Something strange is happening with Android TV remotes, and it’s driving users crazy

Some Android TV users report that pressing Home on the TV remote now selects the top navigation bar instead of their favorite apps.

Reports span NVIDIA Shield TV devices, while our own observations suggest the behavior varies across Android TV hardware.

Google hasn’t explained the apparent change, and we’re asking readers to help establish how widespread it is.

There’s a special kind of frustration that comes from a button doing exactly what it says, just not what your fingers remember. For some Android TV owners, that button is Home, and a seemingly invisible change is sending their carefully rehearsed remote-control routines off-script.

The mystery began when Android Authority’s Stephen Schenck noticed something strange while using his XGIMI Aura projector and an older JBL Link Bar. Pressing Home no longer brought up the familiar row of favorite apps. Instead, it jumped to the Home tab in the navigation bar above.