Google TV may soon let you use your phone as a gamepad

Google TV may get the job done when it comes to streaming, but so far Android hasn’t made much momentum on moving gaming into your living room. Gaming from the couch is bigger than ever, with new launches like the Steam Machine even bringing PC gamers into mix, but Android has really yet to capitalize on any of that. Now we’re wondering if Google might be reconsidering its gaming priorities, as we spot a new Google TV feature in the works.

While there’s certainly nothing that’s technically stopping Google from turning Google TV into a full-fledged gaming platform, there are a few significant speedbumps making that a bit awkward. In addition to the problem of the anemic silicon that powers so many Google TV and Android TV boxes, there’s the big question of how we’re supposed to actually interact with games on our TVs.

You can always pair a third-party Bluetooth controller, but after the Stadia disaster, we wouldn’t be holding our breath for Google to release another controller of its own. But what about the screen you already use for mobile gaming? Based on our latest find, it looks like Google could be considering turning your phone into a Google TV gamepad.

It’s not much to go on just yet, but in the new version 4.39.4903.975565386.7-release build of the Google TV app, we’ve spotted the addition of a couple text strings:

We also find the app now keeping track of a new setting:

Between those, this feels like it it could be a gaming-specific version of the sort of touchscreen remote control the app already offers for navigating your TV UI.

We’re not yet able to see this feature in action, but keep in mind that Google just introduced that new virtual gamepad mode for foldable phones in Android 17:

It doesn’t seem like a reach to imagine that we could get a similar set of controls here — except instead of them being assigned to the game appearing in the top half of your display, they’d control a game on your TV.

Admittedly, that may be a little tricky — touchscreen controls can be finicky, and that’s doubly true when you’re looking somewhere else. It’s also worth noting that this is hardly an original idea, and you can find plenty of independent apps that already offer this same kind of control.

While a standard control option for Google TV gaming would be progress, it’s probably not going to be enough to change the platform’s gaming reputation overnight. Still, it’s a step in the right direction, so we’ll be keeping an interested eye on Google’s further progress with this feature.