Am I the only one whose remote batteries have to be replaced daily? I preordered my 4k Max and I love it! I even got an OTG cable, UGREEN USB 3.0 hub with a built-in ethernet adapter, along with a SanDisk 256GB Ultra 3.0 flash drive, and an external AC power supply for the hub even though I knew that it shouldn’t be necessary and 20W power supply and heavy duty power cable all just for overkill. I received my 4k Max on the release date, Oct 7th and used Troy’s procedure to utilize the Remote ADB Shell side loaded app to split my 256GB flash drive 50/50 for added on internal/external storage and everything worked beautifully. Although I will say that I opted to go back to wireless (WiFi) after a few speed tests between wired and wireless. I know that sometimes, due to WiFi latency, a slower wired connection can still be more stable than a faster WiFi connection, but that was not true for me in this case after a few days of use in each configuration.
Anyway, back to the point. By the next morning, my remote was unresponsive. I had also installed and configured the Wolf launcher and Launcher manager apps via the Troypoint app’s Rapid App Installer, so I thought that maybe my 4k Max had frozen up. I unplugged it and plugged it back in to reboot it and wake it up and still found that my remote was unresponsive. So I replaced the batteries and it started working again. I wondered if it was some kind of fluke thing or if maybe there had be a stuck depressed button and I somehow just didn’t realize it. But it was working again now so I just went on business as usual. Until the next day when the same thing happened again. I was thinking that there’s no way that my batteries had died again that quickly. Well I probably own 8-10 different variants of the Firestick in all, so I had a few extra remotes on hand. I used the Fire TV remote app to go into the settings and add one of my extra, previous generation remotes to my 4k Max. I even have an NVIDIA Shield TV 4K stick that I retired over a year ago because I actually prefer the Firestick 4k over it. And I had been using a Chromecast with Google TV on my primary/living room TV until I received my 4k Max. I replaced the batteries one more time, deleted and re-added the remote hoping that maybe I’d be prompted for a firmware update, which I was not. However, I do remember getting a remote control firmware upgrade prompt upon initial setup, which I allowed to install and complete.
So it’s been on my to do list to call Amazon and inquire about the remote and to see if I could just get a replacement remote.
So when I called them they actually told me that this was a, “known”, issue that quite a few 4k Max owners have reported and that their technicians are working on a resolution for it. Will that be hardware (new remote) or another firmware update? Who knows. But they placed me on hold to check into sending me a new remote. And when she came back she first told me that they were sending me a replacement remote, but after another hold, told me that they were sending me a whole replacement 4k Max, obviously remote included, and that I don’t have to send back my original one. So, I’m basically going to end up with a second 4k Max, but only 1 with the newest generation of remote. Unless I misunderstood the Indian woman I was speaking with. So no one can say that Amazon’s customer service isn’t good, at least with respect to this.
So if, like me, you got a bum remote, don’t hesitate or put off calling them. At the end of the day, I wasn’t looking for or hoping for anything that I didn’t pay for, but hey, I’ll take it! And if the fix ends up being firmware related I’ll be able to get my original 4k Max remote working correctly again too.
I intentionally delayed posting this and calling Amazon waiting to see if anyone else was going to post about this to see if it’s a known issue or if it was a fluke for me. Especially after seeing the post titled, “Did I get A Bum 4K Max?” But after calling and hearing Amazon state that this is a known issue I thought I’d post to help out the community.
Sorry for the over the top long post and details, but I’m very OCD and detail oriented. So at least no one should have to ask any questions in regards to me not being detailed enough! Lol😅. But that’s part of what I love about Troypoint. He’s next level OCD and informative on all of his posts and leaves out no details, no matter how minute.
