Subject: Enhancing Google TV with Home Assistant Integration
Feedback on Home Assistant for Google TV
Google TV would greatly benefit from a dedicated Home Assistant application. As the leading open-source home automation platform, Home Assistant offers unparalleled customization and control. Bringing this powerful tool to the Google TV ecosystem would enhance user experience, foster innovation, and solidify Google’s position in the smart home market.
I strongly recommend developing a native Home Assistant app for Google TV and making it available on the Google Play Store. After the suggestion implemented other Android Tv Users could enjoy it too I mean It would also be available on any Android Tv (including Google 4K Chrome-cast)
The Android companion app works, but it is built for touch screens
It works if you connect a mouse. But it’s not a easy task, you need a hub with power support for the google tv unit.
We need a app with support for google tv remote control
I think that having an Android for TV specific companion app would be beneficial once Android for TV 14 is released. The biggest reason is that it can take advantage of the finally released PiP (picture in picture) mode that should become available in the Android 14 for TV update (if the manufacturer supports it).
From what I understand after reading this post, the app would need to explicitly declare the intended use of the PiP mode, and natively support playing a feed from the app itself. I’m not certain if a side-loaded standard android companion app does either of these. It certainly fits into the second category of content the Google would approve of.
Some ideas I had around using this native app:
Open a PiP to show live feed of security cameras/doorbells without interrupting the currently playing stream
Send notifications to the TV for certain events (thinking proximity, bedtimes, doorbells, motion, fire alarm notifications [it could tell you which has a low battery rather than running around the house trying to find the chirp])
Create a TV dashboard for house guests to more easily control lights/scenes/etc. without them needing to have a sign-in for HA themselves (like a guest kiosk dashboard)
Thanks in advance to the developers who step up to the challenge! I’ve got two HiSense branded Google TVs and an nVidia Shield TV that I’m willing to test on. I’m also about to purchase a new Google TV Streamer to replace the nVidia with that would likely be the first to support it.
Friends with Apple TV and some other apps have the ability to PIP motion alerts and doorbell rings. That type of integration with HA is what I want to see. Allow customizations for how and which notifications PiP and go away after a while (if configured).
Yes I Could not agre more, that would be nice, I have tried to get the google tv playing a specific Danish tv app, and I have tried both Android Remote and google and from a script but nothing workes
No offence meant to the compnion app, but in reality it is mostly a browser, enhanced with the ability to send sensors to HA. There is not much about a Google TV that is of use to HA in terms of sensors.
There is also not much point in trying to build automations on the TV, or add integrations. So what you’re saying is you want a HA dashboard for Google TV?
When connected to Google Home (e.g. trough the Matter hub) you can already access HA entities trough Google Home on Google Streamer, so Smart Home control is already there. Browsers are too, albeit not very usable imho. A HA compnion app won’t be able to do much better.
So to buid something for a TV would be a huge effort, just to try to outdo what Google Home already does. I doubt it will be worth the effort.
im new to all this trying to get HA setup fast before Wemo Discontinues control of smart dimmer switches and other devices - But Im swapping from Roku TVs for Google Tvs also by TCL that would work better I preesumed with The Gimini in my google home and just presumed having them be google would be easier for control in the google home app… THAT AND They have QD-LED Displays with massively better colors… So - Im worried that without Rokuy whioch the Stream Deck Native app did stop working for all buttons but volume… - Id like to know is there a way to ever control a Google TV thats on a TCL unit JUST To Pause, Play, Volume up or down or Turn off or on OR MAYBE Launch apps on it? Roku would allow you to do directly from stream decks that became my every day remote! Never able to be lost!
But if the Google Tv shows up in my Google Smart home app - Does that mean theres already some way to control it in a basic way somehow?
What about the TCL App, which also has its own remote control, which functions?
Any way to access these over a PC based Stream Deck like there has been for Roku?
I have a choice and like days to made it of which TV versions I keep or return as this is a big deal if i lose smart controls fully for something meant to be more integrated naturally with Google anyway! ?? Any Advice? Or is this its own reason to develop things here? It seems maybe my quick browse of the post above me seemed to find no point to what to me is the singular most important feature that was used every day and needed for FAST access, not searching or yelling at a Google over the TV to pause it for a call etc alwways right there!
It’s important - Is this going to be possible when I get my HA setup going?
If you exposed entities to Google Home for voice control and access through the Google Home App then yes, you already have control in GoogleTV too. In the menu of Google there is a smart home section where you’ll find those entities.
If you do not have Nabu Casa Subscription or your own external access so you did not expose entities to Google home from HA, then the Matter Hub is by far the easiest way to give Google Home local access to your devices. In fact I have Nabu Casa Cloud but I stull use it:
