ADD APPS TO YOUR SMART TV
Install new apps from your store
Your smart TV should come with plenty of apps, but adding more isn’t difficult. The exact process will depend on the make and model.
If you have a Samsung TV, you’ll need a free Samsung account to install apps. Assuming you do, press the Home button on your remote control, and select Apps at the bottom of the screen. You can browse popular and recommended choices, or if you know the name of an app you can select the magnifying-glass icon (pictured above right) and search for it. Select an app you want, then click Install on its page.
For Panasonic models, press the Apps or Internet button on the remote then select Market. Browse and install any app from there. Sony smart TVS are powered by Android, which means you can add new apps through the Google Play Store. Press the Home button on your remote control to open the Home Menu screen. Google TV replaced Android TV on new Sony models at the start of this year (see box on page 52 for the differences).
It’s a bit more complicated with Toshiba TV sets because other manufacturers make the TVS and pay to use the Toshiba brand. Most new models are powered by Android TV, so you can install apps through Google Play Store. Click the Apps section under Explore Apps, then Get More Apps. Finally, LG TV owners can install apps by pressing Home on the remote to open the LG Content Store, then selecting the Apps category.
You may find that some new apps, such as Disney+ or Britbox, are absent. For example, Apple TV+ can be installed on Samsung, Sony, LG and Vizio smart TVS, but not on Panasonic sets.
You can’t force these missing apps to appear in your TV’S app store, but set-top boxes, streaming sticks and games consoles also support apps, so try installing them through one of these devices. This method does mean you will need to launch the installed app through the device’s menu, rather than directly through the TV, but it’s a useful workaround.
Install TV apps from outside Google Play Store
If you have a Sony or Toshiba TV that lets you download apps from the Google Play Store, you’ll also be able to sideload apps from elsewhere. This is similar to sideloading apps from outside Google Play on to Android phones and tablets.
If you have an Android device, this process is very easy. First, you’ll need to find the app you want to run in APK (Android Application Package) format. A good place to find these is at Apkmirror ( www.apkmirror.com). Go to the site on your Android phone or tablet, then search for the app you want to install
(if you know its name), or browse by category (at the top). You can also simply scroll through the new releases.
When searching, tap the sliders at the right to open Advanced Search, then tap the Capabilities dropdown menu. Tick the ‘Android TV’ box (see screenshot below) to narrow your search, then tap Apply.
Next, install the ‘Send Files to TV’ app ( www.snipca.com/39390) on both your Android device and your TV. Once it’s installed on both, run it on your TV and select ‘Receive’, and then launch it on your phone and select Send. A list of files will appear on your phone in the Download folder, including the APK of the app you installed from Apkmirror. Select this, then select your TV in the list of devices (it’s KM8 in our screenshot above). When the transfer completes, you’ll be able to choose to open the APK on your TV and install it. If you see a message stating that installations from unknown sources are not allowed, tap the Settings button in the message and select the slider next to the app you want to install. This should now work.
Another way to install an APK (and a good solution if you don’t own an Android device), is to download the file from www.apkmirror.com to your PC, then copy it to Google Drive. Next, download ‘File Commander’ ( www. snipca.com/39391) on your TV, and sign into Google Drive on your TV. Select the APK in Google Drive and it will install (again you’ll need to change permissions so it can install apps from unknown sources). Turn to page 52 for our pick of the best apps on Apkmirror.
You can also use File Commander to install apps stored on a USB stick that’s connected to your TV. To find any app you’ve installed, click the cog icon on Android TV and navigate to the Apps section.