Getting an APK onto Android TV without making it weird

So you’ve got an APK and an Android TV, and the app you want is not showing up in the Play Store. That’s usually when people freeze up a bit, because “APK” sounds like hacking or something. It’s not. It’s just an app file. The main thing is doing it in a clean order so you don’t end up stuck on a screen that says “can’t install” and then you’re annoyed.

I’m going to move through it like I would on my own TV. First we flip the setting that lets Android TV install apps from outside the store. Then we get the APK onto the TV, like with a USB stick or sending it over the network. After that we use a file manager to open it and install it. And at the end we actually check if it launches right, because sometimes an app installs fine but looks broken on a TV.

Quick wrap-up

If you keep it simple and go one step at a time, installing an APK on Android TV is pretty normal. Enable unknown sources, transfer the file, install with a file manager, then make sure the app runs.