How to make your Android TV speak?

Configuration
1

Recently I got myself a Mi Box which is an Android TV device and I managed to get Notifications for Android TV to work.

However, it only displays the message in a text box.

I tried to make it speaks by installing (sideloading) Voice Notify into the TV like how I did it for my other Android phones. Unfortunately it doesn’t work.

I notice Voice Notify only works on toast (bubble) notification in my Android TV.

The only app I know that can receive notifications from HA and then display it in a toast (bubble) notification is via LlamaLab Automate notification component.

Unfortunately, LlamaLab Automate doesn’t work correctly in Android TV. The menu on the upper right corner doesn’t appear. Thus, I am unable to create new flow nor edit existing one.

Since the Android TV is also a Google Cast device, I can make my Android TV speaks using the TTS components. However, I do not like this method because the voice selection is very limited and not consistent with the methods I used for other android devices. I prefer to use the notify component.

I am wondering does anyone has any workaround for this? How do you make your Android TV speaks?

2

This was one of the first apps I ever bought from the PlayStore and it’s the first app I put on any phone I purchase. It works well and has a lot of features. I just checked and it is available to install on an AndroidTV (It came up as compatible for my ShieldTV) but I have not tested it myself. Worth a try though.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ekawas.blogspot.com&hl=en

3

thanks. but what did you use to send notification to your phone?

4

I use pushbullet, but this works with pretty much any app that does notifications. You can customize how it reads it out too.

5

The problem is there is no notification in Android TV. There is a toast (bubble) notification but none of the notify component in HA that I know of can send bubble notifications except LlamaLab Automate which is not working right in Android TV.

6

I use this https://home-assistant.io/components/notify.nfandroidtv/ with my fire tv, works fine and fairly customizable.

7

I’m using this too but I can’t make the TV speaks out the message in the notification. Are you able to do so?

8

Oh no, sorry I havn’t tried to do that before. Should have read your post a bit more :slight_smile:

9

I would try it anyway. If it doesn’t catch the toasts, then you can look in the custom apps section and see if you can find the System UI or another internal service that provides the toasts.

10

Have you tried lannouncer?

Works well on my tablet but not tried it on my android tv yet>

1 Like
11

Thanks for reminding me about LANnouncer. After I sideloaded it (it is not available in Play store for ATV) and guess what? It works!

12

I’m facing a bit of problem with LANnouncer. When the TV was idle for awhile, it went into standby mode. When i woke it up and resume using it, the notification sent to it was never read out. I have to open up the app again to make it work. This is annoying and not ideal for smart home setup.

13

Thats a shame , I use on my tablet it to wake me in the morning to tell me weather traffic conditions.
It wakes the tablet up and start the announcements fine, must be something different in the standby mode.

14

I think it works now. Not sure how.