Google TV streamer is integrated into numerous television brands like Hisense, Sony, and TCL. It boasts many appealing features, including an extensive collection of apps and games, a remarkable recommendation system, Google Assistant (which is gradually being replaced by Gemini AI), and support for user profiles. Moreover, it allows control of selected smart home devices or the ability to watch live TV channels using Google TV Freeplay.
While the default Google TV experience is impressive, you can greatly improve and customize it by utilizing the various apps found in the Google Play Store. You can set up a new launcher to modify the home screen appearance, stream games from your computer, surf the internet, listen to podcasts, and much more. However, the vast selection available can be daunting. Thus, we have curated a list of the most beneficial Google TV apps to help you begin.
LocalSend is arguably one of the most valuable Android applications. It’s a must-have app for your Android device, and you’ll be pleased to know it functions on the Google TV OS as well. This open-source app allows you to transfer files, folders, and text between devices effortlessly. With its compatibility across all major platforms, you can utilize almost any mobile device or computer to share files with your TV. Most importantly, it operates through your Wi-Fi network for transfers, ensuring your data isn’t stored on external servers.
There is no need to upload to the cloud, and you don’t require an active internet connection for LocalSend to function. It has a simple prerequisite: both sending and receiving devices must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. That’s all. The app’s interface is user-friendly, and no complicated setup is needed to get it up and running. Just download LocalSend from the Google Play Store on your Google TV to start sending and receiving files. This is particularly beneficial for sideloading apps and games via APK files.
The home screen of Google TV is quite user-friendly and attractive; however, if you are not impressed with the recommendations or the ads are becoming bothersome, it’s time to switch the launcher. Although Google TV does not offer a wide range of third-party launchers, Projectivy Launcher serves as an excellent alternative for the home screen. It is an ad-free, customizable launcher that allows you to tailor your TV’s home screen to suit your visual tastes and operational preferences.
Projectivy Launcher offers features like personalized layouts, dynamic wallpapers, custom icons, parental controls, quick access to input sources, adaptive colors, and much more. More importantly, it integrates smoothly and provides an outstanding experience without significant issues. It’s also available for free; however, some features, such as custom wallpapers, might require a purchase.
