Serious Discussion I tried ReVanced YouTube on an Android/Google TV

[rashmi]

I tried ReVanced YouTube on a Xiaomi TV. It worked well, settings and all, except for navigation in YouTube. I used the Bluetooth Remote smartphone app for navigating YouTube.

The Bluetooth Remote is an excellent open-source app; it is free, contains no ads, features a Material You design, includes a D-pad and touchpad, supports mouse and keyboard functionality, and has a "Gyroscope" setting that allows you to wave/tilt your phone to move the mouse cursor across your Android TV screen.

Bluetooth Remote - Apps on Google Play

Bluetooth remote control for Android TV.

play.google.com

BT Remote

An Android app that turns your smartphone into a Bluetooth remote for Android TV.

atharok.gitlab.io

 

[Bot]

I tried ReVanced YouTube on a Xiaomi TV. It worked well, settings and all, except for navigation in YouTube. I used the Bluetooth Remote smartphone app for navigating YouTube.

The Bluetooth Remote is an excellent open-source app; it is free, contains no ads, features a Material You design, includes a D-pad and touchpad, supports mouse and keyboard functionality, and has a "Gyroscope" setting that allows you to wave/tilt your phone to move the mouse cursor across your Android TV screen.

Bluetooth Remote - Apps on Google Play

Bluetooth remote control for Android TV.

play.google.com

BT Remote

An Android app that turns your smartphone into a Bluetooth remote for Android TV.

atharok.gitlab.io

That makes sense. ReVanced on Android TV devices can run, but navigation is often the weak point because the app is primarily designed around touch/mobile interactions rather than a TV-first interface.

What your result suggests

• If video playback, settings, and general app launch worked, then the build is at least partly compatible with your Xiaomi TV.
• If navigation was awkward and required a phone-based remote app, that usually points to an interface/input mismatch rather than a TV hardware problem.
• Using a Bluetooth mouse, touchpad, or phone remote is a practical workaround when an app does not fully support D-pad navigation.

About Bluetooth Remote

From what you described, it sounds useful as a workaround for Android TV input limitations, especially for apps that do not behave well with a standard TV remote.

Its main advantages in this use case are:

• D-pad input for basic TV navigation
• Touchpad/mouse mode for touch-oriented apps
• Keyboard input for search fields
• Gyroscope mouse control for cases where pointer movement is needed

That combination can make non-TV-optimized Android apps much more usable on a television.

A practical limitation to keep in mind

Even with a good remote app, it will not necessarily fix every UI problem in YouTube ReVanced on TV. Some screens or controls may still behave inconsistently if the app build itself is not designed for Android TV/Leanback navigation.

So in practice:

• The remote app can improve usability
• It cannot guarantee full compatibility

Security-minded note

I cannot verify the safety of any specific app or APK just from a description or link alone.

A cautious approach would be:

• Use the official Play Store listing when possible
• Review the project page and permissions carefully
• Check the app on VirusTotal if you install it from outside the Play Store
• Prefer open-source projects with transparent code and active maintenance

Bottom line

Your experience is consistent with how touch-first Android apps often behave on TVs. Bluetooth Remote sounds like a practical input workaround, but the navigation issue is most likely a limitation of using ReVanced YouTube on a TV rather than a fault with the remote app itself.

 

[stonjean633]

I used reVanced few years ago. Now I moved to to NewPipe. i can say it's a much better experience.

 

[Vitali Ortzi]

Smart tube is for Android tv

 

[Nightwalker]

Smart tube is for Android tv

That one is pretty good, TizenTube Cobalt is another option.

GitHub - reisxd/TizenTubeCobalt: Experience TizenTube on other devices that are not Tizen.

Experience TizenTube on other devices that are not Tizen. - reisxd/TizenTubeCobalt

github.com

 

[rashmi]

TizenTube Cobalt is another option.

Thank you, bro, for suggesting TizenTubeCobalt. It works exceptionally, keeping the YouTube interface and settings while adding TizenTubeCobalt settings for blocking ads, hiding features, and more. I replaced SmartTube with TizenTubeCobalt.

 

[Brahman]

I tried ReVanced YouTube on a Xiaomi TV. It worked well, settings and all, except for navigation in YouTube. I used the Bluetooth Remote smartphone app for navigating YouTube.

The Bluetooth Remote is an excellent open-source app; it is free, contains no ads, features a Material You design, includes a D-pad and touchpad, supports mouse and keyboard functionality, and has a "Gyroscope" setting that allows you to wave/tilt your phone to move the mouse cursor across your Android TV screen.

Bluetooth Remote - Apps on Google Play

Bluetooth remote control for Android TV.

play.google.com

BT Remote

An Android app that turns your smartphone into a Bluetooth remote for Android TV.

atharok.gitlab.io

Revanced is outdated. Try Morphe, much better interface and stability, and you can patch the latest YouTube app.

 

[Marko :)]

I rooted my LG webOS TV and installed YouTube AdFree from Homebrew.

 

[Vitali Ortzi]

Revanced is outdated. Try Morphe, much better interface and stability, and you can patch the latest YouTube app.

If someone doesn't want to patch or compile a binary then there are ones that are ready to install for morphe

GitHub - sixstrings/morphe-builder: A Magisk/KernelSU module builder for Morphe modules and apks. Updated several times daily.

A Magisk/KernelSU module builder for Morphe modules and apks. Updated several times daily. - sixstrings/morphe-builder

github.com

 

[rashmi]

Revanced is outdated. Try Morphe, much better interface and stability, and you can patch the latest YouTube app.

ReVanced has been working wonderfully for me. I previously tried Morphe, but some settings didn't work as expected. For example, promotional ads occasionally appeared, and certain videos only played audio. I believe the issue was because of the default "Reel" mode that Morphe uses, which differs from ReVanced "VR" mode. I plan to try Morphe again.