Using the released version, install the Beta app, using Settings, Support.
FireTV must be in developer mode and using Developer options, enable app to install unknown apps.
Using the beta version, install the Alpha app, using Settings, Support.
Oddity… When I start the alpha on my Shield Pro, it's a tossup whether it starts in the guide like it's configured to, or in the settings. The guide seems more efficient, but still has the usual Android TV issues I've always had concerning listings getting skewed times as you progress further into the future.
Not expecting much, just thought the devs would appreciate any feedback no matter how minor.
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Noticed another new version, Alpha 3.29.1330. Perhaps the developers could notify on here when a new version is ready. At any rate installed updated version. All of my previous problems have been fixed.
Noticed two problems so far. Using the Library or anywhere you can explore the TV show listings, the Seasons selection bar is behind the video listings, making it impossible to select a TV show. Also when you are in any of the screens from the main left menu and you press the Back button, it dumps you from the app. On the other apps, I get the Main left menu redisplayed and then another Back press exits the app.
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Was thinking my previous mentioned bug of starting up in settings instead of the configured guide might be a good feature for alphas and betas that have pending updates?
Or even showing update available during the time Preparing your TV is being shown. It doesn't really matter to me that much, since I check this forum very often.
We can definitely do that - sorry for the radio silence, a lot of this work is purely internals that users shouldn't notice, though the alpha is mostly wrapping up at this point and our big internal migration is almost ready to go!
Please give the latest alpha a try, if it crashes you don't need to send any reports of your own, the error reporter should take care of it for you automatically
(For the curious software developers, this migration is moving from Kotlin Synthetics to Android ViewModel binding, which will allow us to update many of our dependent libraries as well as put us on the latest version of Kotlin)
5 Likes
Found out the cause of my problem. I needed to uninstall the previous version, before installing the new version. Now I haven't been able to find any problems on the Android mobile app, Sony Google TV app, Google TV Chromecast app, Shield Google TV app, or my Firestick 4k TV Max.
Except I still don't like it exiting the app, without displaying the Main Menu.
Of course some of the same problems that exist on the beta app, still exist on the alpha.
Some new things in the Alpha:
- Fixed some crashes while scrolling around in the guide
- The sidebar now no longer sticks around past its welcome when you select a movie
- If you're not using the Enhanced Library and you've got a lot of media, you'll soon get an offer to enable it - it's a good idea!
- Some small performance and memory usage improvements
3 Likes
Somehow I missed the announcement there was a new developer on the team?
Welcome! (sorry to go off-topic)
Tested on Android phone, Sony Google TV, and Firestick 4k Max. Now it seems to be working exactly the same as the beta version which is probably your goal. I don't mean to be a downer, but there are at least 3 major problems that fail on the released, beta, and alpha versions.
- On mobile android, the Play To function doesn't work at all. Hasn't been working for more than a year.
- On FireTV or Android TV, the guide locks up with no selection if you move to fast to the right. Must press Back key to release.
- On FireTV , Android TV and Android mobile, the guide is mostly missing for one channel only after restarting the app without going through the Preparing Your TV initialization. So far no Developer has been able to duplicate, but it happens on all my devices. Haven't found a setting that fixes it.
I have work arounds for these problems, so not really a big issue for me. But I like Channels, and want it to work perfect, just like all the developers.
2 Likes
On FireTV or Android TV, the guide locks up with no selection if you move to fast to the right. Must press Back key to release.
------ Same thing if you scroll down too fast. App locks up.
Thanks for the feedback!
A few questions:
- On mobile android, the Play To function doesn't work at all. Hasn't been working for more than a year.
What device are you trying to play to? Phone => Android TV?
- On FireTV or Android TV, the guide locks up with no selection if you move to fast to the right. Must press Back key to release.
This is a known issue that is difficult to track down a fix, it's definitely On My List
On FireTV , Android TV and Android mobile, the guide is mostly missing for one channel only after restarting the app without going through the Preparing Your TV initialization.
Are you saying that the guide is missing one channel? Or all but one channel?
On a Shield Pro 2019, with the latest firmware, scrolling guide to the right simply crashes to the launcher, which in my case is Projectivy (if that makes any difference). Spelling is correct btw 
It's a nice, simple replacement for the ad-laden default mess Nvidia pushed on Shield users a year or 18 months ago.
Here is a post discussing the problem, I did find a way for me to always duplicate the failure.
Channels when using a mobile device would show a list of every device in my house that was active on the network, FireTV and Android TV just after pressing Watch when a channel had been selected.
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I was also under the assumption that the Play To function was just broken. Recently I got a new router and it works all the time now and it all started as soon as I started using the new router.
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Not sure what Channels uses for this function, but Plex, Netflicks, Prime Video, Youtube, and all my other apps that have casting capability seem to work fine. I always just suspected my phone did an Android update which broke the Play To function.
Installed Alpha on my latest gen. Fire cube. New tile at end of installed apps. Clicking on it system tries to launch, but crashes almost immediately. Have 4 or 5 Firesticks including Max but opted to try the FC due to larger amount of memory. Might try on Max, but memory is getting tight there.
I just updated the alpha on my Shield Pro 2019, crashes to the launcher immediately. Uninstalled, then re-installed the alpha from the beta app, same deal.
Fixed and running this morning.
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Can anyone share some screenshots of the Alpha build? Curious where the Android TV UI is heading.
1 Like