A Native Android TV Remote for Your Home Assistant Dashboard

If you've ever fumbled for your phone just to pause a show or adjust the volume on your Android TV, this project is for you. The official Android TV remote app is great, but what if that control was always just a tap away, integrated directly into your Home Assistant dashboard? That's exactly what QuickBars delivers.

It brings a clean, native-feeling remote interface right into your HA frontend, eliminating the need to switch apps or dig through menus. It’s one of those simple quality-of-life improvements that makes your smart home setup feel a bit more polished and a lot more convenient.

What It Does

QuickBars is a custom Home Assistant dashboard card that provides a fully functional remote control interface for Android TV/Google TV devices. It replicates the core functions of the official remote—navigation, media playback, volume control, and shortcut buttons—but lives directly inside your Home Assistant instance. It communicates with your TV via the Android Debug Bridge (ADB), giving you direct control without any intermediary cloud services.

Why It's Cool

The clever part is in its simplicity and direct integration. Instead of relying on a separate app or a complex set of scripts, this card uses the existing androidtv integration in Home Assistant. This means it works with any Android TV device you already have set up in HA.

The UI is thoughtfully designed. It’s not just a bunch of generic buttons; it mimics the layout and feel of the actual remote, making it instantly familiar. The implementation is also lightweight and focused. It doesn’t try to be a full media center interface—it’s just a reliable remote, which is often exactly what you need when you’re already in your dashboard checking the lights or the thermostat.

How to Try It

Getting it running is straightforward if you already have an Android TV device connected to your Home Assistant via the androidtv integration.

1. Install via HACS (Recommended): The easiest way is to add https://github.com/Trooped/QuickBars as a custom repository in HACS (under "Frontend"), then install it.
2. Manual Install: You can clone the repository and copy the quickbars.js file into your config/www directory and manually add it as a resource in your HA configuration.
3. Add the Card: In your dashboard edit mode, add a "Manual" card and use the Lovelace YAML configuration. You'll need to point it to your Android TV entity. Check the GitHub repository for the full configuration example and options.

Final Thoughts

This is a perfect example of a utility project that solves a specific, common annoyance with an elegant solution. It’s the kind of thing you didn’t know you needed until you try it and then immediately wonder how you lived without it. For developers, it’s also a great reference for building clean, functional custom Lovelace cards. If you’ve got an Android TV and Home Assistant, it’s absolutely worth the few minutes it takes to set up.

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