Earlier this year Google unveiled another attempt to take over your living room. Android TV was first shown off at I/O 2014 and the first set-top box to run it is the Nexus Player which will soon go on sale at the Google Play Store. Even though Android TV is a software that’s meant for smart TVs and streaming media boxes, it has Android underneath after all, which means that there are countless possibilities of tinkering with it.
By default, Android TV does not allow users to install applications that have not been optimized for it. Which means one cannot install an app meant for an Android smartphone or tablet on Android TV if it has not been optimized.
This being Android though always leaves the door open for sideloading applications. It is possible to sideload just about any app meant for Google’s operating system on Android TV but there’s one caveat. The default Leanback Launcher will not list sideloaded applications.
Worry out, Chainfire of SuperSu fame is here to save the day. He has developed an app called Sideload Launcher which allows the Android TV device to show sideloaded applications in the launcher and let users fire them up.
Obviously to use the Sideload Launcher application one requires either an ADT-1 or a Nexus Player. The latter will soon be available for purchase in the market.
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