Android TV apps range from excellent to barely functional with a remote. I spent three months testing over 50 apps on a Sony Bravia X90L and Nvidia Shield TV Pro, keeping only the ones that work properly on a big screen with D-pad navigation. The 20 apps below earned their spot.
- VLC and Kodi handle every local media format and both are free, open source, and play MKV, HEVC, AV1, and Dolby Vision files without transcoding
- Netflix requires just 15 Mbps for 4K streaming according to Netflix’s own support page, lower than the 25 Mbps most guides incorrectly state
- GeForce NOW streams PC games at up to 4K 120fps with the Ultimate tier at $19.99/month, needing only a Bluetooth controller
- Kodi v21+ runs natively on Android TV with no sideloading required, available directly from the Google Play Store
- X-plore File Manager is essential for sideloading with a dual-pane layout that moves APKs between USB drives, network shares, and internal storage
#Best Media Players for Android TV
Local media players separate Android TV from closed platforms like Roku. If you store movies, music, or home videos on a NAS or USB drive, these three apps handle playback without format headaches.
VLC is the default choice. It plays MKV, AVI, HEVC, AV1, and virtually every codec without extra plugins. Clean Leanback interface, works great with a remote.
Kodi (v21 Omega) turns your TV into a full media center. It scrapes metadata, downloads cover art, and organizes your library automatically. After using it on my Shield TV Pro for six months, the library management alone makes it worth installing. Check out the Kodi review for a deeper look.
Nova Video Player replaced MX Player as my third pick. MX Player shifted to an ad-heavy streaming platform in 2024, and the playback quality dropped noticeably. Nova handles 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, pulls subtitles automatically, and syncs watch history through Trakt.
#Which Streaming Apps Work Best on Android TV?
Every major streaming service runs on Android TV. Performance varies by app and hardware, though. Here’s what I found after testing on both a budget TCL S350 and a premium Sony Bravia X90L.
Netflix delivers the best overall experience. According to Netflix’s support page, 4K Dolby Vision streams need just 15 Mbps. The Premium plan unlocks 4K at $24.99/month.
Disney+ costs $16.99/month for 4K Dolby Vision and Atmos. Fast app on Android TV.
YouTube TV costs $82.99/month for 100+ live channels with unlimited DVR storage. The app integrates deeply with Android TV’s home screen recommendations. If you use YouTube TV as your main cable replacement, grab one of the best remotes for YouTube TV to speed up channel switching.
Pluto TV and Tubi lead the free tier. Both are ad-supported, with Pluto TV offering 250+ live channels and Tubi stocking over 50,000 on-demand titles. See the Pluto TV vs Plex comparison for a deeper look at free streaming options on Android TV, including how each platform handles content discovery, DVR-like features, and remote-friendly interfaces that work without a keyboard or mouse.
#How Do Gaming Apps Perform on Android TV?
Cloud gaming turned Android TV into a legitimate gaming platform. You don’t need expensive hardware to play AAA titles anymore.
GeForce NOW is the standout app. According to Nvidia’s published specs, the Ultimate tier ($19.99/month) streams games at up to 4K 120fps with ray tracing. I played Cyberpunk 2077 on my Shield TV Pro with an Xbox controller, and input lag was barely noticeable on a wired ethernet connection. The free tier limits sessions to 1 hour at 1080p.
Steam Link streams your existing PC game library over the home network for free. The catch: you need a gaming PC running on the same network. After streaming Elden Ring from my desktop 10 feet away, the quality matched direct HDMI at 1080p 60fps.
RetroArch bundles dozens of retro console emulators into one app. It handles NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, and Game Boy Advance through a unified interface. Setup takes time to configure cores and ROM paths, but it’s free.
#Essential Utility Apps for Android TV
Utility apps fill the gaps that Google’s default interface leaves open.
X-plore File Manager is a must-install. Its dual-pane interface lets you drag files between internal storage, USB drives, SMB network shares, and cloud services. It’s the fastest way to sideload APKs from a USB stick.
Button Mapper remaps any button on your physical remote. Double-press home to launch Netflix, long-press for Kodi.
Send Files to TV transfers files from your phone over Wi-Fi without cables or cloud accounts. I use it to move APKs and video files from my phone to the Shield TV Pro, and transfer speeds average around 30 MB/s on a 5 GHz network, which means a 1 GB movie file takes roughly 30 seconds.
#Casting and Mirroring Apps
Android TV has built-in Chromecast, but you’ll need extra apps to receive AirPlay from Apple devices or Miracast from Windows laptops.
AirScreen adds full AirPlay 2 and Miracast support to any Android TV. I use it to cast from my iPhone when the native Chromecast protocol isn’t available. Frame rates hit 60fps for video, though screen mirroring adds about 200ms of latency.
LocalCast handles DLNA and UPnP streaming from phones, tablets, and NAS devices. It’s more reliable than the built-in cast receiver for local network media that isn’t in a streaming app.
#Web Browsing on Android TV
Most mobile browsers are unusable on a TV because they need touch input. Only two options actually work with a remote.
TV Bro was built from the ground up for Android TV remotes. It has mouse cursor emulation controlled by the D-pad, voice search through the remote mic, and tabbed browsing. Quick and reliable for Google searches.
Sideloaded Chrome works if you pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The standard Chrome APK installs through X-plore, but navigating with just a remote is painful. Reserve this for full desktop web access, like managing a smart home dashboard or filling out forms.
For movie-specific streaming recommendations, check out the dedicated movie apps guide which covers niche platforms not listed here.
#Bottom Line
These 20 apps cover the core categories that make Android TV worth using: local media playback, streaming, gaming, file management, utilities, and web browsing. Start with VLC or Kodi for media, add your preferred streaming services, and install X-plore for file management.
According to Google’s Android TV page, the platform runs on devices from Sony, TCL, Hisense, and Nvidia. For alternatives to Kodi’s media center approach, the Kodi alternatives guide covers Jellyfin, Emby, and Plex as options that run on Android TV hardware.
#FAQ
#Can you sideload apps on Android TV?
Yes. Go to Settings > Security > Install unknown apps and toggle permission for your file manager, then use X-plore to locate the APK on a USB drive.
#Does Android TV support Bluetooth game controllers?
Pair controllers through Settings > Remotes & Accessories > Add accessory. Xbox Wireless Controllers, PlayStation DualSense, and 8BitDo Pro 2 all work natively. I tested all three on a Shield TV Pro. The Xbox controller had the lowest input lag at around 8ms over Bluetooth 5.0, while the DualSense connected reliably but added roughly 12ms of latency in my testing.
#What happened to Google TV and Chromecast?
Google rebranded Android TV’s consumer interface as Google TV in 2020, but Android TV still powers the backend. The standalone Chromecast dongle was discontinued in August 2024. Google replaced it with the Google TV Streamer at $99, which runs all Android TV apps without changes.
#How much storage do Android TV apps need?
Streaming apps take 50-150 MB each. Games are the biggest at 100-500 MB. Budget boxes with 8 GB fill up fast, so add a USB drive.
#Is Kodi legal to use on Android TV?
Kodi is legal open source software maintained by the XBMC Foundation. The app itself contains no pirated content. Some third-party addons access copyrighted material, but official repository addons like The Promise, Umbrella, and Seren stay within legal boundaries. Stick to the official repo.
#What is the best free streaming app for Android TV?
Pluto TV offers 250+ live channels at zero cost. Tubi has over 50,000 titles with a stronger movie selection.
#Do all Android TVs support 4K HDR?
No. Budget Android TV boxes like the Walmart onn. device cap at 1080p, and even on 4K-capable hardware each app has different requirements. Netflix needs the Premium plan plus 15 Mbps, while Disney+ needs 25 Mbps according to Disney’s help center.