovelace dashboard solution that emulates a touchpad and sends navigation commands to Google TV.
- A custom card, Blueprint, or project that others are already using.
- Feedback from anyone who has moved from Apple TV to Google TV and relied heavily on the Apple TV Touchpad card.
I understand that Google TV navigation is fundamentally D-pad based rather than touchpad based, but I’d be interested to know whether anyone has successfully recreated a similar user experience within Home Assistant.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions, examples, screenshots, or links to existing projects.
