Here’s how to sideload apps on Android TV

• Yu may not find some apps in Google Play Store of your Android TV.
• To use such apps, you will need to sideload them to your TV.
• SIdeloading of apps can be done by using an Android smartphone or by using the cloud storage.
• Follow the steps given below to sideload apps with ease on your Android TV.

Android TV is a preferred Smart TV for many people as it offers the ease of using a vast set of applications just like Android smartphones. You can download most applications from Google’s Play Store. However, if the app you wish to download is not available in the Play Store, you will have to sideload them.

Sideloading of applications can be done using two different methods — by using Android phone and cloud. You just have to follow the steps for each of these methods to download any application that’s not available in the Play Store of your Android TV.

Here’s how to sideload apps using Android smartphone

If you have an Android smartphone, it’s easier to sideload apps. Here’s how to do it.

• On your Android phone, download the APK file of the app you want to sideload on your Android TV.
• Then install the Send Files to TV application on both your Android TV and Android phone from Google Play Store.
• After installation, open the app on both your mobile phone and TV.
• On your TV, select the “Receive” option.
• And on your phone, select the “Send” option.
• Now, find the APK file of the application that you wish to send on your phone.
• Select the APK file and send it by finding the name of your Android TV.
• This will allow the Android TV to receive the APK file.

After receiving the file, you will have to follow the steps below to be able to use the app on your TV.

• Download the File Commander app from the Play Store on your TV.
• Open the File Commander app and select the Internal Storage option.
• Here, you will find the APK file of the app you received from your mobile phone in the Downloads folder.
• Tap on the file and select the Install option. This will begin the installation process. Sometimes you may find a prompt saying the app is from an unknown source. You will have to enable the Unknown Sources option by going to the settings.
• Once the installation completes, you can use the application on your Android TV.

Here’s how to sideload apps via cloud

You can also sideload apps by using cloud storages such as GoogleDrive, OneDrive or Dropbox. Here’s how to do it.

• Download the APK file of the desired app on your smartphone and upload it to a cloud storage, say Google Drive.
• Now download and open the File Commander application on your TV.
• Now, head to the menu and select the Add Cloud option.
• Select Google Drive and then log on to your account where you uploaded the APK to access the file. If prompted, choose Allow to grant permission.
• Now, you will be able to find the APK file of the app.
• Click on the APK file and you’ll a message saying “Staging app”.
• The app will begin installing the app. If prompted with a message that the app is from an unknown source. You will have to enable the Unknown Sources option by going to the settings.
• Once the installation is complete, you can start using the app on your TV.

Similarly you should be able to use other cloud services like Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive to sideload apps on your Android TV.
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