The Mystery Behind My Android TV Remote

This mystery has right now, shaken me from deep within!

Google may have now discontinued the Nexus Player, but for me, it was a lovely device. It was a short-term goal or dream to have a big-screen LED TV and convert that to an Android or Apple TV. So two years ago, I got my VU TV turned into my Android home theatre, with the Google Nexus Player.

Two years ago, I moved to a new apartment in Bangalore. I got my TV as soon as I moved in and with a friend’s help, I got my Android Nexus Player shipped from USA. Now, I was so ecstatic to say good bye forever to my cable TV box and be fully devoted to Youtube and ‘Netflix and Chill!’

In all this excitement, I read the manuals, unboxed my brand new Nexus Player and was ready to dive in. Suddenly to my despair, the remote that came along with the Nexus Player just did not work! It wasn’t showing any light, never blinked, never paired, nothing!
I thought it could just be that the attached batteries were faulty, so I used the fresh batteries from my regular TV remote that was still working. Even so, that did not work on the Nexus remote. Then I used other batteries from the clock that was also working, but with my Nexus, IT STILL DID NOT. Fortunately, Google always had the Android TV remote app, that I could install on my phone and use it via WiFi, which I did. Since this product was from USA, there was no point getting on call and sending the remote back and forth all the way, with all the nonsense processes and expense. Yet, I thought I would still give it a try.

I checked online, and officially raised a complaint to Google Nexus player’s customer care. They called me back at a convenient time, and then ran a 1–2 hour long trobleshooting with me. Ofcourse, they were just behind a stupid call centre dialogue book and gave me text book instructions, but I still did what they told me, patiently. Step by step, I tried out all their suggestions and recommendations. After restarting my nexus player several times, on the live call… IT STILL DID NOT WORK! So thats it then! Its just a remote, and I still had the phone app anyways. I decided that day, that I will store the remote back and never use it. I was happy with the mobile app and it worked perfectly.

Two years later, I still dont have complaints. However, sometimes when I clean my cabinet and furniture, I see the nexus remote there, lying in the corner, all alone, all destitute, all silent. Recently, I have been making plans to polish my photography portfolio and to study more into photography. I was working with a few awesome pictures that I clicked in the past three years. My plan led me to upgrade my camera and I couldnt carry on with the current basic one. So tonight, I went on Youtube and was searching for reviews on a few cameras. Suddenly, next to my youtube search results on my Android TV, there was a one and half minute video which somehow popped up as a suggestion saying “How to pair nexus player remote”. To remind you, this is 2 years later.

I stumbled over that video, and to kill my curiosity, I chucked the camera reviews for a couple of minutes to click on this one. I dunno why I did that, but may be… may be my heart had little more hope locked up in the corner even after two years, to liberate my Nexus remote. I opened the video, and what I saw was the same thing that the Google Nexus guy had told me on the two-hour long demo, when I had called support.
So… it just hit me, that the process was so simple. Then what could have gone wrong?
You just click the search button on the nexus player, open it for pairing, click the back and home buttons together on the remote, and wallah! They should be paired automatically! But that was never the case!

After two years, I gave it one more try after watching this 1.5 minute video. I went to the remote, and saw that it was buried in dust. So I took it to the kitchen, took my duster and gave it a brush. The remote was so engulfed in the dust, that I had to remove the battery cover and clean it again. Then, me being me, I thought I’ll clean the batteries and the sockets too. I was back at my sofa. I now had to put the batteries inside, close the battery case and start the pairing!

When I removed the batteries to clean and put it back… I realised, THAT THE BATTERIES WERE AT THE WRONG POSITIVE (+) AND NEGATIVE (-) ENDS! As soon as I corrected that, THE REMOTE STARTED WORKING, AND PAIRED INSTANTLY! I CAN USE MY REMOTE NOW!

I was so bugged with myself! I can’t imagine what would go through the victim or the kin of someone released from prison after years of false imprisonment just because the justice system is slower than a sloth!

K. Gotta watch some TV.