They’re not essential, but they add a little extra convenience to the NVIDIA Shield app.įinally, there’s the power button. Volume controls are a “nice to have” as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for long search queries or movies that are hard to spell. I’ve never been a big fan of voice search on streaming devices. It’s a little thing, but it helps make the UI seem really intuitive. It doesn’t lock you into one UI or the other, but let’s you quickly change if you need to. I really like that there’s an easy toggle on every screen to change how you use the app. Here, you can switch between Remote and Trackpad modes, start a voice search, change the volume or shut down your NVIDIA Shield. Menu BarĪt the bottom of almost every screen is a basic menu bar. But I like that the NVIDIA Shield app gives you options, just in case the trackpad isn’t your style. I think it’s an easy, intuitive way to navigate around the screen. Personally, I prefer using the trackpad mode. The app lets you select between a SwipePad, TrackPad or DPad modes to navigate the screen.
If you’ve used the official Android TV app, then the touchpad feature of the NVIDIA Shield app will look really familiar. So if you’ve sideloaded apps on your NVIDIA Shield, you won’t be able to open them directly via the app.Īs soon as you click on any icon, the screen switched to touchpad mode so you can navigate around the screen easier. The Apps tab has icons for all the apps installed on your device that have a Leanback shortcut. Although you can launch them, you won’t be able to play them directly from the app if they require a controller. Here you’ll find all of the games you’ve installed on your NVIDIA Shield TV. We’ll cover the Games tab first, since it’s the easier of the two. The app’s main screen has two tabs: Apps and Games. But to be honest, everything in the app is designed so well, it feels like second nature. We’ll cover some of the basics about launching apps and switching to touchpad and keyboard mode.
Once you’ve paired your NVIDIA Shield to the app, everything is really intuitive – which is exactly how it should be. Once your Shield is successfully paired, you can flip back and forth between each device by clicking on it’s name in the Manage Devices tab.Ĭontrolling Your NVIDIA Shield TV From Your Phone
However, there is a manual pairing option using the IP address in case the app doesn’t detect your NVIDIA Shield TV automatically. It’s easy to pair a new device, since everything is done for you automatically. It doesn’t matter if the Shield TV is connected through Ethernet or wireless. One of the things I like most about the NVIDIA Shield app is that I can add every Shield TV I own to one app, and switch back and forth as I need to.Īll you need is for your smartphone or tablet to be on the same network as your NVIDIA Shield. But the app gives you an easy substitute when the batteries run out, or you want to turn off a Shield TV in another room.
Sure, it’s usually simpler to use the physical remote to control your NVIDIA Shield. If you’re an NVIDIA geek like me and have multiple NVIDIA Shields, you can control them all from one app. It lets you move the mouse around the screen, but it doesn’t offer any additional functionality.īy contrast, the NVIDIA Shield app has a mini-launcher that lets you click on an app’s icon to quickly open it, right from your phone. The official Android TV app, which is just a virtual trackpad or D-pad on your phone. So I had really low expectations for the NVIDIA Shield app. I’d used the official Android TV remote app from Google before, and honestly wasn’t impressed. What Can You Do With the NVIDIA Shield App? We’ll see what it can do, and give you an overview of how it works.
In this article, I’m going to walk you through the official NVIDIA Shield app for Android and iPhone. I wanted to control my NVIDIA Shield with my phone. I mean…it’s a good three or four steps to get from the sofa to the TV.Īfter a few times, I realized I needed to find a better way. She leaves it in the most inconvenient place possible. Not on the coffee table, next to the couch. My wife has a habit of leaving the remote control on the entertainment center, right next to the TV.