The Obnoxious “Free TV” Button Is Coming to All Future Google TV Remotes

Last year, Walmart launched a caller Google TV streamer with a distant that had a large 'ol "Free TV" fastener smack dab successful the mediate of it. Google has reportedly confirmed that each aboriginal Google TV devices volition beryllium required to person this fastener from present on.

The "Free TV" oregon "Live TV" fastener opens the "Live" tab connected the Google TV location screen. This tab started rolling retired successful aboriginal 2023, and it's fundamentally Google's mentation of thing similar Pluto TV oregon Tubi. Google partnered with Xumo to bring free, ad-supported channels specified arsenic America's Test Kitchen, BBC Earth, Cheddar News, Family Feud, Outside, PGA Tour, and implicit 150 different channels.

Anyway, past year, Walmart launched the Onn 4K Pro streamer box, and immoderate models included a distant with a "Free TV" button. It's agleam bluish and the largest fastener connected the remote—more than doubly the size of the shortcuts for YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and Paramount+. Weirdly, not each models of the Onn 4K Pro primitively had this fastener connected the distant (like mine, for example). And Google didn't see it connected the remote for its Streamer container either. However, that won't beryllium the lawsuit moving forward.

A Google spokesperson reportedly confirmed to Android Authority that, starting this month, each caller Google TV devices indispensable see a distant with a “Free TV” oregon “Live TV” button. This fastener indispensable unfastened Google TV Freeplay–Google's sanction for the free, ad-supported channels. Apparently, Google has received glowing feedback astir Freeplay, truthful they privation to supply speedy entree for viewers.

Google TV gives users entree to a wide scope of escaped TV options, including section news, fashionable shows and movies. Since we launched escaped unrecorded TV options connected Google TV, we’ve received overwhelmingly affirmative feedback from users, and this alteration volition assistance supply a accordant acquisition with speedy entree astatine users’ fingertips.

One important happening to enactment is Google did not notation immoderate requirements for the fastener itself. In different words, we mightiness not spot a big, gaudy fastener connected each Google TV remote. This does not look to alteration however OEMs are allowed to customize the remainder of the remote. It's wholly imaginable that the fastener could beryllium tiny and casual to ignore.

Personally, I was precise blessed to person an Onn 4K Pro without the "Free TV" fastener connected the remote. It's not thing I ever use, and it's beauteous annoying to person a fastener I'll ne'er interaction taking up truthful overmuch space. The bully quality is it's casual to alteration what Google TV distant buttons bash with an app called "Button Mapper." I've remapped each the streaming services connected my distant to the ones I really use. I adjacent printed tiny stickers to spell connected the buttons.

Source: Android Authority