Unlock Your Android TV: 5 Essential Apps You Can't Live Without

Published Apr 14, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer from Ahmedabad, India. As a long-time Windows and Android user, he has extensive knowledge of both operating systems and specializes in creating how-tos and troubleshooting guides. 
 

Pankil has been writing about Windows, Android, and iOS since 2021. He has written over 1200 articles across reputable publications like MakeUseOf, GuidingTech, and TechWiser.
 

Outside of his writing endeavors, Pankil is an avid football fan and loves to plan his international travels with his wife in his free time.

Most Android TVs are usable out of the box. Essential apps come pre-installed, so you can start streaming without ever looking at the Play Store. But the real fun begins once you install third-party apps. These are what actually unlock the true potential of your Android TV.

Over the years, I’ve tried dozens of apps, and there are a few I simply can’t live without. These make my Android TV easier to navigate, let me remap my remote, and even allow me to manage everything right from my phone.

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Projectivy Launcher

Enjoy a cleaner home screen

The biggest problem with Android TV is its cluttered, ad-filled home screen. As soon as you turn it on, you’re met with giant banners pushing content from services you probably don’t even subscribe to. That’s why Projectivy Launcher is one of the first apps your TV needs.

It gives you a clean interface where you only see three things: your inputs, apps, and a "Continue Watching" section. And this launcher is all about customization. You can switch between a single row or a grid layout, change icons, and even hide apps. If there are too many apps installed, you can even arrange them into different groups, kind of like creating folders on your phone.

Beyond simplifying the home screen, Projectivy Launcher also lets you tweak the status bar, set up parental controls, and even sideload third-party apps directly. My favorite feature, though, is its ability to open an app on boot. I’ve set mine to open YouTube every time I turn on my TV.

Projectivy Launcher

Manage your TV from your phone

atvTools is one of those apps that can replace several single-purpose apps you’d otherwise need on your Android TV. You can use it to sideload apps, browse your TV's storage, and even mirror your phone screen. It also gives you a peek under the hood, so you can check your TV’s uptime, CPU and RAM usage, and internet speeds directly on your phone.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. You can clear cache to free up space, capture screenshots, run shell commands, and even use your phone as a remote. atvTools essentially lets you manage your Android TV from your Android or iPhone. Yes, some of these features are only available in the Pro version, but for a one-time fee of around $2, it feels like a no-brainer.

atvTools

ADB TV: App Manager

Get rid of the bloatware

Out of the box, your Android TV comes with a bunch of pre-installed apps from both Google and the manufacturer. And the problem is, you can’t disable or delete some of these. Sure, you could simply hide them and never think about them again, but those apps still take valuable storage space. And that’s a problem because most smart TVs don’t have much internal storage to begin with.

ADB TV is a free app that lets you remove bloatware from your TV without using a PC or complicated setup. It gives you a simple interface from where you can uninstall apps with a couple of taps. Even better, you can exclude system apps from the view so you don’t end up removing anything important.

ADB TV: App Manager

TV Bro

A browser that’s actually built for TV

Browsing on a smart TV isn’t exactly comfortable, mostly because you have to use a remote. TV Bro is a free, open-source app that’s designed specifically for that use case. Of course, it’s not quite the same as using a keyboard and mouse, but if that’s not an option, this comes surprisingly close.

TV Bro offers all the useful features you might expect from a browser, including bookmark support, voice search, and even a download manager. My favorite thing about it is the customizable shortcuts that let you jump to your favorite sites without typing every time. And there’s also a built-in ad blocker, which keeps pages looking clean.

TV Bro

tvQuickActions

Make every button useful

Your TV remote probably has buttons you never touch. It could be shortcuts to services you don’t subscribe to, or some manufacturer apps you forgot existed. tvQuickActions is a button mapper app that lets you put those buttons to good use. And you can set up each button to do different things depending on how you press it. A single press can do one thing, a double press something else, and a long press something completely different.

Yes, it costs $4, but it's worth it over any free alternative because of the flexibility it offers. You can bring up a custom dock for quick access to apps, jump into Bluetooth manager without digging through menus, or open the recent apps menu with an option to kill all apps.

All in all, tvQuickActions solves one of the biggest problems with using an Android TV, which is navigating the interface.

tvQuickActions

Your Android TV is far more flexible and capable than you give it credit for. But that hidden power only really shows if you install the right apps. Of course, these are just a few that I feel everyone must try. But there are also others that let you view your phone notifications, enhance speaker quality, and do a lot more.