The Google TV Streamer breaks this classic screenshot hack

Taking screenshots on Android TV is somehow getting even more annoying.

The Google TV Streamer breaks this classic screenshot hack
  • Taking screenshots with remapped remote buttons appears to not work on the Google TV Streamer.
  • This could be a consequence of Android TV 14, and may ultimately affect additional devices.
  • Even with the remote not working, screenshots are still possible via ADB.

Why does taking a simple screenshot always have to be so darn awkward? Can you remember if that’s power plus volume-up, or volume-down? How many times have you just mashed on all of them until the screenshot finally worked? As if things weren’t bad enough on Android phones, the situation’s even more annoying on Android TV — and to hear reports of the latest development, it’s somehow getting worse still.

Why would you want to take a screenshot on Android TV? Admittedly, this probably appeals more to smartphone journalists and other obsessive types like us who love to track all the minutiae of UI development. But really, the point is that it’s your device, and if you want to take some screens, why shouldn’t you? The biggest problem is that your typical Android TV remote isn’t going to offer a dedicated screenshot button — and good luck getting that power-plus-volume trick to work here.