The new Google TV Streamer lacks this nifty screenshot trick
by Chethan Rao · Android PoliceKey Takeaways
- The Google TV Streamer reportedly lacks the ability to take screenshots using remapped buttons on the voice remote.
- This omission could likely be part of the new Android 14 for TV operating system, which is only available on the Google TV Streamer right now.
- Despite this omission, there are alternative methods to enable screenshot capture on the new Google TV Streamer.
The Google TV Streamer (4K) may be hard to come by now, but several customers have already received their shipments. As with any new product, we learn a few things about it as we keep using it, and the same can be said about the new streamer. As per a new report, Google's latest entry in the highly competitive streaming segment is missing a feature that exists on the current crop of Google TV and Android TV devices.
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While not many would ever consider taking a screenshot on their streaming device, it can be useful depending on the situation. The folks at 9to5Google have found that the new Google TV Streamer lacks a commonly used capture method. Taking a screenshot on a device like the Google TV with Chromecast (HD) only requires a third-party remote remapping app, with Button Mapper being among the most popular options.
However, it looks like the Google TV Streamer blocks this capability altogether. 9to5 reportedly used the aforementioned app to remap the new voice remote's keys and capture a screenshot on the Google TV Streamer, but to no avail. Crucially, there's no screenshot animation at all, per the site, while looking through the internal file system confirmed that no images were captured.
The new Android TV OS could be the culprit
Among the multiple features supported by the Button Mapper app is the ability to assign a specific button or series of button presses to a particular function, like capturing screenshots. But while the app acts as if the feature is working fine, the Google TV Streamer doesn't capture anything. To be clear, the rest of the app's functionality works fine, with only screenshots currently disabled.
It is speculated that the Google TV Streamer's software (Android 14 for TV) could be responsible for this omission. This makes a great deal of sense, given that Google TV models running Android 12 have no problems capturing screenshots as of right now. It will be interesting to see if Google will remove this capability from Google TV models when the Android 14 for TV update rolls out sometime in the future.
Of course, there are other ways to capture screenshots on your Google TV Streamer, such as through ADB commands. But remapping the voice remote's keys is arguably one of the easier ways to take a screenshot, especially if you're in a pinch and have the remote right in front of you.
Google TV Streamer
7.5 / 10
The Google TV Streamer is a new set-top streaming device from Google that improves upon the Chromecast 4K. It boasts Dolby Vision, which should offer a wider range of colors and deeper blacks when viewing supported content, and even doubles as a smart home hub with Thread support and Matter compatibility. With AI smarts in tow, the device can curate content based on your preferences across all of your subscriptions, and organize them conveniently in one place.