The NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV remote app is now in the process of receiving an update.
By all accounts, this is the biggest update the SHIELD TV app has received to date.
The latest version (2.0.2) of the app is available to download from the Google Play Store.
A new app for the NVIDIA SHIELD
The old SHIELD TV app was not a bad app. Arguably, it was significantly better than the stock Android TV remote app. That said, it was still an app with a fairly generic look and feel.
That’s now changed. The new update brings with it a new design that’s not only more vibrant, but also more useful.
The design change is immediate on app launch. Instead of launching into a blank-looking app, the user is presented with a portfolio of the apps installed on the device. That’s on the SHIELD, not the phone.
And that’s just the start. This list is not there to show you what apps are installed on your Android TV device, but tapping on any of the apps will launch the app on the SHIELD. After some brief testing the response of the app shortcuts is rapid. Apps launch fast and the entire remote experience is highly responsive.
Gamers may also like to know the same design is in use for games with the same ability to quickly launch a game on the SHIELD TV through your smartphone.
This feature alone makes this an update worth installing right away.
More than just app shortcuts
While the design and new quick-launch app feature is the more obvious element of the update, it’s only one of the improvements.
There’s also some fairly major upgrades to navigation in general, as well as playback controls and the main menu.
Although one of the other more useful improvements is certainly the volume control. Increasing or decreasing the volume is now far easier than it was before.
Here’s the full changelog according to NVIDIA and the Google Play Store.
- Newly designed application UI
- – Adds a feature to launch applications on Shield from Shield TV remote
- – Adds a feature of swipepad
- – Adds two finger swipe feature to trackpad
- – Adds volume control feature to iOS app
- – Adds volume control side drawer UI
- – Adds a feature of power button
- – Adds a feature of voice control through Google Assistance
- – Adds a new UI for keyboard, also provides support for multi-language, edit, copy and paste functionalities
- Connectivity and stability bug fixes
Rolling out now to SHIELD TV
Again, this latest app update is already in the process of rolling out. If you already have the app downloaded on a device then you’ll likely receive the update organically in the coming hours or days. That’s if you have not already.
For those who would prefer to speed up the process, the easiest way is to uninstall the app completely. Then just reinstall it and it should install the latest version.
You can download the NVIDIA SHIELD TV remote app for free from the Google Play Store.