Voice remote doesn't work

Hi, mwentas781. We're sorry that your voice remote doesn't work. You can visit Explore your Box Voice Remote | DIRECTV Support for quick fix. Let me know if this helps. 

Been there, done that. Believe me, I have explored explored every FAQ I could find and nothing answers either of my questions.

The bottom line is that the voice remote doesn't work and I can't figure out why.

Let me repeat the questions in a simpler way:

1. Do I need to activate any Google apps to make the voice remote work?

2. Is the blue light supposed to STAY on as long as I am pressing the mic button?

You need to activate google asst in settings to activate the voice search/button. 

Settings---system---device preferences--google assistant  ---toggle on

If that is already on----restart your box

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Thank you!

I had activated Google Assistant in the off chance I needed it, but didn't restart the box.

So I restarted the box.

Still doesn't work.

The symptom is that when I press the mic button, the blue light flashes - it does not stay on.

On the TV, I get a bar at the bottom that says: "Try saying something like" and it gives several suggestions.

When I press the mic button and speak, there is no indication that my voice is being heard. On my prior Xfinity device you could watch my spoken works being displayed on the screen. I am expecting the same on the DirectTV device but it isn't happening.

At this point I believe the remote device is defective.

Thanks for your help!

We want this issue to be resolved. Would you like me to process a replacement for your remote? Kharl, DIRECTV Community Specialist

Just got off the chat with DirectTV Tech Support. Problem was, as I suspected, a defective remote. DTV is replacing it free.

Thank you for the suggestions!

You're welcome. We're glad your remote was replaced for free. If you still need help, DIRECTV is just a message away. Kharl, DIRECTV Community Specialist

When you pressed the voice button did you let go --then speak? You can't hold down the button and speak like some other devices (firestick). You press it to activate it--let go---then speak.

Ludwick,

Ha!

It would have been (Edited per community guidelines) helpful to read that in:

1. The instructions

2. Any of the numerous websites advising on use of Gemini

3. Any FAQ

So, no - I pressed and held, mostly because EVERY instruction I read said press mic button, wait for the BLUE LIGHT to come on, and then speak. The strong implication being press and hold. NO instruction, FAQ or web page said "press and release."

I did, however, go through a troubleshooting procedure with Tech Support and he determined the remote was defective. I had reached the same conclusion myself. The remote clearly did not "hear" my voice. I just tried "press and release" and it still doesn't work, confirming that the remote is in fact defective.

Are you sure it's paired to your box?

Yes. That was part of the troubleshooting procedure with Tech Support. He had me unpair it and then pair it.

Also, you can check to see if you're paired and it confirms I am paired.

All,

Final resolution....

Yesterday the replacement remote showed up.

I unpaired the original and paired the new one.

Disappointingly, but not totally surprising - it had the same problem.

From this, I determined the problem HAD to be a software issue so I went through every single menu and submenu, including the hidden apps, looking for anything that I thought could be related to Google or Android. I also double-checked my Google account to make sure it showed that the Google Assistant was enabled, listed my TV and had the proper permissions.

I  found a submenu buried deep under System called System Apps.

In System apps I found a submenu called Disabled Apps, and in there I found an app called Android TV Remote App.

I clicked on the Android TV Remote App, enabled it, and....

Prest-O Change-O, the Voice Remote started working!

I don't know how or why this app was disabled, but it was the root cause of the problem.

From my point of view, two things could have prevented the several days' worth of troubleshooting:

1. Documentation somewhere showing what software needs to be enabled for the voice remote to work. As I know now, those two things are Google Assistant and Android TV Remote App. Neither is explicitly mentioned anywhere as a requirement for the voice remote to work; and

2) The other thing that would have helped is a better description for the use of the mic button and what to expect from the blue lights. All the documentation I found simply said "press the mic button and when the blue light comes on, speak into the mic".

My symptoms were:

* when I pressed the mic button, the blue light flashed and a black bar appeared at the bottom of the TV screen along with a prompt to say something, with some examples. When I spoke, nothing showed up on the TV screen. From this I knew the system was aware I had pressed the mic button, but it did not recognize that I was speaking.

The sequence when voice remote is working is quite different. When you press the mic button, the blue light comes on and stays on, the black bar appears on the TV along with the word "Listening," and when you speak you see your words appear on the screen.

Anyway, it is working now.

I want to thank everybody who contributed to the troubleshooting. I appreciate your help!

Mike

That app is enabled by default so someone in your home disabled it. Also the disabled app area is not "buried deep" lol.

And it's not that difficult to understand your remote control app needs to be enabled

This is to Mike: thank you, thank you thank you! In every detail, I had the same exact problem as you did. I even had DIRECTV send me a new remote …still no voice control problem…same as you described…problems…. blue light flashing…. everything that you went through I’ve gone through for the past two days!’

thank you for showing me about the disabled app called the android TV remote, truth is I probably am the one that disabled it! Lol thinking I didn’t need it… But the DIRECTV support people may need to read some of these forum posts and then they can tell people what to check when their voice  remote isn’t working ! Thanks again! -Tom