topic Re: Sideloading Google Assistant in Android TV

Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 15:04:53 GMT

I installed Google Assistant on my Sony ATV1 model today. What you have to do is sideload the 'Google app for Android TV' in version 3.X.

German language works like before. It does not look to be any smarter though. It still fails to resolve German channel names with special characters inside (like Sat.1 or ORF SPORT+). Also the following commands pretty much failed:

"Play The Walking Dead on Netflix"

"Show me movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger" > "Only those with Sylvester Stalone" (it doesn't preferably show movies starring both)

It still feels like the old Google Now from an A.I. point of view. Still not very smart. The only change seems to be the UI. So this does not seem to be the real deal.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

SesioNLive — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 18:23:23 GMT

I've also tested Google app for Android TV (Android TV) 3.1.0.174270098 on my ATV2. I like it much more than the previous implementation, however sadly some things don't work correctly. Like in the youtube app I can't use the voice search anymore.

So i guess the assistent works itself, but it doesn't work directly in apps.

So I went back to 2.2.0

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Risc0n — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 21:11:02 GMT

The US got a new update today that fully implements it. Currently sideloading is broken as it does not work for Youtube and Netflix with my testing.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

SesioNLive — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 10:11:16 GMT

A new firmware update? Or App?

What version number? If only app, has anyone pulled them app from the tv and uploaded somewhere?

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Jecht_Sin — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 13:08:07 GMT

@SesioNLive wrote:
A new firmware update? Or App?

The US has an Android update basically to (fully) support Google Assistant.

What version number? If only app, has anyone pulled them app from the tv and uploaded somewhere?

You can find the apk v3.1.0 in apkmirror.com. Which is quite recent. But after installing it on my XD80 with Android 7.0 the only thing I have got has been a nicer dark theme (and smaller search bar). Then it breaks the voice control after the first try.

That was few days ago, before Google Assistant for mobile fully rolled out in Italian. Maybe now it works better, although I doubt so.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 13:29:00 GMT

I really like this new interface. Unlike for others, voice search works perfectly with YouTube for me. When I shortpress the mic button, YouTube voice search is activated, when I longpress it, Google global voice search is activated.

I recommend to always do a longpress of the mic button to bring up Google search.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Jecht_Sin — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 14:12:24 GMT

I only tried it from Home. This is how it work for me in Android 7, I just tested it again:

Presssing the mic button, I get the black bar and the mic icon moves showing that it's listening
Doing a search I don't get anything much different from the previous version. If I search for a movie it shows if it is availabe in Netflix, Google Play Film and.. usually that's it
I can't launch a TV show or movie from Netflix like I can do instead from my phone. "Guarda (play) Orphan Black in Netflix" just gives me the typical YouTube useless results
Doing a second search, with the black bar showing the mic icon, it does not do anything. I have to go back to Home and then press the mic button again

Basically the current version works better. Ugly half white screen apart. But looking at the Sony videos for Google Assistant on Bravia it can do much more. We'll have "just" to wait for the update, I suppose (in 2018?)

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Jecht_Sin — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 08:26:10 GMT

I think I can confirm that version 3.1 breaks the voice search in YouTube. At least in Android 7.0. After my previous post (a couple of days ago) I uninstalled the sideloaded update of Google App and left the TV as it was. Last night I tried to use the voice search in YouTube and the mic didn't go on (I didn't use YouTube in the meantime). To make it working I had to restart the TV.

Still it isn't that surprising. If it was meant to work without any Android TV update/modification Google would have probably allowed all TVs to update to version 3.x.

In any case now not even in the phone it opens a video from an app (like Netflix), at least not the last times I tried (in Italian). It doesn't seem so revolutionary to me..

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 13:38:52 GMT

@Jecht_Sin

I now have the same behavior as you which means that long-press of the voice button does not work anymore. With long-press I could previously re-activate voice sensing in the results screen and I could bring up unified Google search in apps like YouTube. Both not working anymore. Don't know what killed it as I did not update the Google app nor anything else system related. This TV clearly has a life of its own.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 14:01:53 GMT

Ha! Found the cause. As soon as I connect the USB dongle of my wireless keyboard to the TV, long-press of the mic button does not work anymore. Now it is working again. I can again re-activate the mic while in results and I can launch Google search in YouTube for example, both by long-pressing the mic button on the Sony remote.

Try it, disconnect your USB keyboard.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Jecht_Sin — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 07:45:40 GMT

@Kuschelmonschter The problem is that I don't have any USB keyboard. But I use the MacBook as keybord with Typeeto, or the phone with Android TV app or Vide & TV Sideview.

Still it doesn't matter, because I bought me new Apple TV 4K! Oh the joy of having a working, functional system!!!

PS: Amazon Prime Video breaks the lip sync even on the Apple TV, though. But the audio doesn't stutter. And from what I see I do get 5.1 audio from many shows.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 09:51:55 GMT

Jecht_Sin schrieb:
But I use the MacBook as keybord with Typeeto

So you connect your MacBook via Bluetooth to the TV and can use its keyboard? That's probably causing it. I think it happens as soon as you connect some other keyboard that mic button long-press does not work anymore.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Jecht_Sin — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 10:45:21 GMT

@Kuschelmonschter wrote:
Jecht_Sin schrieb:
But I use the MacBook as keybord with Typeeto
So you connect your MacBook via Bluetooth to the TV and can use its keyboard? That's probably causing it. I think it happens as soon as you connect some other keyboard that mic button long-press does not work anymore.

I don't know, because when I tested it I never had Typetoo active. The virtual keyboard was only paired as a BT device, but there was no BT connection active. But sure, who knows, that might be what causes it. I won't test it because the last time that I unpaired my Mac then it became a mess pairing it again. Also from the little I used my feeling is that I was just getting a better GUI. The results were the same.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 11:14:42 GMT

I don't know, because when I tested it I never had Typetoo active. The virtual keyboard was only paired as a BT device, but there was no BT connection active. But sure, who knows, that might be what causes it. I won't test it because the last time that I unpaired my Mac then it became a mess pairing it again. Also from the little I used my feeling is that I was just getting a better GUI. The results were the same.

Yes, the only thing that changes is indeed the GUI. The underlying voice assistant still is a dumb Google Now. The reason IMHO is that we are both living in countries where Google Assistant is not yet available. Or that it takes more than just updating the Google Search app. But I think it is a location issue.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

novalu — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 07:46:22 GMT

Thanks guys for this thread. I have same problem with half-supported Google Assistant on my KD-49XE8096. Probably I'm in a unsupported region for now (Czechia). After upgrade to system with Google Assistant according to press release this fall I still had "Google App for Android TV" version 2.* with the old "dumb" assistant. Sideloading 3.0.0/3.1.0/3.1.1 did not solve this issue. It brings different (and better) position of voice control UI, but voice controlling is laggy, sometimes unresponsive, more clever, but still not a true Google Assistant with AI flow (i.e. "turn off lights" launch Google search for this query instead of controlling Philips Hue just like Google Assistant do this on my mobile phone with 8.1 Oreo).

Today there was listed new version 3.1.2 on APKMirror, but issue is still not solved. (protip: you can subscribe to receive notification of a new versions).

I hoped that Sony mention something about Android 8.0 (which have full Google Assistant support out of the box) on CES 2018, but sadly I haven't read something about this in press release

Do someone knows when we can expect improvement? Thanks.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

Kuschelmonschter — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 08:02:20 GMT

Having known Sony's efforts concerning software on the TV for quite some time now I wouldn't expect anything from them.

Also Android TV is more of a pain. Oreo on Nexus Player is really underwhelming. Find more about Sony and Android TV in my review.

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

novalu — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 09:46:14 GMT

Thank you for your work on this great summary. Didn't know Sony has so poor Android TV implementation. Hopefully it will be better in future

Re: Sideloading Google Assistant

novalu — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 18:26:27 GMT

Good news everyone! I've got an update of Google App for Android TV to version 3.4.0.201591669 on my KD-49XE8096. When I've pressed mic button for the first time, then Google Assistant wizard was launched. After a few steps I have fully functioning Google Assistant with the support of continuous conversation and smart home control. I've told “Turn off the lights“ and after a while, lights was turned off just like with Google Assistant on my Android phone. Enjoy