Android TV guide: How to control all your smart devices from your smart TV

In the day and age of the Internet of Things (IoT), interconnectivity between smart devices like the Android TV and the rest of the electrical appliances around the house has become quite commonplace.

With the most recent generation of Android televisions, users will be able to manage a multitude of smart devices such as lights, speakers, AI-powered vacuum cleaners, and the playback functions on Google Home from their flat screens.

However, managing these devices through an Android TV is not as easy as it seems, especially for those less comfortable with technology. If you are one of those users, read on.

There are primarily two ways through which one can use their Android televisions to control the rest of the smart devices at home. Today’s guide will look over them in detail.

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Controlling smart devices from your Android TV

1) By voice, using the TV microphone

An easy way to control smart devices from an Android TV is with the help of Google Assistant. However, this will only work if the TV or the remote that it comes with has a built-in microphone, and other devices in the house are directly linked to the network as well.

Almost all Android televisions come with a built-in microphone feature today, hence, this method is one of the more popular ways of controlling the various smart devices around the house.

All users will be required to do is ask for Google Assistant on the microphone of the remote or TV, as they would on their mobile phones.

Voice commands like “Turn on the light in the bedroom” and “Turn off the vacuum cleaner” can work rather well. However, the more specific the command, the more accurate its execution.

A noisy environment can be detrimental while using this feature, and users might have to speak up for the assistant to hear them clearly.

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2) Through the Google Home App

One of the more complicated ways of controlling smart devices with an Android TV is through the Google Home app. While the app is more readily available on mobile devices, it is not exactly officially present for televisions.

Installing it on Android TV is difficult, as users will need to follow the steps as listed below:

• Get their hands on the APK, transfer it to the TV through apps like “Send Files” and then install it. User do not need to worry about the app functioning on the device as Google Home automatically adjusts itself to the format of the television.
• The alternate way of obtaining the APK would to to directly download it from the Android TV’s browser. Users will just need to make sure that the APK gets installed properly on the device, and that they are using a minimum of Android 8.0 or higher.
• Users should also make sure that while installing the APK, they are using the same google account that is active on their mobile and the one that the smart devices in the house are configured to. After that, one will just need to follow the steps and set up the app on their Android TV.
• After the application is set up with the proper account, users will be able to open the interface, which will allow them to automatically gain access to the all the smart devices around the house. They will be able to navigate through the various options with the aid of the remote.
• If users are not comfortable with the TV remote when ti comes to navigating through the Goggle Home app, they can always plug in a wireless mouse through the USB port to make things easier.

It’s important to note here that as Google Home is not an official app for Android TV, its icon will appear on the list of applications. To make finding it easier, follow the steps listed below:

• Use the Sideload Launcher or just navigate to the settings
• Open the Applications section
• Select Google Home details and open the app

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Note: The second method may not work as intended as it is an APK. Reader discretion is advised.