Totally agree with the above! Honestly, those cheap remotes are a total headache for Sony OS stuff. I'm still kinda new to this but I've found you gotta be careful with signal reliability... it can be risky for your setup. I would suggest hunting for a Logitech Harmony Companion All-in-One Home Entertainment Remote Control if you can still find one. It’s basically the only thing I've seen that maps the Google TV home button and Action Menu properly. Just make sure to position the hub correctly so you don't lose the Sync Menu mapping!! gl!!

Honestly its just ridiculous how hard it is to get a reliable setup these days. You spend a fortune on a high-end Sony BRAVIA XR X90L and you are still stuck juggling plastic controllers like its 2005. It drives me crazy that these companies make it so difficult to map basic OS functions to third-party hardware... its like they want us to suffer through their clunky interfaces. Quality is totally going downhill while prices skyrocket and honestly its such a scam that we have to deal with these smart features that barely work with standard protocols. The reliability just isnt there anymore because manufacturers are too busy pushing their own proprietary garbage instead of making things that actually talk to each other. It makes me so mad that something as simple as a menu button becomes a technical hurdle because of poor software implementation. Its a total mess and it feels like no one cares about the enthusiast experience anymore. Basically we are paying more for less functionality and it sucks.

In my experience, i feel u!! honestly i was in the exact same boat with my bravia xr and it drove me NUTS trying to get everything synced up. i tried every cheap "all-in-one" off amazon but they always failed on the sync menu and action buttons. lol. WARNING: definitely stay away from basic IR-only remotes!! they literally cant handle the complex commands needed for the sony menus cuz those functions often rely on bluetooth or specific hdmi-cec handshakes that cheap chips just dont support. youll just end up frustrated when the google tv home button doesnt respond correctly... i've been there and it's a total mess. i eventually switched to a smart hub-based remote system from a big name brand, and it was AMAZING!! it handles the os perfectly because it connects via bluetooth. basically it mimics the original sony remote's data protocol instead of just blasting light at the tv. lesson learned: definitely invest in a hub-based remote if ur looking for those deep features to work smoothly. gl! 👍

Sony shortcuts rely on HDMI-CEC handshakes. I tried a cheap remote once and it failed those mappings, including on the SofaBaton U2 Universal Remote Control. Before I suggest anything, can you clarify what soundbar you're using?? You gotta be careful not to waste money on another dud!!

Late to the party but honestly, if you want to save some cash and stay away from the crazy expensive or discontinued stuff, I'd check out the One For All Smart Control 5 Universal Remote Control. I've compared it to the cheap generic knockoffs and the build quality is night and day. It handles Sony discrete codes way better, and you can usually map those specific Action Menu functions if you use their setup app. Another budget move is just getting a Sideclick Universal Remote Attachment for Apple TV. Since you're already using an Apple TV, it just clips onto that remote. You can program the extra buttons to handle your Sony's power, input, and maybe one menu shortcut. It's way cheaper than a full hub system and keeps the setup super slim. Basically, dont feel like you have to spend 200 bucks to get a decent experience. One For All is kind of the unsung hero for Sony setups imo.