Android TVs themselves make life much easier for users. You don’t have to bother with connecting a flash drive or laptop, just turn on a movie in any convenient online cinema directly using the remote control. Technology does not stand still, but your TV can be improved even more – just add a few useful applications.
And what applications for Android TV are worth installing on your device, we will figure out in this selection. We have collected 15 interesting options.
VLC Media Player
Each TV has its own player, but many people find it inconvenient or too slow. In this case, you can install VLC Media Player. This is a simple universal application that can work with different video formats, independently connect subtitles from individual files and sort files into folders. You can also turn on music or connect to different live broadcasts.
Thanks to its simplicity and wide capabilities, the player has earned the love of users on all platforms. It can be installed on PCs, phones and even Smart TVs based on Android.
Solid Explorer
The same story with file managers. There is a standard one, but many prefer to use alternative options. For example, Solid Explorer. This is a great application that allows you to manage the internal storage of any Android device. Including TV, of course.
The program interface is quite simple. There are two panels on the screen, in one of which you will see a list of folders, and in the other – files that are inside the selected storage. You can view, copy and move both files and entire directories.
Solid Explorer also recognizes APK files and allows you to install various applications. You can even use it to set up an FTP server if you wish.
Total Commander
This file manager may be familiar to those who have helped set up other people’s computers. The thing is that Total Commander is one of the most popular tools for gaining remote access to another PC. The application supports LAN servers, FTP, SFTP and WebDAV.
But besides that, it is also just a convenient program for working with files. For example, if you often watch videos and photos from TV, Total Commander will allow you to sort them more conveniently, including by type. The program has the ability to read the contents of documents and manage most directories. And all files can be opened in built-in players.
Alternative markets will not be overlooked either. If you have some proprietary shell like Yandex TV or Sber TV, then the usual Play Market may not be there. To be able to download different applications, you will have to roll out some alternative store using a flash drive. For example, Aptoide.
The service has no country restrictions and includes many programs and applications that are not even on Google Play. You don’t have to worry about security – everything is posted officially and goes through several stages of verification. So you won’t pick up any viruses or nasty fakes.
Zone
Online cinemas are good in themselves, but there are a couple of problems. The first is that almost all of them are paid. And this leads to the second – none of these paid services can provide the full volume of content for the user. In this case, Zona can come to the rescue. By the way, we have a whole guide on installing Zona on Smart TV .
In fact, the functionality of the application is taken from the site and you can watch your favorite movies and TV series through it in the same way. The Zona catalog contains thousands of different projects, and you can choose something new or re-watch what you like.
Kodi
Another good video player with online cinema functions, without which the selection of the best applications for Android TV cannot do is Kodi. It also supports most modern video and audio file formats, and can launch them both from physical storage (flash drive or hard drive) and from network resources. In particular, you can display streams and videos from YouTube and Twitch on the screen.
Kodi also has various add-ons and add-ons that you can use to expand its functionality. So you can enable the ability to show streaming videos (streams), connect to TV channel broadcasts, and watch news.
TV Usage
This program is suitable for parents who install a TV in a child’s room and want to limit the time spent watching it. With its help, you can set time limits and timers during which the TV will stop showing videos. You can also set up a blocking of some applications so that they can only be turned on with a PIN code.
TVUsage also collects data on the TV’s operation, and you can view a report for a day or a week, and adjust the restrictions as you wish. In short, if you are not ready to give children full control over all the functions of the application, this is your choice.
YouTube Kids
Another option to limit content for children is the “kids” version of YouTube. With this app, young viewers will only have access to videos filtered by the platform. No sudden Granny Grannies or other horror heresy, only videos about princesses and cats.
In addition, there is a full-fledged parental control. If you see that some strange content is still displayed, you can block the channels that create it. There is also a blocking timer that turns off the application after a certain time: for example, after an hour of viewing or after 20:00.
Send files to TV
If you don’t have a flash drive at hand, but you need to transfer something to your TV, for example, an APK file of a program, you can use the Send files to TV program. You can download it from any market and it allows you to exchange files using a local wireless connection. You don’t need an Internet connection for this.
The program also allows you to start broadcasting videos and photos from your phone, and it has an AirPlay function for Apple devices. According to the developers, they do not have access to users’ devices or content downloaded through the application and do not store anything on their servers. So you don’t have to worry about security.
RetroArch
You can play games from your TV not only via HDMI cable, laptop and gamepad. For example, you can download a whole emulator that will support old consoles. For example, NES, Nintendo 64, GameBoy and other similar ones.
Even if your TV is rather weak, the RAM will be enough to emulate retro games. In addition, the program can act as a player for video and music. True, you will still have to control the games with a gamepad, but you will not have to connect anything additionally.
Asphalt 8
Speaking of games, we can’t overlook various projects that can be launched without any emulators. One of these is Asphalt 8, a racing simulator that supports cooperative mode when connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
The game has more than 70 tracks of varying difficulty. You can even play offline. The game is not particularly heavy and can be launched on different devices without any problems.
CPU Temperature
This is a program similar to PC utilities. It can measure the processor temperature and the load it is under during operation. This way, you can determine when it is time to give the TV a “break” so as not to, as my parents used to say in childhood, “spoil the picture tube.”
The program itself is quite light and does not affect the operation of the system. But you can understand whether you have problems with the cooling system if you look at the reports for the week. If there are constant overheating with a short time of operation – it’s time to call a technician.
Twitch
You can also watch Twitch streams using the site’s special app. You can download it from any marketplace convenient for you. To use the app, simply log in to it from your account and select the stream you like.
Inside you will find a simple interface, the ability to search for content from streamers you are interested in or by the games you need. You can watch gameplay broadcasts, talk streams and eSports tournaments on the big screen.
Pixel Fixer
And this application can help if your image suddenly deteriorates. Sometimes the reason for this can be broken pixels and other software lags of the matrix.
Pixel Fixer can restore the image if the problem is in the software component of the device. The pixels will return to their places and you will be able to enjoy watching further.
Radioline
We finish the selection of useful applications with one of the most popular services for listening to radio and podcasts on Android. Radioline collects podcasts from all over the world in different languages. For example, you can listen to your favorite true crime or improve your knowledge of the language by turning on a podcast in English instead of listening.
In this article, we have collected 15 useful applications that can expand the functions of your TV or simply make it more convenient. You can choose the options you need and use them when you need them.
