Android TV owners who used the Android TV app on their phone as a remote or to search with text or with voice via the phone’s mic are out of luck – but also in luck.
The app may be being phased out, but it’s being replaced while a remote function becomes available within the Google TV app and the Android OS.
“We’re making the experience of using your phone as a virtual remote control faster to access and easier to use by upgrading the UI and integrating the feature directly into the Android mobile OS as well as the Google TV app,” says a Google spokesperson.
“After the new remote feature is widely available, the Android TV remote app will no longer be supported and available for use. This transition will happen once a user’s Android TV OS device receives Android Remote Service: 5.0. or higher.
The app is already MIA from the Play Store desktop site, though some mobile users can still grab it in the Play Store and App Store apps.
The new Google TV remote feature lets you copy/paste movie names and type passwords and search terms in your phone rather than messing around on your remote.