How to sideload apps on Android TV

The Android TV platform is one of the most diverse application platforms. Just like on Android phones, you can access the Google Play Store on Android TV to download applications and games to your device. However, not all applications on the Play Store can be downloaded to Android TV. Therefore, sideloading applications becomes more necessary. In the article below, Quantrimang will guide you how to sideload applications on Android TV.

How to sideload apps on Android TV via phone

If you have an Android phone, sideloading apps on Android TV is easy. Before you get started, you'll need to download the required APK file on your phone.

One of the best sources for APK files for such apps is APKMirror. Open the website on your Android phone and install the APK file for the app you want to download. In this article, we will use the example of installing Google Chrome on Android TV.

Once the APK file is installed on your phone, follow these steps to install it on Android TV.

• Download the Send Files To TV app on your phone and Android TV via the Google Play Store .

• Once the app is installed, open it on your TV and select Receive . At the same time, open the app on your phone and select Send.
• You will see a file menu on your phone. The downloaded APK file will be in the Download folder .
• Select the downloaded APK file and click on the name of the TV on your phone to transfer data.

• Once the transfer is complete, open the file on your TV. You will then see instructions on how to install the file on your TV. However, if pressing the open button doesn't work, install the File Commander app .

• Download File Commander on Android TV from the Google Play Store .
• Open the app and select Internal Storage .

• Here you will see the transferred APK file in the Download folder .
• Click on that file and a Staging app message will appear on the screen .
• You may get a notification saying that the installation is from an unknown source. Go to Settings on that notification, and swipe to allow the app to be installed (File Commander or Send Files To TV).
• When the application is installed on the screen, press Open to run the app.

How to sideload apps on Android TV via cloud storage

Another way to sideload apps on Android TV is via cloud storage. You can use Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive to install APK files on Android TV. The process is similar to the method mentioned above and also uses File Commander to get the job done.

Download the APK file from APKMirror on your phone or PC and add it to Google Drive (or any other cloud service). Then follow these steps:

• Download and open the File Commander app on Android TV.
• Sign in to your cloud service account. Let's take Google Drive as an example.
• You can see Google Drive files on Android TV.

• Select the APK file you want to install and a Staging app notification will appear.

• If you haven't allowed access to install the File Commander app , tap Settings in the on-screen notification and enable access.
• The application will start installing and you can start using it once the application is installed.

How to open sideload apps on Android TV

Unlike on an Android phone, you won't see sideloaded apps in the apps menu. However, you can still access them through your Android TV device's settings menu.

To find sideloaded apps, tap the settings icon on the Android TV home screen. Go to Apps to open the sideloaded app. Or you can download the Sideload Launcher app, which contains all the apps on your Android TV.