What’s the Green Dot at the Top of My Android TV Screen?

News

Privacy indicator dots are stuck on some TVs.

@xguntherc

Jun 20, 2023, 12:48 pm EDT
| 1 min read

Jordan Gloor / Review Geek

If you have a Google TV or Android TV and are experiencing an odd green dot at the top right of the screen, you’re not alone. This is nothing new, but several users are dealing with a problem where the dot won’t disappear. Here’s what it’s for and what’s going on.

Like phones, our smart TVs have several privacy features, including a green dot privacy indicator during specific scenarios. Google first started using green dots in Android 12, indicating whether the camera or microphone is active. That same helpful feature extends to TVs, but lately, users are seeing it all the time.

Several reports on Reddit this week mention that Google’s green dot won’t go away. Furthermore, it keeps coming back even when owners aren’t using voice controls on the remote or aren’t actively using the voice function.

Typically, you’ll only briefly see Google’s green dot at the top of your smart TV while using voice controls on a remote. It should go away once you stop talking and the microphone turns off. However, for some, rebooting the TV is the only way to get rid of it.

A more likely scenario is you could be using a button-mapping app to have greater control over the buttons on a remote. Countless users have reported that these shortcut apps are triggering Google’s privacy indicator lights. If so, we’re likely dealing with a compatibility issue here.

For now, most users can get rid of the green dot on Android TV (or Google TV) by rebooting the device. However, once you use the voice function on your remote, it’ll likely return. The problem got worse with a recent Google TV update, and you can fix it by heading to Settings> Privacy> and disabling the microphone for all your TV apps. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than a green dot on the screen while you binge-watch a show.

via Reddit

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