We bring you the best Android TV apps list so that you can get the most out of your device. It does not matter if you have a Mi Box TV or Smart TV,
Looking for the best Android TV
apps list? Keep reading, you are in the perfect place.
Android TV is gaining so much
popularity around the world and android TV OS is present in plenty of
households either on their Smart TVs or on an Android TV-based device like the
famous Mi TV Box or Mi TV
Stick from Xiaomi. So, it is quite legitimate to want
to take full advantage of all the functionalities of these devices. But how to?
It is of little use to have a
television with Android TV at home - or connected to a TV Box - if you do not
install apps that help you get the most out of it.
Clear examples are Netflix,
Spotify, YouTube, Twitch, Google Chrome, or Google Drive, apps that we all know
and that you can also install on your Android TV device.
In addition to these popular
applications, on your Android TV device, you can also take advantage of the
functions of other free apps that we will talk about below.
We bring you the best Android TV
apps list so that you can get the most out of your player. It does not matter
if you have a Mi Box TV or another device or Smart TV, as long as it runs an
Android TV OS, these applications will help you to be more informed and entertained.
The best Android TV apps list for your Device
First, you will discover a list
of Must-have apps that should be installed on your Android TV to get you
started, then you will find a broad list of apps arranged by categories. Most
of these apps are already available in the Android TV app store.
Must-have Android TV apps list
For you to explore the full
potential of an Android TV-based device like Mi TV Stick, several must-have
apps must be installed. These are handy apps that would make your experience on
an Android TV device smoother and allow you to carry out a set of tasks easily
and effectively. And this is exactly what the first part of this article is
going to be about. So, let's get to business
Button Mapper
Most Android TV media boxes or TV
Sticks come with fairly compact remotes but a lot of smart TVs come with a
remote with a lot of buttons and if you are using just the Android TV platform
most of these buttons are useless and that's why the Button Mapper is so
useful.
As its name suggests, the app
allows you to map and configure function for the buttons of your Smarts TV
remote. This way, you can add extra possibilities to the ones that come
standard which broadens the horizon of customization and speeds up when taking
shortcuts. Simply install it and access its configuration to select new uses
for the buttons. In general, there are no limitations in the style of the
hardware (physical buttons, capacitive ...) or in the elements that can be
mapped.
We can map the Home buttons, the
two volume buttons, the one for recent applications, and the back button. Each
one allows us to customize it for one press, two, and long press. You can also
convert a button into an opposite one, get it to launch a specific application,
turn off the screen, fire the shutdown menu, advance or rewind songs, raise or
lower the brightness ... The number of available functions is quite high.
As is logical, we should not
change the simple way of pressing since the buttons have to exercise their
primary function, although nothing prevents us from giving them the behavior we
want.
I liked Button Mapper. Simple to
use, easy to add actions, with a lot of options included and without excessive
limitations even in the free version. A very good option for those of us who
want to go back and forth in music playback by pressing the volume buttons as
well as having access to new ways to map the rest of the buttons.
Button Mapper is free and is
already available in the Android TV app store.
TVUsage app
TVUsage is a digital well-being
app for Android TV. A complete application that allows you to easily know all
the viewing and usage statistics of the Android TV apps. But that's not all,
since it also allows you to block applications with a PIN, either because you
don't want your child to see it, or because someone at home abused the time.
Anyway, a fairly simple parental control system...
One of the things that I liked
the most about TVUsage is that it integrates very well with the Android TV
menus, and navigation with the remote control. All the options are easy to
locate, and although the application is in English only, it is very intuitive
and this does not cause any problems. Besides, it has no advertising of any
kind.
Note, the app shows you the usage
details for free but if you want to put limits or lock an app you will have to
make a one-time purchase. To know more about this app just follow this
link.
Send files to TV
Both Android TV and Android have
the same code yet there is no way to send files between them which is strange.
Anyway, the app a lot of people use and I use personally to send files, mostly
APKs, from my Android Smartphone to the Android TV is send files to TV
It is a super simple app. All you
need is your phone and a TV connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Select the
file, Select Send on the phone and Receive on the TV and that's it the file
will be sent
Note that this works fine on the
smaller files but I did notice that it kind of slows down at times with larger
files. But still, for APKs and other small files, this is a very good one. See
how to send
files from android mobile to Mi TV Stick
TV Bro
Like most Android TV users, I
used to use the Puffin browser in the past and it was great until they started
a subscription service to use the browser without any time limit. Yup, a
subscription to use the browser
Anyway, I was looking for another
browser and that's when I came across TVBro, a simple web browser optimized to
use with a TV remote. I find the UI not to be so intuitive at first but once I
got used to it I liked the whole feature set and the browser.
First of all, let me make it
clear that I like the name TVBro. Second, it loads up all the websites I use
very well and it's very fast and smooth, something very important. Plus,
navigating the web pages or accessing different menus is responsive to the DVD
mode which is again very important.
As for the features, it has a
download manager, voice thread support and it is open source meaning you can
use the service and pay nothing. So, this is one of best Android TV apps to
browse the net.
Find out more about TV
Bro Browser Features
FX File manager
A file manager app is absolutely
a must-have for any Android TV because you need to access files like APKs and
local files etc…
There are a lot of file managers
available for Android TV but my favorite and the best file manager app for
Android TV is FX File manager
Well, there are many reasons why
I believe so. First, the UI looks clean and navigation is very smooth. Most of
its features from its phone version are available for the Android TV version.
There is support for multiple windows with a split-screen view so you can move
files between different folders easily. There is also a built-in video player,
music player, image viewer, text viewer, and editor. It also supports creating
and packing archives such as zip and rar. So it has all features and its free
version has no ads, no privacy issues, and all the important features needed.
So yeah, it's got to be perfect for most people
Aptoide TV
You may have noticed that play
store for android TV has a lot of popular apps but it is still pretty limited,
and sideloading Android TV apps is still a little bit of a hassle and this is
where alternative app stores come to play.
See in details how
to install any APK file on Android TV / Xiaomi Mi TV stick
In case you didn't know, Aptoide
has an Android Smart TV (and Android set-top box) version called Aptoide TV.
Aptoide TV brings you an app
store that offers content with a rich user experience, optimized for the larger
screen devices, such as high-definition televisions. Yep, it means that you can
use Aptoide not only on your mobile devices but also from the comfort of your
couch
Aptoide TV is the Android TV app
store you need on your device because this TV aimed version has all the Android
TV apps you may think of. So make sure you check it out
Nebula manager
By default, the Android TV
manager does not show sideloaded apps in the apps list. So we have to use apps
like sideload launcher to access these apps or dig deeper into the system
settings, which is annoying.
Well, what if there is an app
that can get these apps on the default Android TV launcher.
It's called Nebula manager and it
does a good job. It's very simple. Just open up the app and it will show you
all the third-party apps
All you need to do is select the
apps you want to see in the app drawer. From the app drawer, you can even add
them to the home screen. Yes, It's a very simple app but very useful if you
sideload a lot of apps
Background apps and
process list
What I don't like about android
TVs is that there is no way to switch between different apps or see the apps
running in the background.
Sure, some TVs allow that but
most Android TVs don't have this functionality
For the latter, the ability to
see background apps is fixed by an app called background apps and process list
So this is again a very easy to
use app that shows you all the apps running in the background. The UI seems
kind of basic but it gets the job done
Anyway, this app allows you to
see all running apps in the background and kill them right there. The process
to key labs is not the most intuitive because even when you use the close all
button it opens up the app info page for each app. So you have to go through
them all one by one and press force stop for every single app. It's kind of
annoying process but you can kill only the apps you are not using for the time
being.
Overall, it's not the best
solution to kill apps in the background but at least it is a solution. So check
it out
[Download
Background apps and process list]
Best Android TV apps by category
Launcher apps
We have been trying and testing
so many Launchers for android TV-based devices that are available in the play
store and we have come up with a list of the best Launcher apps for android TV
that are worth your attention. These apps can do the job to significantly
enhance your experience on any Android TV device.
Square Home Launcher
One of the most curious launchers
that you can use to change the visual appearance of your Android TV or Android
box is Square Home. It offers a fully customizable desktop, with different
sizes for icons, colors, shading, widgets, customizable wallpapers, and more.
The interface is of the Metro UI type, which is known to appear in the most
recent versions of Windows.
[Download
Square Home Launcher]
Sideload Launcher
Sideload Launcher comes with a
very, very useful function for your Android TV device. It does allow you to
load all those apps that do not appear on the Home of our Android TV because
they are not completely compatible.
This is especially important
because Sideload Launcher is not just a launcher. It allows us to see and use
all those applications both in APK and in the Play Store. That does not mean
that they work, but we can already try them, and for some, even use them.
TV Home Launcher
An easy to use as well as a
functional launcher with a very similar design to that of the WebOS and TizenOS
interfaces that we see on Samsung and LG Smart TVs. Therefore, for those who
want to emulate the experience of a smartTV on their Android multimedia box, TV
Home Launcher is a perfect choice.
With this launcher the applications are shown in a single line in the bottom area of the screen, giving a clean and elegant touch to the user interface. To navigate we simply have to move left and right with the remote control and the wallpaper is customizable.
Find more Launcher apps for Android TV
Browser Apps
With the absence of a built-in
browser in your Android TV device and with the need to use one, you might feel
confused about where to start.
The number of web browser Android TV apps is not very
high at least when talking about the official play store, but this is not the
only way to find the best browser for you.
To make things easy for you, we
have already tested many available browser apps for android TV and come up with
the best.
Puffin TV - Fast Web
Browser
Puffin TV browser is a special
edition of Puffin Web Browser optimized for the Android TV. It is the best web
browser that you can find by searching the Android TV Google Play Store. It is
perfectly adapted to use with the TV remote control, it has favorites, the
content loads normally and most of the elements are reproduced correctly on the
screen.
TV Bro
TV Bro, one of the best apps you
can have on your Android TV, is an open-source web browser optimized for
Android TV media boxes.
It is the only browser to date
that offers adaptive mouse speed control and full remote control support and
advanced customization.
TV Bro optionally uses search
solutions and voice search from Google.
Downloader app: an
all-in-one tool
Downloader allows Android TV
owners to easily download files from the internet onto their devices. You can
enter a URL that directly points to a file, or you can sideload the web browser
plugin to download files from websites.
The browser plugin supports
remotes and game controllers, so a mouse and keyboard are not necessary. The
browser plugin can also be used for general web surfing with fullscreen mode,
zooming, and quick access to favorites/bookmarks.
Firefox for Android
TV
There's no bug - we've featured a
web browser for Android TV. And it is that the adapted version of Firefox works
perfectly: just install the APK on the Android TV device and navigate. Its use
is perfectly adapted to the remote control of the TV and offers an experience
as complete as it is simple. In our opinion, it is the best app for what we are
looking for: surfing the web from TV.
Find more browser apps forAndroid TV
File Explorer apps
File explorers allow access to
the different folders that are on your Android TV device, so they allow
advanced management of the files that are stored and even perform actions that
may be important when optimizing the use of Smart TV, such as storage space
maintenance.
X-plore file manager
The first option we recommend is
X-plore File Manager. A two-paneled approach is needed for file management. In
the context of side discharge, this is great. The two panels make it easy to transfer
an APK from a USB stick to your Android TV's storage drive.
On the downside, it's not
particularly user-friendly. While not complicated, it takes a while to get used
to how the app works.
ES File Explorer
ES File Explorer is a great tool
for managing files and programs. It comes with a multitude of additional
features such as a tool for killing running applications, direct cloud drive
storage (via Dropbox, Google Drive, or Skydrive), and an FTP client so you can
use it both on your mobile device as well as your PC.
The program allows any Android
user to easily manage all of their files, being able to access anything on
their mobile device and then share it, if they so want to. Uploading photos,
watching movies, and managing your 3G connection is now even easier.
Total Commander
Total Commander will be familiar
to many users. It is one of the best file managers for the mobile version of
Android. However, it also works wonderfully well with Android TV; it's packed
with features that are especially useful for the big screen.
The app offers native support for
Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox. We have already discussed the
value of having access to such services.
Find more File
Manager apps for Android TV
Media Player apps
VLC
Without a doubt, with your
Android TV, the first choice application or player to play lists or m3u files
is VLC. And, the famous multimedia player, in addition to being an OpenSource
software that we can get completely free of charge, allows us to reproduce
almost any type of content without the need for additional codecs.
To do this, just go to the Android TV app store on our smart TV or your Android box device, search for
the VLC player and proceed with its installation.
Kodi
Kodi is another powerful media player you can use to play IPTV on your Android. Like VLC, Kodi is an Open Source multimedia player. Therefore, All you need to do is go to the Google application store, search for the player, and get it installed on your Android TV device.
Plex
Plex is an app that allows us to
create a local content network for video, photos, or music. We can turn an old
computer that we do not use into a "transmitter" of that content that
we can reproduce with our account on other devices both at home and abroad.
For example, if you digitize your
movies or music, you can put them on an external disk and from there to the PC
that serves as a Plex server to create a kind of home Netflix in a very simple
way.
MX Player
Another popular player for
Android is MX Player, which is characterized by its extensive customization
options.
Furthermore, MX Player supports
any type of video format and is also compatible with most subtitle formats,
such as DVD, DVB, SSA, SRT, SUB, or IDX.
We return to the topic of
customization to tell you that you can easily change the style of this player
and modify the buttons that appear on the screen, all without losing the
simplicity of use that characterizes it.
In short, MX Player is a complete
multimedia player that you can install for free.
Music streaming apps
Television still comprises a
major proportion of people's music listening experience, and this observation
prompted the streaming services to improve their Android TV apps. The following
are the most known among users and they are available right in the Android TV
app store.
Spotify
The most important application
you are going to listen to for music streaming, and which you can take
advantage of even if you don't pay your monthly fee thanks to its free service.
Perfect to enjoy your favorite music on TV, all the discs you have saved, and
even podcasts, as well as all the personalized playlists that the service will
offer you, learning from your tastes.
Deezer
The Android TV app of Deezer has
been redesigned, and it allows both paying and freemium subscribers to access
more features of the streaming service through their television sets.
Among the features that are
included with Deezer's improved Android TV app is the Flow soundtrack, which is
a personalized music playlist that uses smart data suggestions to identify the
songs that the user may want to hear.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is another extremely
popular music streaming service. It’s useful for indie creators all over the
world. Tons of people upload their stuff to SoundCloud for the pleasure of
others. SoundCloud Go, SoundCloud’s on-demand service, adds tens of millions of
popular tracks to the mix. The total is over 150 million available tracks for
$9.99 per month. That’s the second largest collection of music (Google Play
Music and YouTube Red together technically have more). This is a great spot for
discovering indie stuff that no one else knows about. Additionally, the service
includes the usual stuff like playlists, stations, and other discovery
features.
YouTube Music
YouTube Music is now Google’s big
streaming service. It works fairly well as a streaming service. You get access
to the same tens of millions of songs as every other streaming service.
However, this one also sources YouTube itself and that gives it the advantage
in terms of song choices. The app is a bit barebones but new features launch
fairly consistently. The service is overtaking Google Play Music eventually and
most of Google Play Music’s features are being ported to the new service before
it shuts down.
IPTV Player apps
In the case of having a smart TV
with an Android TV operating system, the offer is very wide, since we can find
a lot of IPTV applications to watch our favorite channels on the Internet.
Upon research and testing to
determine the best Android TV apps to run IPTV on your Smart TV under Android
TV OS or any other Media Box with Android TV OS like Mi TV Stick, These are the
best you can try.
IPTV Smarters Pro
IPTV Smarters Pro is an
application that was designed to work with any Smart TV but with special
support for the Samsung and LG brands. This app works great on Android-based
devices too. This video player application is easy to use with an attractive
presentation and user-friendly operation. Users can choose to upload their
playlist or file/URL or log in using the Xtream Codes API.
IPTV Smarters Pro application is
not offering any kind of IPTV services like IPTV subscriptions or streams. The
user has to contact the TV Service Provider for Username, Password, Server URL,
or Playlist ( M3u file / URL ), this is just a fast IPTV app that provides the
platform to play the content.
TiviMate
TiviMate is one of the best IPTV
apps available only for Android TV. So far you can't use it on android mobiles.
The app supports multiple
playlists, renaming of channels and categories, and hidden categories. You can
import your channel logos, customize the order in which channels appear in the
TV guide, and take advantage of the search feature (which works for both
channel names and currently playing shows).
The free version of TiviMate
seems enough for users with one playlist who don't watch too often. If you use
IPTV more often, it's worth upgrading to the pro version. This costs $4.99 per
year and allows you to install the app on up to five devices.
Perfect Player IPTV
Perfect Player is a set-top box
style IPTV/Media player for watching videos on TVs, tablets, and smartphones.
It is a popular IPTV player among Android TV users looking for a better
alternative to the native Live Channels app.
The app supports M3U and XSPF
playlists. And if you want to add an electronic program guide, you can use
XMLTV (ZIP, GZ, XZ) and JTV.
Please note that this app does
not include any IPTV channels. To add IPTV channels, you need to add your m3u
playlists within the configuration section.
Like GSE Smart IPTV, Perfect Player
uses a theme that's easy on the eyes and draws its design cues from cable and
satellite TV EPGs.
XCIPTV PLAYER
XCIPTV is a Media Player App For
Android TV, Android Phone, and Android Tab. Easy to use and fully Customizable
for OTT Service Providers. This application comes with two built-in Media
Players ExoPlayer and VLC Player with Adaptive HLS Streaming. No 3rd party apps
or players are required.
The User Interface is very simple
and easy to navigate through. Most importantly, XCIPTV Easy to navigate using
Android TV Remote and Dpad. This app can be installed on Android Phone, Tablet,
and TV.
Find more IPTV
Player apps for Android TV
Movies and TV Shows Streaming apps
If you want to save money but not
sacrifice your entertainment, you can replace paid subscription services like
Netflix, Hulu, Apple Music, DoorDash, and Grubhub with free alternatives. They
may not give you the same, but they are quite close. Many of these free
services are ad-supported.
Cinema HD
Cinema HD is an app for Android
with which you can watch movies and series for free. You'll find premieres and
the latest seasons of the best TV shows
Thanks to Cinema HD we can access
a huge collection of movies and TV series, both classics, and premieres. We
only need to access the app, select the subtitles that we want to show during
the playback, and explore the catalog that allows us to browse through the best
movies and the latest episodes of our favorites series.
Cyberflix TV
This streaming app to watch
movies and series works similarly to other Android applications of the same
style, as of the likes of Stremio or Popcorn Time. In other words, we can
access (without needing to sign up as users) and explore its entire catalog
that incorporates hundreds of movies, including premieres, and the best TV
series at present. We can do so by flicking through the contents, receiving
suggestions from the app, resorting to the categories structure, or simply
carrying out a manual search.
Popcorn Time
Unlike the paid platforms that
use their closed video compression system to offer you the contents through
their online or desktop applications for PC, Mac, or Smartphone, Popcorn
provides a service through torrent connections that download the video to a
temporary folder, which means you can start watching a movie or episode whilst
the rest of the video finishes downloading.
Find
more streaming APKs for Android TV
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