How to Install Google TV UI on Android TV – Guide
Android TV got its most significant interface update in years with the arrival of Chromecast with Google TV. However, you can get the new UI for your older Android TV streaming device right away if you don’t want to wait. In the coming years, Android TV devices will be gradually upgraded to the new “Google TV” interface. The most impressive thing is, of course, the revised home screen. In addition to the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, Google also announced a new Chromecast after a gap of nearly two years. The highlight of this Chromecast is that it comes with a new TV UI called Google TV. It’s not just an improved user interface, it’s an overhaul of the Android TV operating system.
Google has announced that it will transition from Android TV to Google TV within the next two years. In addition to the elegant user interface and modern design language, Google has added many new features that will bring IoT products and your smartphone closer to the big screen. So if you’re excited to try out the new Google TV interface, you don’t have to wait that long.
Install Google TV on Android TV
Once you have downloaded the two APKs, open them and install them. Now, open the app and sign in with your account information. You will see a new screen that looks like this: Now, click on the “Create a new account” button on the left-hand side of the screen. On the next screen, enter your name and email address. You will then be asked to choose a password. You can choose any password you want, but we recommend using a strong one that you can remember for future use. Once you have chosen your password, click on the “Create account” button on the left-hand side of the screen. The next screen will look like this: Now, enter your phone number in the text field and click on “Submit.”
Solid Explorer is a free app that you can install on your Android TV from the Play Store. No need to sideload this app.
After that, open your Android TV’s Settings page and go to Device Preferences -> Security & Restrictions -> Unknown Sources -> Enable the toggle for “Solid Explorer”.
Once that’s done, transfer the two APKs to your Android TV. You can also use the SFTV app (free, offers in-app purchases) to transfer files smoothly or simply use a flash drive to move files around.
After moving the two APK files to your Android TV, open Solid Explorer and locate the two APKs. ..
Google App is a free app that lets you access your Google account and manage your Google services. ..
To use the Google TV app, first install the Google TV app. Then, open it and sign in with your Google account.
Open the Play Store on your Android TV and install the Home Screen Launcher for Android TV.
After installation, open the Home Screen launcher for Android TV app. It will instantly detect the new Google TV UI LauncherX. ..
If you’re an Android TV owner, you can upgrade to the new Google TV interface by opening the box and following the on-screen instructions. Everything works fine, including the new Google Assistant, personalized recommendations, content from multiple apps fully integrated in one place, synced watchlist, and more. Keep in mind that on first run it will take some time to process the new UI. ..
You can now open the “Home Screen Launcher App for Android TV” (abbreviated Home) and it will directly open Google TV. If you want to set the new Google TV as your default launcher on Android TV, you will need to do something else first.
Set Google TV as your default launcher on Android TV
If you find the experience satisfactory on Google TV and everything works for you, you can permanently migrate to Google TV from Android TV right now. You will have to run some ADB commands through a computer to uninstall the default launcher. After that, Google TV will automatically become the default launcher for your Android TV. Don’t worry, we also mentioned a command to restore the original launcher. So here’s How to do that:
Open your Android TV’s Settings and select Network & Internet. Write down the IP address of your WiFi network. You will need this later.
Scroll down to the Build menu on your Android TV and enable Developer Options. This will allow you to change various settings related to your device, including how it builds software.
Developer Options is a dialog box that you can open to change how your device behaves. In this dialog box, you can change how your device responds to touch, pressure, and other input.
To enable USB debugging on your Android device, first scroll down to the bottom of this page and toggle the “USB Debugging” switch. ..
Now install the Android Debug Bridge (ADB) on your computer. This will allow you to connect to your Android device and run commands from there.
android tv connect ipaddress
Your Android TV will warn you that it can’t find your network. Enable the “Always allow…” checkbox and click “OK” button.
If everything is working properly, you will be connected to the IP address in Terminal. You can also run the adb devices command to check if your computer is connected to your Android TV. ..
To uninstall the Android TV default launcher, run the following command: adb uninstall com.android.tv/default/ ..
Remove the Google TV Launcher from the user’s device.
If you have a new Google TV, the first time you power it on, the Google TV user interface will be displayed. If it does not appear, restart your TV and this time you will boot right into the new Google TV user interface. ..
If you are experiencing any failure, you can go back to the action launcher by running the command below. Make sure you are wirelessly connected to your Android TV. Keep in mind that after every restart, you need to repeat step 6 to establish the connection.
Installing an existing package from the Google Play Store. ..
Final note
Google TV is a great platform for streaming your favorite shows and movies. However, the user interface can be a bit confusing. This guide will show you how to install the Google TV UI on your Android TV device. If you have any questions, feel free to ask us in the comments section below. ..
