10 common Android TV questions

Having trouble using the Android TV? This might help.

By GizBot Bureau

| Updated: Thursday, June 14, 2018, 10:09 [IST]

Android TV Boxes are not exactly like other set-top streaming devices, because unlike Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV, it is not on a top-down developmental model. It is managed by Google and is a TV entertainment platform based on Android. This is distributed among third-party OEMs which in turn are given free reign to tweak and customize Android TV as they see fit. And because of this, there is a lot of diversity in the set-top boxes available through NVIDIA, Xiaomi and more.

And there is a lot of questions that pop up when you start using it, the answers to some of the more frequently-asked questions have been listed and answered below.

How do you close Apps?

In order to close the apps, you can hold or double-tap the Home button on your device, select the app which you want to close and then click on the X icon.

You can also go to Settings and then access Apps and then click on the [App Name] and then Force Stop.

How do you update Kodi?

If Kodi was installed on your Android TV box from the Play Store, you can install any updates from the store itself. However, if you got the official APK from Kodi's website, you will have to download a new APK file and sideload it.

How to install Chrome?

The Android TV version of the Google Play Store has plenty of browsers which you can use to access the web. Unfortunately, Google Chrome is not available here. But you can still install it on your device.

You can either use your voice to install it if your set-top box is voice-enabled or you can also send the app to your device by using the Google Play Store on a desktop or a laptop.

How to watch Live TV?

In addition to the hundreds of illegal apps that allow you to watch illegal streams of the most popular networks. You also have great apps available in the store like Kodi which allow you to watch Live TV.

How to reboot Android TV?

You can scroll down to the bottom of the home page and select the Power icon, then click on Restart. You can also do the following: Settings>Devices>About>Restart

You can also hold the back button on your remote for a few seconds to access the shutdown menu.

How to install an APK file?

You can install the APK files that you get your hands on by first uploading it to either Google Drive or Dropbox. You will need to install the ES file explorer and then go to Network>Cloud in the menu and select either Google Drive or Dropbox and enter your information and then locate your APK file and install it.

How do you mirror a screen?

You can either use the Chromecast functionality or rely on a third-party streaming app like Screen Stream Mirroring Free in order to stream your content.

Are Android TV Boxes legal?

Despite drawing a lot of criticism from copyright lawyers, there is nothing illegal about Android Boxes. You're not doing anything wrong as long as you don't use Kodi add-ons to watch pirated versions of TV shows.

Vivo X21 review

How do you install apps?

The version of Google Play Store that is available for Android TV Boxes shows only content that is compatible with the TV. The procedure you have to follow in order to install the apps is similar to that which is used when using it on your phone.