Along with the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, Google has 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. This is not only an improved user interface, but also an overhaul of the Android TV operating system. Google has announced that it will migrate Android TV to Google TV in the next two years.
Obviously, besides the slick 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 experience the new Google TV UI, you shouldn’t have to wait that long. In this article, we provide you with a detailed guide on how to install Google TV on Android TV right away. On that note, let’s move on to the steps.
Get Google TV on Android TV in Any Region Including India
Before continuing, keep in mind, Android TV must be running Android 9 or on. You can check the OS details in Settings -> Device Preferences -> About -> Version. After confirming the OS requirement, you can proceed.
For convenience, we have mentioned all the sections below so that you can navigate to the different sections of the article without any problems. We have also included a small guide on how to install Google TV on Android TV for users in India.
Downloads
- Google App for Android TV (Version 5.3.0.331218010 or later)
- Google TV APK (Also called LauncherX)
Install Google TV on Android TV
1. First of all, what you need to do download both APKs From the above link on your smartphone or computer.
2. Next, Install Solid Explorer (Free, offers in-app purchases) on your Android TV from the Play Store. The app is available on Android TV’s Play Store. No need to sideload this app.
3. After that, open the Settings page of your Android TV and go to Device Preferences -> Security & Restrictions ->. Unknown sources -> Enable toggle for “Solid Explorer”.
4. After doing this, now transfer both APKs (Google App and Google TV) to your Android TV. We wrote a detailed guide on how to stream and sideload apps on Android TV, so check this out. You can also use the SFTV app (Freeoffers in-app purchases) to seamlessly transfer files or use a flash drive to move files.
5. After moving both APK files to your Android TV, open Solid Explorer and find both APKs.
6. Now, Click on Google App and install it.
Repeat the same process for 7. Google TV app and install it.
8. Now open Play Store on your Android TV and Install Home Screen Launcher for Android TV (Free).
9. After installation, open Home Screen Launcher app for Android TV. It will instantly detect”LauncherX” is actually the launcher of the new Google TV UI.
10. Turn it on and you have the brand new Google TV running on your Android TV. Everything works fine, including the new Google Assistant, personalized recommendations, content from multiple apps tightly integrated in one place, synchronized Watchlist and more. Note that the new UI will take some time to process on first run.
Note: Click the image below to open the slide show.
11. From now on, you will just have to open the “Home Screen Launcher for Android TV” app (it’s called home for short) and it will open Google TV directly. If you want to set the new Google TV as your default launcher on Android TV, follow the guide mentioned in the last section of this guide.
Run Google TV on Android TV in India
While the above installation process for Google TV is the same for India and other unsupported regions, there is an annoying problem. Right now, you will not receive personalized cards and since then smart suggestions on the home screen Google TV only available in the US with new Chromecast.
The obvious solution is to use a VPN and connect the TV to a US server. Once connected, Google TV works fine. For example, I used Windscribe VPN From Android TV’s Play Store and home screen brought back to life.
Remember, with this setup both local and US-based results. In addition, using a VPN for the new Google TV UI is cumbersome and certainly not a permanent solution. However, the silver lining is that Google will bring the new Chromecast to other regions by the end of this year.
So, if the next-gen Chromecast has officially launched in India, you won’t need to use a VPN to experience Google TV. And the best part is, even if your TV manufacturer chooses not to bring the Google TV update, this solution will still work and without any problems. So, for now, you can taste what the new Google TV UI feels like via a VPN and wait for the official Chromecast launch.
Set Google TV as Your Default Launcher on Android TV
If you find the experience on Google TV satisfactory and everything works out for you, you can permanently switch from Android TV to Google TV right now. you will have to execute some ADB commands via a computer to remove the default launcher.
After that, Google TV will automatically become the default launcher on your Android TV. Don’t worry, we also mentioned a command. restore original launcher. Here’s how you can do that.
Note: Here we will deal with system applications and ADB commands. So only go ahead if you have the required expertise. Especially during this pandemic period, we do not want the TV to be broken in the homes of the users.
1. On your Android TV, open Settings -> Network & Internet -> your WiFi network. Make Note of IP Address. You will need it later.
2. Next, proceed to the Settings -> Device Preferences -> About -> Build menu. Now, Click the “Make” menu 7-8 times Continuously. It will enable Developer Options on your Android TV.
3. Now go back to Device Preferences and scroll down. You will find “Developer Options“Open it.
4. Here, scroll down a bit and click “USB debugging“.
5. Now move it to your computer and install ADB. No matter you have a Windows PC, Mac, Chromebook or Linux machine, you can install ADB by following our detailed guide.
6. After doing that, run the command below to connect to your Android TV wirelessly. Here, relocate ipaddress with real address that you noted in step 1
adb connect ipaddress
7. You will get a prompt on your Android TV. Enable the “Always allow…” checkbox and then click “OK” button.
8. If all is well, then connected to ipaddress Reply in terminal. You can also run adb devices to command check if your computer is connected to your Android TV.
note: If you are not connected, repeat the process from step 6.
9. Now that you are connected wirelessly, run the following command. remove the default Android TV launcher. Make sure you have already installed Google TV before running the command below.
adb shell pm uninstall –user 0 com.google.android.tvlauncher
10. When you do this, in a few seconds, Google TV UI will reveal itself on the screen. If that doesn’t happen, restart your TV and this time you’ll boot directly into the new Google TV UI.
11. If you encounter any problems, back to stock launcher by running the following command. Make sure you are wirelessly connected to your Android TV. Note that you have to repeat step 6 to establish the connection after each reboot.
adb shell cmd package install-existing com.google.android.tvlauncher
Google TV: First Impression
Since I’m running Google TV in India, I didn’t get the full experience on first run. So I connected my Android TV to a VPN and Google TV installed without any problems. personalized recommendations carefully organized it worked flawlessly from multiple streaming services and Google Assistant.
I also added movies to my watchlist from my smartphone browser and it instantly appeared on Google TV. That’s not all, it gives you quick links to watch the movie via an available streaming service. Overall, Google TV worked like a charm. On the top of it, UI feels very smooth on Pixel devices like Android. Animations and transitions are really well done as expected from Google.
What didn’t work for me were notifications I assume it needs solid framework support from the OS. Since I’m running Google TV on top of the Android TV operating system, it’s not as tightly integrated as the new Chromecast. Maybe we just have to wait for the TV manufacturer’s official update for this sort of thing to work.
Even though Google says it will take 2 years for the transition to happen, I’d say the switch from Android TV to Google TV is a welcome change. Still, I absolutely love the new UI it’s built on. modern design language on a par with the Android operating system for smartphones.
Enjoy New Google TV on Android TV Right Now
This is how you can install Google TV on Android TV right now. If you’re considering keeping Google TV as a separate launcher, I’d say the installation process is pretty straightforward. However, if you have the expertise (and you’re outside the US), go ahead and replace your Android TV permanently with Google TV right now.
The above method will work on all Android TVs including Mi TV, OnePlus TV, Sony TV, LG Smart TV and more. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you’re sticking with Android TV, find our list of great Android TV tips and tricks in the linked article. And leave a comment below in case you run into any issues. We will definitely try to help you.
