There’s never been a better time to grab a new Google TV launcher

It’s always exciting when a product receives a new software update, but I can’t help but shudder nowadays when Google TV rolls one out. With its latest revision, Google seems intent on making you love YouTube Shorts, placing the short-form video content made for vertical devices on the default Google TV home screen.

Thankfully, you don’t have to stand for this or any of the home screen quirks. The first thing I did after purchasing my Chromecast with Google TV was install a third-party launcher. Given the latest update, there’s never been a better time to join the club.

The Google TV interface suffers from Google’s usual software issues: an abundance of bloat, virtually no customization features, and forced content choices that you have very little control over. There’s nothing quite like a sponsored box occupying half the display that has nothing to do with anything I’m watching.

I’m not alone in my annoyance, either.

“EVERY DAY ANOTHER STUPID ADVERT ALL OVER MY TV,” writes a particularly perturbed Google TV user on the default launcher’s Play Store listing. “Nowhere on the listing for a Google TV Streamer did it say that it comes with adverts for Cloud Servers, McDonalds or Gold bloody Rings.”

I’ve never seen a Google Play Store review echo my feelings so accurately.

However, the commenter is on to something. The default launcher forces you to use Google TV Google’s way rather than letting you make the experience your own. Clearly, the company really wants to make it as difficult as possible to find the movies and shows you want. Third-party launchers flip this on its head, putting the control back in your hands.

Regardless of the Google TV launcher you pick, you’ll find that they offer a wider range of UI tweaks, covering both pragmatic and purely aesthetic aspects of the big-screen experience. Best of all? Not a single ad. Not a single sponsored screen. Not a single QR code for a Taco Bell promotion.

Projectivity emphasizes customization. This includes enlarging or shrinking text and thumbnails to maximize legibility. I can decide which thumbnail shortcuts from the services I want displayed. I can even decide which apps get to recommend content without being too pushy.

Plus, there are a host of visual enhancements, from a suite of color and theme options to wallpaper plugins that fetch content from third-party sources. Best of all, I can adjust the home screen layout to make navigation swifter. No large boxes or ad slots above the app list — just click, and I’m immediately in YouTube.

All these things to tweak can get considerably overwhelming, but it’s the perfect choice if you want control over almost every aspect of your Google TV experience.

Of course, Projectivity isn’t the only option. There are plenty of alternatives that offer a more acute focus on visuals or organizational tools. Some other solid Google TV launcher alternatives include:

• Dispatch: Placing heavy emphasis on visuals, Dispatch has another superpower: showing Plex content from your library on the home screen. This makes it the perfect Google TV replacement if you don’t rely strictly on streaming services. It does, however, only have a free 14-day trial.
• AT4K: One of the easiest Google TV launchers to use, AT4K is perfect for minimalists who just want to break free of Google’s suffocating ads. It’s wonderfully quick on its feet, includes ready-made themes, and featured cards to jump right back into series you’re binging. It’s free to use with some premium features locked away.
• Arc: Based on LTvLauncher (which itself is a fork of FLauncher), Arc focuses on speed and simplicity. Yes, it boasts plenty of visual flourishes, including transparency effects and plenty of accent colors, but it also focuses on practicalities. Arc is free and open source.
• FLauncher: One of the most popular Google TV launcher recommendations, FLauncher is simple, easy to use, and lightweight. If you don’t need all the bells and whistles, this is the option for you. FLauncher is free to use.

A brief summary really only skims the surface of these launchers, so I’d suggest giving each a go on your device before picking a winner. There is even more to discover, too!

Replacing the default Google TV launcher is a piece of cake; it’s as easy as searching for the app you want in the Play Store. Notably, with some apps like Arc, you may need to download the APK from the app’s source and sideload it. You can read a more detailed guide on this particular process at the link.

Either way, to use Projectivity as an example, here’s what you need to do to replace the default Google TV launcher with your pick:

1. Navigate to the Play Store on your Google TV.
2. Search for “Projectivity” or the launcher of your choice.
3. Tap the Install option.
4. Tap Open once installation is complete.
5. Follow the developer’s detailed setup steps.

You may need to grant the new launcher accessibility permissions to ensure that pressing the home button and selecting various apps go through the new launcher rather than Google’s, but the launcher should notify you of this during setup.

Notably, Google’s launcher will continue to run in the background even after you install your new home screen, which wastes precious resources. However, this is a small penalty to face to avoid the myriad ads and promotions.

With Google TV’s latest update, it’s clear that the company’s big-screen platform is heading in a decidedly hostile direction. YouTube Shorts? More AI? Mexican food ads? Well, I do like Mexican food, but I use Google TV to watch content, not order flautas. I wish Google gave its faithful users more respect in this regard.

While there’s very little you can do to avoid all of this by using the default Google TV launcher, you have the power to install one of the many third-party alternatives.