Android TV devices have started behaving weirdly – users report odd goings-on

Users of Android TV devices have reported a change in behaviour when using their remote. People are coming forward to say that the function of the Home button seems to have changed – without any prior warning.

In the past, pressing the Home button would take you back to the home screen and to the row of familiar apps. It served as a quick way to get back to what you use most.

Now, it appears that some users are finding themselves taken to the Home option on the top menu instead, requiring more navigation to get back to what you actually want to do. It's a subtle change, but unexpected. As such, it's caught Android TV users off guard.

What's interesting about this change is that it's inconsistent, with reports suggesting that it's affecting Nvidia Shield TV users according to a thread on Reddit, although it is in the Shield TV subreddit.

Elsewhere, Android Authority has reported similar behaviour on a Xgimi Aura projector, although this appears to be Google TV rather than the older Android TV. The site goes on to report that TCL TV they tested wasn't showing this behaviour, instead jumping to the row of favourites instead.

That presents itself as something of a conundrum for users as there doesn't seem to be any way to undo it. The recommendation from those affected is to uninstall Android TV Home updates, but the user recommending this subsequently reported that it reverted back a couple of days later.

Instead, there's the suggestion that it is something to do with personalised adverts.

So this is a bit of a strange one, but it seems to be limited so far. And given the number of Android and Google TV devices out there, some might find that their Home button on the remote changes and some might not.

Changes to Google TV (which is what most users have) don't come along to often. We've seen the addition of Google TV Freeplay this year and previously greater integration of Google Photos to help you create slideshows, with Nano Banana allowing custom image creation.

This strange change might just be a blip for some users - only time will tell.