Television has come a long way today, hasn’t it? As soon as come anywhere near the television corner in any home appliance showroom, it is hard to look away. The huge vibrant, colourful, and crystal clear displays along with the blazing sound of Smart TVs do a good job pulling you towards them, no matter whatever has been playing on the screen. Amongst these stand Android TVs, competing for your attention. Offering a plethora of applications and services, Android TVs now have become quite easily accessible and affordable to a large section of society. So, if you also have an Android TV installed at your home that waits to entertain you every evening, we have handpicked some of the best infotainment and utility applications that you can install on it. Here are the top 15 best Android TV apps that you should be using in 2022.
Netflix
If you own an Android TV, how can you even think of missing out on watching Bridgerton, Queen’s Gambit, Money Heist, and other such popular and thrilling TV series on a big screen? Moreover, the latest movies that are upcoming on Netflix this June include Hustle (starring Adam Sandler), Bohemian Rhapsody (a call for all the Queen fans), The Grudge (for some jump scares), and many more. And we’re sure you wouldn’t want to miss any of the binging fun.
Spotify
Next on our list of the 15 best Android TV apps in 2022 comes Spotify, undoubtedly one of the top free music streaming apps out there. Its Android interface even allows it to be used for playing music in the background while you use other apps in the forefront.
Youtube TV
If you are someone who feels inclined towards cord-cutting, then you should definitely check out Youtube TV. Availing its subscription will give you access to a range of popular cable TV channels like CNN, BBC News, FoxLife, ESPN, NBA TV, TNT, VH1, and many more.
Google Chrome
Android TV doesn’t come pre-installed with Google Chrome, which is disappointing. However, the Google Chrome Android app is said to be still compatible with the Android TV box. You wouldn’t need to go pick up your phone in the middle of watching a movie to check the meaning of a coined term, the latest movies you can watch on OTT platforms or their star cast. You can directly access Google Chrome for all your queries from your smart TV itself. However, you might have to sideload it as it is unavailable on the Android TV Play Store.
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Sideload Launcher
While we are on the subject of sideloading apps on Android TV, let us also introduce the Sideload Launcher app to you. When you sideload an otherwise unavailable app on Android TV, the obstacle that you have to encounter is that the app is not directly accessible from the default Android TV launcher. This is where the Sideload Launcher app comes in. It launches all the sideloaded apps on your Android TV.
Sling
Next on our list of the 15 best Android TV apps in 2022 is another cord-cutting subscription-based app, Sling. It provides you with a range of live TV channels from a wide range of categories like sports, news, entertainment, and lifestyle. You can get access to channels like CNBC, CNN, ESPN, Disney, Comedy Central, and much more.
Hulu
Hulu is said to be one of the best designed Android TV apps, which provides both live TV and on-demand content services to the customers. You can watch movies, new TV shows, Hulu Originals, and much more on the platform.
Kodi
The next one on our best Android TV apps list is Kodi, which is a free open-source media player. It can help organize and manage all your media files in one place. It also provides a wide range of add-ons that provide access to on-demand videos, live TV, news, weather updates, and much more.
Haystack News
In case you are dissatisfied with the news streaming services that are offered with the pre-installed apps on your Android TV, then you should check out Haystack. It sources news from all major news networks like BBC News, CBS, and more, based on your viewing history and preferences.
Plex
Plex is another well-known media application that can be used for casting movies and TV shows on all the devices at your home. It has a pretty decent and user-friendly interface and can even download metadata, movie subtitles, and artwork of ratings automatically.
Wake On LAN
Next on our list of the 15 best Android TV apps in 2022 is Wake on LAN, which is said to be the only Android TV app that helps wake your computer up. It is a very handy application in case you are using apps like Plex or Kodi on your Android TV, which use your computer as a server for the content. It wakes up your computer by sending a signal over the internet, in case the Plex server is sleeping.
Photo Gallery And Screen Saver
The Photo Gallery and Screen Saver app is optimized for smart TV and helps showcase your photos and videos as an Android TV Daydream, screensaver, or slide show. It can source photos from Google Photos, Facebook, Flickr, your local device, SD card, or USB devices.
Send Files To TV
Next on our list of the best Android TV apps of 2022 is this one. Send files to TV enables seamless wireless transfer of files from your Android TV to other devices and vice-versa.
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Apple TV
The Apple TV app has finally been made compatible with Android TVs as well by the Apple brand. Not only will you be able to watch content in 4k but also in Dolby Vision and HDR using the application.
Background Apps And Process List
Finally, our list comes to this app which masters finding and closing apps that are running in the background on your Android TV. This thereby helps in saving the device battery, reducing its thermal temperature, saving RAM, and hence speeding up your device and enhancing its performance.
So those were our top picks for the 15 best Android TV apps in 2022 that you should be using. In case we missed out on your favourites, do let us know in the comments section below.
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Back in January, I spoke with Google about its plans to get serious about Android TV as a consumer streaming platform. While Android TV has shown potential over the years, it’s always felt like an afterthought compared to Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, Pikachu App and Google’s own Chromecast devices.