Oh My God. Stop. With. The. Mobile. App. on. Fire Cube

[DemonI 5]

Title

I HATE the mobile app on my TV, please, for the love of god, STOP asking me to "try" it.  I did, it's terrible, in my opinion, and I don't want it.  I'm sick of being pushed towards something inferior, that is not what I paid for.
I promise, I will go back to Plex.  You already got my money, so you probably don't care, but word of mouth is powerful.  I can only click no so many times before I lose it.

[seanbuff 1313]

Reviewing your posts, I'm not seeing you ever call out having issues with the new app?

Have you tried working with the Devs to address any of the issues you are experiencing?

At the end of the day, switching platforms is your prerogative, but at least try working with the team first.

[Luke 42077]

HI, yes, what don't you like about it? We're happy to help get your issues resolved.

[Guest]

Agree with OP

I did not like seeing the suggestion to try the other app.

I don't like the mobile android app on my ShieldTV pro. The AndroidTV app is significantly better and I would be devastated if it ever went away.

[yocker 1247]

8 minutes ago, embaaa said:

Agree with OP

I did not like seeing the suggestion to try the other app.

I don't like the mobile android app on my ShieldTV pro. The AndroidTV app is significantly better and I would be devastated if it ever went away.

Just saying "it's significantly better" does not help any one understand what is actually better about it so the new universal app can be improved.
Please explain what precisely you like better about the Android TV app.

Personally i don't find that much difference any more and ditched the Android TV app some time ago.

[Guest]

I have had both apps installed on my shieldTV pro for a couple years now.  I only installed the android app because it supports gapless audio in music playback.  

For video playback I use emby AndroidTV and for music I use emby android app.

 

I mean they are 2 different apps and one works better than the other.  

AndroidTV app has not once EVER crashed out on me or did anything funky.  It plays 120mbps 4K dolby vision without a single hiccup or stutter EVER.  The app is legit perfect. 

The UI is all around better on the AndroidTV app.  

The search feature is 100x better.  I get full keyboard on androidTV and can use a hardware keyboard actually attached.  The android app is an awful 1 line string of letters that doesn't respond to a hardware keyboard attached?  

 

[Luke 42077]

14 minutes ago, embaaa said:

doesn't respond to a hardware keyboard attached?  

 

Hi, this has been resolved in the update that is on it's way out.

[Luke 42077]

19 minutes ago, embaaa said:

AndroidTV app has not once EVER crashed out on me or did anything funky.  It plays 120mbps 4K dolby vision without a single hiccup or stutter EVER. 

 

Hi, this is going to be more related to the player we're embedding rather than one app vs. the other. They both embed the same player, but the TV app is a bit behind on updates. If we were to update it to the latest version, then they'd likely play identically. Anytime we update the player that we're embedding we get both the good and the bad that comes along with that.

Does that help?

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Luke said:

Hi, there is an option in the settings of the app to control the up button behavior during playback and you can make it this way.

Thanks that is helpful.  I got that enabled now so at least chapters aren't hidden.

BUT the chapter UI is ugly and less user friendly on the android app compared to the androidTV app.  

I see a bar of words ill never use above the chapters.  I just want to see the chapters not up next, on now, guide.  I'd go elsewhere to see info like that. 

The androidTV app has the beautiful timeline with the chapters all lined up in notches to easily see where they are in the timeline of the movie.  On the android app all you get is the time stamp without visual representation of the spot. 

 

[Luke 42077]

1 minute ago, embaaa said:

Thanks that is helpful.  I got that enabled now so at least chapters aren't hidden.

BUT the chapter UI is ugly and less user friendly on the android app compared to the androidTV app.  

I see a bar of words ill never use above the chapters.  I just want to see the chapters not up next, on now, guide.  I'd go elsewhere to see info like that. 

The androidTV app has the beautiful timeline with the chapters all lined up in notches to easily see where they are in the timeline of the movie.  On the android app all you get is the time stamp without visual representation of the spot. 

 

OK that is helpful feedback. We will keep improving it. If that were the same, is there anything else?

Also, FYI I moved the server disappearing issue to a new topic: 

 

[Guest]

10 minutes ago, Luke said:

OK that is helpful feedback. We will keep improving it. If that were the same, is there anything else?

 

Thanks for being so responsive and interested in feedback.

 

AndroidTV being able to press and hold the main middle button to see "stats for nerds" is being missed on android app.  I can see why you chose to change that if some were having it pop up and they didn't know how to remove it.  Maybe that could be an option in settings like the up button.  

--------------

One host I use with a vpn so the host URL is 10.x.x.x or whatever.  If I forget to enable the VPN before I start emby it losses my login credentials on emby and I'll need to re-login after I enable the VPN.  It does save the server info at least so it will just ask for the user credentials.   I have only used this setup on the android app never tested before or had a need with the androidTV app.  

 

Thanks 

 

 

 

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, embaaa said:

AndroidTV being able to press and hold the main middle button to see "stats for nerds" is being missed on android app.  I can see why you chose to change that if some were having it pop up and they didn't know how to remove it.  Maybe that could be an option in settings like the up button.  

 

disregard this.  I found the option in the settings! 

[DemonI 5]

I see no reason to provide any details about a mobile app you're pushing me to use on my TV, a 75 inch screen,  not a 6 inch one.

I don't want a mobile app on my TV.  I will not use a mobile app in my TV.  It's that simple.

I'm sorry it's so hard to understand my very clear complaint of "I said no, respect that and STOP PUSHING THIS MOBILE CRAP ONCE I SAY NO

[Guest]

12 hours ago, Luke said:

Hi, this is going to be more related to the player we're embedding rather than one app vs. the other. They both embed the same player, but the TV app is a bit behind on updates. If we were to update it to the latest version, then they'd likely play identically. Anytime we update the player that we're embedding we get both the good and the bad that comes along with that.

Does that help?

I just started testing proper 4k playback on the android app w/shieldtv pro and right away im not happy at all.

Why is there buffering at the start of the playback?  The video plays for 2 seconds... than stops for 3 or 4 seconds and then continues again.  

It's embarrassing to have audio and video play...and than stop.... it looks and feels like garbage.  

This never happened on the androidTV app.  Not once.  Same files being played... Same hardware.... Same network.. years of experience now.

I still have the AndroidTV app install of course (never uninstalling it) and it plays the same files fine without the stutter at the start.. So that confirms it's purely the android app causing the issue and nothing else. 

Edited September 26, 2025 by embaaa

[Luke 42077]

For video stuttering, please try Emby for Android 3.5.25 and let us know how that compares:

https://emby.media/emby-for-android.html

Thanks.