In the middle of the night last week, my Nvidia Shield TV turned on by itself. I woke up, plugged off the TV, and went back to sleep. But a few days later, the TV again turned on without any input.
I went online and read through several user forums and finally figured out a way to stop my Nvidia Shield TV from turning on by itself. Turns out, it was a sideloaded app pushing notifications at random that made the TV turn ON.
This guide includes all the troubleshooting steps I learned during my research so that you can fix your Shield TV that turns ON randomly.
If your Nvidia Shield TV is turning on by itself, check if any of the buttons on your Shield TV remote are pressed down. Turn off the HDMI-CEC settings and disable sideloaded app notifications. You could also try clearing the cache and updating your Shield TV. Ultimately, factory resetting the Shield TV could also work.
Continue reading to find out other fixes that can stop a Shield TV from turning on by itself.
Shield TV Remote Issues

The Shield TV never really turns off unless you have plugged it off the socket.
That said, any input to the Shield TV may cause it to wake up. These inputs can come from any device/peripheral connected to it wirelessly or through a wired connection.
Any random button pushes or "ghost" commands from your remote or controller may cause the device to turn ON.
Check if any of the buttons on your remote are pressed down. If so, dislodge the button to its normal position.
Alternatively, you can remove the batteries and place the remote overnight at a distant place to check whether the remote is the culprit.
If so, you could reset the remote and pair it again to the device by following these steps.
1. Remove the batteries on the remote.
2. Press and hold the home and the Select (Dpad center) buttons and slide back the batteries into the remote.
3. Hold till an audible sound is heard or the LED is turned off.
4. Press and hold the Select button to turn back the remote to pairing mode.
5. Follow the onscreen instruction to pair your remote back successfully.
If you still can't fix the misgivings of the remote, try replacing it or contact the Customer Services of Shield.
Even if you are not using a physical remote to control the device, you may face issues with the Android TV remote on your phone.
Related: Best Remote for Nvidia Shield TV [2022]
Turn Off the HDMI-CEC Settings
One of the most advised fixes on the internet is to turn OFF the CEC (Customer Electronics Control) option on your TV or the Shield TV.
CEC is a feature on HDMI ports that enables two-way communication between devices connected to that port.
This enables certain features of either of the devices to be controlled by the same remote (TV or Shield TV).
And so, if you want to turn ON your TV you can use the Shield TV remote to do so.
However, it can be troublesome when you switch on another device connected to another port as this will cause your Shield TV to start up.
Issues with the HDMI are also a widely discussed problem among Nvidia Shield TV users.
The easiest fix is to turn OFF CEC on your TV at the expense of easy connectivity.
Depending on the TV you have, the nomenclature may differ for HDMI-CEC. Sony labels it as BRAVIA Sync and Samsung uses Easylink+.
Head on to the Settings Menu and search for HDMI-CEC settings and turn it OFF.
You can disable this feature on your Shield TV by following these steps.
1. On the Home screen, click and open Settings.

2. Select Device Preferences. Then click on Display & Sound.

3. Open the Power control option and you will find three options related to CEC.

4. Make sure they are turned OFF.
This will turn off CEC commands on your Shield TV.
Application-Specific Issues
Some users have suggested that sometimes they get a notification on their Shield TV when it wakes up randomly.
This made me curious because this was the very same problem that made my device wake up.
Push notifications from apps installed on your device will cause it to power ON without your command.
To check if your device has woken up from a push message or note, follow these steps first.
1. On the Settings screen, Click and open Device Preferences.

2. Then open About and click on Status.

3. Select Uptime to get details about the last power ON.
If the code reads something like Android (1000) it may be because of a normal command from a remote or an internal command from the system. Check the next section (Shield TV issues) for a possible solution.
If the reason for wake is something like a code Appboy v3.7.1.comAppboy.push.appboy, then it is because of a push notification from an app or some app-related issue.
Disable Sideloaded App Notifications
Sideloaded apps sometimes push notifications like advertisements and reminders that will cause the Shield TV to wake up.
The only plausible solution is to turn OFF the notification of the app or uninstall the application.
To disable the notifications on an app, follow these steps.
1. From the Settings Menu, click and open Apps.

2. Click on See all Apps.
3. Click and open the App(sideloaded app). Then click on Notification and disable it.
If you have several sideloaded apps, you will have to do it individually for all of them.
Clear the Cache and Uninstall
You should also try to clear the cache after you have disabled the notification on your Shield TV.
This will cause the app to work a little faster and get rid of wasted memory space.
To clear the cache, click on the Clear cache option within the App settings mentioned above.

Uninstalling any unwanted apps that may cause problems like push notifications is also highly advised.
Simply click on the Uninstall option on the App menu to do so.
Shield TV Issues

If you don't think the abrupt power ONs are due to a malfunctioning remote or if you don't want to turn OFF the CEC settings or you have no sideloaded apps that push notifications, you may want to take a look at your Shield TV.
Turns out that certain aspects of the Shield TV can also go cuckoo on you to make the device perform strangely at times.
It may be because of an update, or it could be a temporal bug that may go away after a quick reset.
Whatever may be the problem, here are some steps you should consider while troubleshooting the issue.
Update Your Shield TV
If you are running an older version of the firmware on your device, you are most likely susceptible to bugs and errant notifications that can cause your device to wake up from its repose.
A routine check for updates and making sure your device is up to date can make it a little safer from all the bugs out there.
To check for updates, follow these steps.
1. On the Home Screen, click and open Settings.
2. Then select Device Preferences.
3. Click on About.

4. Finally, click on System upgrade to manually scan and install any updates.

If you still get wake-up calls, try the next tip.
WiFi Settings
As I mentioned earlier, your Shield TV never really powers down unless unplugged. This means that any changes in the system will cause the device to wake up.
Your WiFi settings may be set up to connect to a network at any time irrespective of the power status.
This makes the Shield TV always on the lookout for available networks and it will wake up every time it finds one.
To deactivate the option, simply follow these steps.

1. On the Settings menu, click and open Network & Internet.
2. Toggle OFF the "scanning always available" option.
Power Cycle and Factory Reset

If at all you feel like something is wrong with your device, try a power cycle test on your device after you have done the basic troubleshooting steps like checking for updates and network issues.
Basically in a power cycle test, you unplug your device for a few seconds (min. 30) and plug it back in after the period.
This will remove any temporal bugs and errors that may cause your device to become slow or in our case, act weird.
Try this solution and if it doesn't help, try the next one down below.
When performing the Factory Reset on your device, you have to know that once initiated, a factory reset will erase all of your personal preferences and settings along with the apps you have installed on your device.
With that said, here is how you can reset your Shield TV.
1. On the Settings menu, click and open Device Preferences.
2. Click on Storage & Reset.
3. Then select Factory Data Reset.

4. Click on Factory Reset to confirm.

5. Select Erase everything to finalize the process.
After you have reset your device, you will have to set up your Shield TV again.
Other Fixes for Shield TV Turning on by Itself
Apart from the above-mentioned solutions and fixes, here are some tips you can try.
Turn OFF Google Assistant
It is pretty obvious that if you have your Shield TV remote nearby and you try to access the google assistant on another device, your remote will pick up the voice and turn your Shield TV ON(if the feature is ON).
To turn OFF the settings go to Settings> System> Disable "OK Google" when TV is off.
Shield TV Connected via AVR
If you have your Shield TV connected to the TV via an AVR, you might want to change the connection.
This is because, if CEC is enabled and you try to turn ON any of the devices connected to the AVR, your Shield TV might power ON too. Disabling the CEC setting is also advisable.
Check for Interference
If you have your setup coupled with another TV or a smart device and if you happen to use a universal remote like the harmony remote, you may get the Shield TV to wake up when you try to power ON another device.
Simply move your setup or other devices away at a distance from the Shield TV.
You May Also Enjoy Reading
- Shield TV Black Screen-How to Fix [2022]
- Shield TV Remote Not Working: How to Fix [2022]
- How To Change Screen Saver On Shield TV [2022]
- Nvidia Shield Internet Not Working: How To Fix [2022]
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do you need a 4K TV for the Nvidia Shield?
No, you don't necessarily need a 4K TV to work the Shield TV. All you need is a TV with an HDMI port. Nvidia Shield TV is capable of streaming content on resolutions from 720p up to 4K at 60Hz. You will need an HDMI 2b cable for streaming in 4K.
Does Nvidia Shield need a line of sight?
No, it doesn't need Line Of Sight to operate since the remote and the Shield TV are connected via Bluetooth and use RF(radio frequency) signals to operate. Hence, you can control your device from anywhere, even with obstacles in its path.
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