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The Google TV Streamer added one feature that all such devices need

The rear of the Google TV Streamer device.
Google

When a company drops a handful of press images alongside the announcement of a new product, we rarely get to see the back of the thing. And I get it — there’s nothing particularly photogenic about a bunch of ports and cords. And that’s mostly true of the new Google TV Streamer, which looks more like a router than it does a successor to the venerable Chromecast dongle.

But we did get the briefest glimpse of the rear of the device in Google’s promo video. In it, you see the USB-C power cable and a hint of the Ethernet port. And those are great.

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But it’s a little button that’s I’m really excited about, because it adds a feature that not every streaming device has — a foolproof way to find a missing remote control. Press the button, and the new Google TV voice remote starts chirping, making it easier to find. That’s a feature that Roku has long had on its devices. And now Google’s got it, too.

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It’s a two-part deal. You need a tiny little speaker in the remote control to make some noise, first and foremost. And to make things really easy — so that I don’t have to fire up an app on my phone or use voice commands — you then just press the button on the back of the Google TV Streamer. Simple.

That’s something that Apple TV 4K — which is still our pick for the best streaming device you can buy, though it may well have some competition now — doesn’t do. (I had to buy an AirTag and a case to replicate that feature. It works great, but it wasn’t free.)

Here’s to hoping that Apple and Amazon and anyone else slips in this little quality-of-life winner in their next devices. You might not use it often, but it’s a lifesaver when you need it.

Phil Nickinson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…
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