🔴BEST ANDROID TV CUSTOM LAUNCHER 2024

TechDoctorUK
13 May 202410:59

TLDRIn search of the best custom launcher for your Android TV device to enhance your user experience? The video introduces the Project IV Launcher, a solution that allows for a more personalized and ad-free interface. With this launcher, users can create custom sections, hide unwanted apps, and fully customize their home screen with wallpapers and grid layouts. The launcher also offers the ability to adjust tile sizes and sorting preferences, ensuring a tailored experience. To set it as the default, the video provides a step-by-step guide, including enabling necessary permissions and adjusting accessibility settings. The Project IV Launcher is available on the Play Store, offering a premium version for additional features. The video concludes with a call to action to visit tech.com for more tutorials on customizing Android TV devices.

Takeaways

  • 🔍 **Best Custom Launcher for Android TV**: The video discusses the best custom launcher for Android TV devices that offers a personalized home screen experience without ads.
  • 🚀 **Instant Customization**: Upon pressing the home button on the 4K device, the user is taken to a custom launcher that allows for app organization and customization.
  • 🌟 **Custom Sections**: Users can create custom sections or categories for their applications, such as 'Streaming' or 'Utilities', to better organize their home screen.
  • 🛠️ **App Management**: The launcher allows users to manage which apps appear in each category, providing more control over the home screen layout.
  • 🧩 **Grid Customization**: Users can adjust the grid layout, including the number of cards and their size, to suit their preferences.
  • 🔄 **Dynamic Highlighting**: The launcher dynamically changes the color of app highlights when hovered over, adding a visual appeal to the interface.
  • 📱 **Adjustable Tile Sizes**: The size and corner rounding of app tiles can be customized for a more personalized look.
  • 🖼️ **Wallpaper Customization**: The launcher offers options to customize the wallpaper, including dynamic colors and integration with Reddit for a wide selection of images.
  • 🔗 **Accessibility Features**: The launcher can be set as the default home screen, ensuring users stay within the custom interface even after opening apps.
  • 📲 **Easy Setup**: The process of setting up and customizing the launcher is straightforward, requiring no special commands or additional installations.
  • 🌐 **Availability**: The Project IV Launcher is available on the Play Store and can be easily searched and installed for Android TV devices.

Q & A

  • What is the main purpose of a custom launcher for Android TV devices?

    -The main purpose of a custom launcher for Android TV devices is to provide a more personalized and clutter-free user interface, allowing users to hide unwanted applications, remove advertisements, and customize their home screen with features like custom wallpapers, folders, and app organization.

  • What are some of the customizations available with the Project IV Launcher?

    -With the Project IV Launcher, users can create custom sections, organize apps into categories, hide unwanted apps, choose from different grid layouts, adjust tile sizes, customize the sorting order of apps, and change the appearance of the launcher including dynamic color themes and wallpaper options.

  • How can users ensure that the custom launcher is always used instead of the default Android TV launcher?

    -To ensure that the custom launcher is always used, users can go to the launcher settings, select 'General', and then choose 'Change default launcher'. After selecting the Project IV Launcher, they should enable 'Override current launcher' and ensure that the Project IV Launcher is enabled in the 'Accessibility Services' settings.

  • What is the benefit of using a custom launcher like Project IV Launcher over the default Android TV launcher?

    -The benefit of using a custom launcher like Project IV Launcher is that it provides a more streamlined and personalized user experience. It allows users to remove unwanted ads, organize apps more efficiently, and customize the look and feel of their Android TV interface to suit their preferences without the need for additional installations or complex commands.

  • How can users add or remove applications from a custom category in the Project IV Launcher?

    -Users can add or remove applications from a custom category by going to the 'Edit categories' option in the launcher settings. They can then select 'Manage apps' within a category to choose which applications are included. To remove an app from a category, simply deselect it from the list.

  • What are the steps to set the Project IV Launcher as the default launcher on an Android TV device?

    -To set the Project IV Launcher as the default launcher, go to the launcher settings, then 'General', and click on 'Change default launcher'. Choose 'Project Ivy' and set it as the default. After that, go back to 'General', click on 'Override current launcher', and confirm the action. Finally, in 'Accessibility Services', enable the Project IV Launcher option.

  • How can users adjust the visual appearance of the tiles in the Project IV Launcher?

    -Users can adjust the visual appearance of the tiles by going to the 'Project IV Launcher settings', then 'Appearance', and selecting 'Card'. Here, they can change the corner radius for rounded edges, adjust the card size, and modify the focus card size to make the selected tile larger.

  • What are the different wallpaper options available in the Project IV Launcher?

    -The Project IV Launcher offers various wallpaper options, including dynamic colors, default wallpaper, and the ability to choose from specific subreddits on Reddit for wallpapers, such as Earth, astrophotography, wallpapers, big wallpaper, and botanical options.

  • How can users ensure they do not see unwanted advertisements on their Android TV home screen?

    -By using a custom launcher like Project IV Launcher, users can avoid seeing unwanted advertisements on their Android TV home screen. The custom launcher does not display the sponsored content and ads that are typically found on the default Android TV launcher.

  • What is the process for customizing the grid layout of applications in the Project IV Launcher?

    -To customize the grid layout, users can go to 'Edit categories' in the launcher settings, select 'Manage apps', and choose which apps to include in the category. They can then adjust the grid layout by setting the number of cards in the grid and choosing the tile size, such as extra small, small, or large.

  • How can users sort the applications within a custom category in the Project IV Launcher?

    -Users can sort applications within a custom category by going to the 'Edit categories' section in the launcher settings. There, they can select 'Sorting' and choose from options like custom order, alphabetical, random, or most recently used.

Outlines

00:00

📺 Customizing Your Android TV Home Screen with a New Launcher

This segment introduces the benefits of using a custom launcher for Android TV to enhance user experience by avoiding ads, speeding up navigation, and personalizing the home screen. The launcher, referred to as 'Project IV,' allows for customized backgrounds, folders, and application visibility. The narrator provides a step-by-step tutorial on setting up the launcher, customizing categories and application grids, and adjusting settings to ensure the launcher replaces the default one every time the home button is pressed.

05:00

🛠 Advanced Customization and Setup of Android TV Launcher

Continuing from the previous setup, this part delves deeper into customizing the Android TV launcher. It covers adjusting the visibility and order of various app categories, personalizing the home screen tiles, and setting up dynamic wallpapers from different sources including Reddit. The video explains how to ensure the custom launcher remains default by modifying system settings, demonstrating the ease and flexibility of configuring the home screen to user preferences without needing complex commands or additional software.

10:02

🌐 Installing the Custom Launcher from the Play Store

In the final segment, the focus shifts to downloading and installing the 'Project IV' launcher from the Play Store. The narrator highlights the simplicity of finding and installing the launcher using voice commands or manual search. Additionally, there is a mention of availability for other devices, such as the Firestick, and a promise of tutorial availability on the narrator’s website, encouraging viewer interaction and feedback on the launcher’s performance and features.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Android TV

Android TV refers to a version of the Google-developed Android operating system designed for television sets. The video discusses customizing the Android TV user interface to improve functionality and aesthetics, such as using different launchers to manage applications and enhance user experience by minimizing ads and maximizing personalization.

💡custom launcher

A custom launcher in the context of Android TV is an application that modifies the home screen's layout and behavior, providing alternatives to the default system. The video specifically introduces 'Project IV Launcher' as a means to customize wallpapers, application grids, and overall aesthetics, offering a tailored user interface free from intrusive advertisements and sluggish performance.

💡Project IV Launcher

Project IV Launcher is presented as a solution for customizing Android TV's interface. It allows for significant modifications such as custom categories, application hiding, and aesthetic changes, which are all detailed in the video. The launcher is appreciated for its ease of setup and the ability not to revert to the default screen when hitting the home button, ensuring a continuous custom experience.

💡categories

Within the Project IV Launcher, 'categories' refers to customizable sections on the home screen where apps can be organized according to user preference. The video demonstrates creating categories like 'Streaming' and 'Utils', showing how users can categorize apps for more efficient access and a streamlined interface.

💡wallpapers

Wallpapers in the context of the video refer to the background images on the home screen of an Android TV. The Project IV Launcher allows dynamic changes and customization of wallpapers sourced from various online communities, such as Reddit. This feature enhances the visual appeal and personalization of the device.

💡dynamic colors

Dynamic colors are mentioned in the video as a feature of the Project IV Launcher that enables the launcher to automatically adjust the home screen's color scheme based on the current wallpaper. This allows for a more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing user interface.

💡override default launcher

The ability to override the default launcher means setting a custom launcher like Project IV as the primary interface that appears when the home button is pressed. This feature is significant for users wanting to permanently shift away from the stock Android TV launcher, which may be laden with ads and less responsive, as discussed in the video.

💡Reddit

In the video, Reddit is used as a source for downloading wallpapers for the Project IV Launcher. Users can select different subreddits to automatically fetch images that will be used as dynamic wallpapers, enriching the customization process of the Android TV home screen.

💡accessibility settings

Accessibility settings are adjustments that enhance device usage for individuals with disabilities. In the video, these settings are manipulated to ensure the Project IV Launcher remains the default user interface even after rebooting the device, highlighting its comprehensive customization capabilities.

💡home button

The home button on Android TV devices typically brings the user back to the default launcher home screen. However, the video explains how to configure the Project IV Launcher to ensure that pressing the home button directs the user to this custom launcher instead, enhancing usability and maintaining the personalized environment consistently.

Highlights

Looking for the best custom launcher for Android TV to avoid large home screen adverts and a slow UI.

Customization options include custom wallpapers, folders, and the ability to hide applications.

The Project IV Launcher is recommended for a clean, ad-free, and responsive home screen experience.

Create custom sections by editing categories and channels within the launcher.

Easily add applications to custom categories for an organized home screen.

Adjust the grid layout and tile size for a personalized appearance.

Sort apps by usage frequency for easy access to most-used applications.

Hide or show categories to tailor the home screen to your preferences.

Change the order of categories for a customized layout.

Dynamically change the color of app highlights for a visually appealing interface.

Customize the wallpaper with dynamic colors or choose from a variety of sources like Reddit.

Premium features are available for those who wish to support the developer.

Adjust the appearance of individual tiles, including corner roundness and size.

Set the Project IV Launcher as the default to prevent returning to the stock launcher.

Use accessibility services to ensure the custom launcher remains active after pressing the home button.

No need for ADB commands or additional installations to override the stock launcher.

Available on the Play Store for easy installation on Android TV devices.

The tutorial also provides instructions on how to get the Project IV Launcher on other devices.