Your TV's microphone and the voice remote
There is a microphone in the remote and sometimes in the set as well. Worth knowing which is which.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
Articles
What ADB is, what is safe to remove, and what to do when something goes wrong.
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Working out what a package does before removing it
Before deleting something called com.manufacturer.dtvsvc it is worth finding out what it does. You can.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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Why Samsung and LG sets are out of scope here
If your television is a Samsung or an LG, the short answer is that there is nothing here for you. The long one explains why.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Why cheap TVs carry so much advertising
Not carelessness or poor quality. It is the business model, and understanding it explains everything else.
· 3 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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What to do with a TV that no longer gets updates
Seven years without a patch and connected to your Wi-Fi. Not alarmism, just arithmetic.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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What ADB is and why it matters on a TV
Before touching anything, it is worth understanding what ADB actually is, who put it there, and why using it is entirely ordinary.
· 3 min read · Getting started
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What interoperability actually means
An ugly word that turns out to be the soundest legal footing we have.
· 2 min read · Legal and warranty
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What data your smart TV actually collects
Not paranoia: it is written in the manufacturers' own policies. Whether anyone reads them is another matter.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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What ACR is and why it is in your TV
The feature that knows what you are watching even when it comes from a laptop on a cable.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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Using your old TV as a monitor
The most complete answer of all: the panel is still good, so let it be only that.
· 2 min read · Apps and alternatives
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Uninstalling a preinstalled app without root
One command, and the explanation of why it breaks nothing permanently.
· 3 min read · Getting started
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The TV's Wi-Fi keeps dropping
A classic on older televisions, and it is not always the router's fault.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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The TV is running out of space
The 8 GB on the box becomes 4 real and 400 MB free. Here is what to do.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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The right to repair and your TV
A new directive, in force for weeks. What it actually covers and what it does not.
· 2 min read · Legal and warranty
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The first packages you can safely remove
Where to start when there is no entry for your model: what is almost always safe, and what never is.
· 3 min read · Getting started
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The complete guide to cleaning up an Android TV
The whole process gathered in one place, in the order it has to happen.
· 2 min read · Getting started
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Seeing what apps your TV has installed
The TV menu shows you part of it. The real list is considerably longer, and that is where the interesting things are.
· 2 min read · Getting started
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Reusing a TV for digital signage
A television that no longer works as a television can work perfectly well as an information panel.
· 2 min read · Apps and alternatives
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Restoring an app you uninstalled
The way back in one command, and the fallback for when that command is not enough.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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Removing ads from the home screen
Paying for a television and finding adverts on your own home screen. It can be fixed.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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Netflix or Disney+ stopped working after cleaning up
Almost always a dependency that did not look like one. It is fixable.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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My TV is stuck on the logo at startup
The worst-case scenario, which still has a fix because the firmware was never touched.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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My Android TV is slow: what to do
The panel has not failed. What has failed is what runs on top of it, and that can be fixed.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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Lightweight players for an older TV
Not all video apps weigh the same. On 1 GB of RAM, the difference is enormous.
· 2 min read · Apps and alternatives
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Is it legal to remove apps from your TV?
The short answer is yes. The long one explains what it rests on and where the line is.
· 3 min read · Legal and warranty
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Installing ADB on Windows, macOS and Linux
You do not need Android Studio or a two-gigabyte download. It is a few megabytes and it works on all three systems.
· 2 min read · Getting started
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Identifying your TV's exact model
The marketing name is no use for searching. The code on the sticker round the back is.
· 2 min read · Getting started
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I lost the remote after removing something
The most uncomfortable scenario, and why it almost always has a fix without touching anything physically.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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How to enable ADB debugging on an Android TV
It is hidden behind seven taps in a menu. Here is the exact path, and what to do when your model does not show it.
· 3 min read · Getting started
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How to do a factory reset
The safety net under everything we do here. Worth knowing how to use before you need it.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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How much power your TV uses in standby
Off does not mean off. A smart TV in standby is still working, and that gets paid for.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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How much does cleaning up a TV actually help?
Neither a miracle nor a waste of time. Here is what to expect from the hardware you have.
· 2 min read · Getting started
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Finding out which Android version your TV runs
The Android version decides which commands work. Here are two ways to find it.
· 2 min read · Getting started
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Does using ADB void my TV warranty?
The answer is not a yes or a no. It depends on what breaks and on who has to prove what.
· 2 min read · Legal and warranty
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Do you need a Google account on the TV?
You can run an Android TV without signing in. Whether it is worth it is another question.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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Developer options are not showing up
Seven taps that do nothing. Here are the reasons and the alternative routes.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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Connecting to your TV over Wi-Fi with ADB
No cables and two commands. Plus the three things that usually go wrong and how to fix them.
· 3 min read · Getting started
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Common mistakes when cleaning up a TV
Seven mistakes that keep repeating, costing between ten minutes and an afternoon.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
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Cleaning up an Amazon Fire TV
Fire OS is modified Android. That means ADB works, and that you have to be more careful.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Xiaomi Mi TV
Mi TVs carry the PatchWall layer on top of Android TV. That is where nearly everything people want gone lives.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Toshiba, CHiQ or own-brand TV
Behind half a dozen brands sit three manufacturers. Knowing which one you got solves half the problem.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a TCL Android TV
TCL was among the first to bet on Android TV at the budget end. That means a lot of live sets and a lot of abandoned software.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Sony Bravia Android TV
Sony was early to Android TV at the premium end. Their Bravias age well on panel and less well on software.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Sharp or Panasonic Android TV
Two manufacturers who move between Android and their own systems. First job: work out what you have.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Philips Android TV
Philips televisions are built by TP Vision, and it shows in the package names.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Nokia or Thomson StreamView TV
Two familiar brands, one manufacturer behind them, and software rather cleaner than usual.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Cleaning up a Hisense Android TV
Hisense mixes Android TV with its own VIDAA layer depending on the model. The first job is working out which you have.
· 2 min read · By manufacturer
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Blocking your TV's ads at the router
Works on any television, Android or not, and requires touching the set at all.
· 2 min read · Privacy and telemetry
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Alternative launchers for Android TV
The change you notice most on an older television, and the exact order that keeps you out of the dark.
· 2 min read · Apps and alternatives
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ADB will not connect to my TV
Eight possible causes, ordered by likelihood. The first solves half of them.
· 2 min read · Troubleshooting
