The Android Google TV app may soon have an integrated remote for Android TVs, XDA Developers reports. The unreleased feature was discovered in the version 4.25 code of the Android application. Enabling the feature reveals an apparently unfinished interface built around a large D-pad and the option to pair the app with an Android TV device using a 4-digit PIN.
The discovery of the new code coincides with a renewed push by Google to update and modernize its smart TV software. Last year, it launched a Chromecast with a new Google TV interface for the operating system, and this software will also come as an integrated operating system for smart TVs this year. As part of the launch, Google also renamed its Play Movies and TV app to Google TV on Android (for now, on iOS it is still appearing as Google Play Movies and TV).
Google is working on integrating the Android TV remote control app with the Google TV app. Here are some screenshots of the feature, which is not yet available in version 4.25. (Surprise, surprise … it’s exactly as you would expect.) pic.twitter.com/73iqX6FRJd
– Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 2, 2021
Technically, Google already has an Android TV app on iOS and Android that offers this functionality, but neither version has been updated in recent years. We wouldn’t be surprised if both ended up being discontinued if the feature was launched on the Google TV app.