Google TV debuted on the new Chromecast this week, and although it isn’t single A home screen replacement, the biggest Android TV changes are evident there. If you prefer the new style, here we show you how to get the Google TV home screen on Android TV device.
As we noted yesterday, downloading the Google TV launcher APK on an Android TV device does nothing, but with a little effort, you can get things up and running. Specifically, as noted on Reddit, you will need to disable the built-in Android TV launcher for the new Google TV home screen to replace it.
Note: 9to5Google is not responsible for any data loss or errors you may face. Proceed with caution. We only recommend this process for those who are familiar with Android ADB commands.
First, you will need the APK of “Google TV Home”. There are a number of ways to download this, but one of the easiest methods I’ve relied on is a simple app called “Cast Files to TV” to transfer and then use FX File Explorer to install.
At this point, you will need to install a computer with ADB support.
Go to your Android TV device and search Device Preferences in the Settings menu. Under About, scroll down to Build version and press it repeatedly until Developer Options is enabled. At that point, go back to the Device Preferences menu and open Developer options. So, you will need to enable both USB debugging Y Network debugging. Then, go back to the Settings menu, go to Device Preferences, About, and then click State to get your IP address.
Now, we are ready to run some commands.
First, we will need to connect to the device using “adb connect” and the IP address. Once you run this command, you will probably be asked on your Android TV to allow your computer to connect.
- Note: You may need to add “: 5555” for this to work
- adb connect [insert IP address]
Once you’re connected and ready, we can disable the action launcher. Make sure the new Google TV Home Screen Launcher is already installed right now!
- uninstall adb shell pm –user 0 com.google.android.tvlauncher
At this point, the Google TV home screen should be available. If you need to go back to the Android TV home screen, run the adjacent command. This will remove the Android TV home screen preferences, but will prevent Google TV Home from taking over.
- adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.tvlauncher
However, it should be noted that switching to this new home screen is not flawless. Several aspects of the experience are broken, especially the search. Still, the main experience works similar to how it does on Chromecast. You can access your apps and your watchlist, and the new home screen can even be successfully pulled from your Play Movies library. Google TV is also technically US exclusive, so you probably have home screen issues on other devices.
Also, it is important to remember that Google TV is not just a new home screen. There are more important changes to the operating system as a whole that a fast launcher swap will not replicate on older hardware. However, most of the devices are expected to be updated.
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