How to sideload apps on Google TV and Android TV

Anyone can put an app file on the internet, so check it first. The screenRIG Player is the example here, because screenrig.ai publishes everything needed to check it.

We ran this check on a computer, with no TV involved. A matching fingerprint proves the download is the file screenrig.ai names. The signing certificate shows who made it, and Android checks it again when you install an update over the app.

1. On the TV, open Google Play and install Downloader.
2. Ask your agent for the Player's current download address. The file name changes with every update, so your agent reads the latest from screenrig.ai. You can also find it on the downloads page.
3. Open Downloader, type the address into its box with the remote and choose Go.
4. Android says installs from unknown sources aren't allowed. Choose Settings in the prompt, switch Downloader on, press Back, then choose Install.
5. Open the app. Sideloaded apps often don't show in the home screen rows, so open Settings > Apps > See all apps, choose screenRIG and select Open.
6. The Player opens full screen and shows a pairing code. Read it to your agent.

Prefer a computer and adb, or does your TV have no Google Play? The Players guide has that route.

Repeat the steps with the new address. Android installs the newer version over the old one and keeps the pairing. When Start on boot is on, the Player opens again by itself after the update.

If your TV has Google Play, the Player is a normal install with no sideloading: get the Player on Google Play. It is the same Player. Sideload when you want the file straight from screenrig.ai. screenRIG is free. Pay only if you want more.

• Don't install the file over a Google Play copy. The two share one app. Uninstall the Google Play version first, install the file, then pair again. If an install stops with an error, a Google Play copy is the usual cause, or a file older than the one on the TV. A Google Play install updates through Google Play.
• Don't take the Player from a mirror or a file-sharing site. Use screenrig.ai, and ask your agent to check the file.
• Don't hack the TV's launcher to keep the app on screen. The Player's own settings do that from the remote: see Android TV kiosk mode.

Next: make the TV open the Player by itself after a power cut with Android TV kiosk mode.

• aftvnews.com/downloader-app
• www.androidpolice.com/how-to-sideload-any-application-on-android-tv
• www.guidingtech.com/sideload-apps-on-google-tv