So, you’ve got yourself a brand new Android TV that you need to set up from scratch. Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basic setup process for Android TVs. Unlike Android on smartphones, there’s not much software segregation on Android TV devices. If you learn how to set up and use one, you’ve learned how to set up all of them.
Besides showing you where things are on your Android TV and how to use its various features, we’ll also help you with a list of apps you might want to download to get the most out of your Android TV.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at how to set up a new Android TV.
Android TV: Pre-setup requirements
Before you start setting up your Android TV, you need to make a note of a few things that you will need. Check that you have the following:
- A Wi-Fi internet connection
- A Google account
If your TV doesn’t have Android TV built-in, you’ll need:
- An external Android TV device
- One TV or monitor that has HDMI ports and supports High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP)
- One HDMI cable (usually provided within the box)
If you have all these prerequisites in place, you are now ready to start setting up your new Android TV. These are three ways you can do that: using your Android phone, using your Android TV remote, or using your computer.
Related: The best Android TV boxes you can get
We’ll detail all those methods bellow. If you’ve already completed the initial set up of your Android TV and want to jump straight to the other sections, you can do so by choosing the appropriate option from the menu on the left.
Initial Setup
Step 1. Turn on your Android TV and pair the remote
Every Android TV has a different process for pairing a remote, and that’s the first thing you’ll have to do when you turn on your TV. By default, most Android TV remotes can only turn on/off your device using an IR connection. A Bluetooth connection is required for every other feature. Follow the steps below to pair your Android TV with its remote.
- Turn on your Android TV or monitor attached to Android TV device.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to pair your remote.
- When the remote connects to the TV, you’ll see a checkmark on the screen.
Step 2. Android TV setup
Once you’ve paired your remote, you will get an option to quickly set up your Android TV using your Android phone or tablet. If you select this option, you can transfer account and network details from your Android device to your TV with a few simple clicks. You can skip this option to complete the setup using the remote. You can also set up your Android TV using your computer. Check out the instructions for all the three different methods below.
How to set up an Android TV using an Android phone?
- When your TV says, “Quickly set up your TV with your Android phone?� use your remote and select Yes.
- On your Android phone, open the pre-installed Google app.
- Type or say, “Set up my device.�
- Follow the instructions on your phone until you see a code. Make sure the same code shows up on your TV.
- On your phone, tap the name of your TV when it shows up.
- To finish setup, follow the instructions on your TV.​
How to set up an Android TV using the remote?
- When your TV says, “Quickly set up your TV with your Android phone?� use your remote to choose Skip.
- Connect to Wi-Fi.
- You might need to wait for the system to update.
- Choose Sign in and then use your remote.
- Sign in to your Google Account (you can also skip this step and do it later).
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup.
How to set up Android TV using a computer?
- When your TV says, “Quickly set up your TV with your Android phone?� use your remote to choose Skip.
- Connect to the same Wi-Fi network as your smartphone or computer.
- On your TV, choose Sign in and then use your computer.
- Sign in to your Google Account.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
Check for software and app updates
If you’ve completed the steps above, you should be all set to start using your Android TV. The first thing you want to do is check for software updates. To do this head to Settings (gear icon) > Device Preferences > About > System Update.
The latest Android TV version is Android 9 Pie. This should be the software running on most Android TVs right now. If you have a really old Android TV, it might still be stuck on Android 8.0 Oreo, however. If that’s the case, you’ll have to wait for your Android TV OEM to roll out the latest software version. Google has also announced the Android 10 and Android 11 updates for Android TV, but it could be ages before they start rolling out widely.
Just to give you some sense of how slow Android TV updates are rolled out, Android TVs only started getting Android 9 at the end of 2019. So, you can expect Android 10 to rollout sometime around the end of 2020, or even later.
Also read: The best media streaming devices you can buy
App updates are also something you should check for when you first start using your Android TV. You will find several major streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and others, pre-installed on your Android TV. Before you start using them, you can check for app updates by heading to the Google Play Store on your Android TV.
The Play Store is located in the top row of your Android TV homepage. Alternatively, you can find it in the Apps channel on the left side of your home screen.
To update all apps, select Google Play Store, then navigate to the My Apps section on top and click on Update All.
To set apps on auto-update, head to the Settings (gear icon) withing Google Play Store > Auto-update apps > Auto-update apps at any time.
Where things are on your Android TV
The interface
The Android TV UI is pretty simple to navigate. You’ll find all the default channels on the left side of your home screen, such as apps, Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Music, Amazon Prime Video, and more.
On the row beside each channel, you’ll see suggestions for that category. For instance, the apps channel will display suggestions for downloaded apps on your Android TV, the Netflix channel will show streaming suggestions, and so on. We’ll tell you more about customizing these channels below.
Also read: The very best movies on Netflix: Action, comedy, drama, and more
If you’re looking for your TV settings to personalize and adjust things like the picture quality, sound, app permissions, Bluetooth connections, etc, you need to head to the main settings menu. You’ll find the familiar gear icon for your Android TV’s settings on the top right corner of your home screen. Here, you can navigate to all the hardware settings and device preferences for your Android TV device.
One thing to note about the Android TV interface is that it’ll be replaced by the new Google TV for Android interface in the future. Google launched the new UI with its latest Chromecast and has promised to upgrade smart TVs with the same soon. You can read more about Google TV for Android and the new Chromecast UI here.
Home-screen customizations
If you don’t like the way your Android TV’s home screen is arranged, you can change the channels you see by default and rearrange the home screen apps.
To add or remove existing channels — the icons on the left of your home screen — scroll right to the bottom of the home screen. Here, you’ll see an option called Customize Your Channels. Tap on it to rearrange your preferences.
To re-order apps and adjust autoplay settings for previews that you see on your home screen, navigate to Settings > Device Preferences. Here, you’ll find options to enable/disable video and audio previews as well as rearrange apps for your Android TV’s home screen.
Google Assistant and voice search
Most Android TV remotes these days come with a dedicated Google Assistant button for voice search and navigation. Google Assistant is built into your Android TV, and you can activate it by pressing the Assistant or microphone button on your remote. To make sure the Assistant can hear you, speak into the microphone on your remote. Some premium Android TVs also let you summon Google Assistant with the “Ok, Google� or “Hey, Google� wake words that you’d use on a smart speaker.
Also read: Google Assistant guide: Make the most of your virtual assistant
You can ask Google Assistant to quickly find and play your favorite shows, get answers from the internet, and control your smart home devices. It can even control playback and volume as well as switch off your Android TV with voice commands. You will find a full list of what you can ask Google Assistant here.
Chromecast
If you have an Android TV, you can cast content such as photos and videos from your phone, tablet, or laptop to your TV screen. In this way, your phone acts as a remote control for the content that you are watching on your TV. To do this, your phone or any other casting device should be on the same Wi-Fi network as your TV. Once you’ve ensured that, you can follow the steps below to use Chromecast on your Android TV.
- Open the app that has the content you want to cast.
- In the app, find the cast icon that looks like a rectangle with a Wi-Fi symbol in one corner.
- Once you find the cast icon, tap on it, and choose the name of your TV.
- When the cast icon changes color, it means you are successfully connected to your TV.
- You should now be able to see your media on it.
If you have trouble casting, follow the steps below to make sure it’s enabled on your Android TV.
- On your remote, press the home button.
- On your TV, at the top right, select Settings.
- Select Apps.
- Under System apps, select Google Cast Receiver.
- Check that it’s turned on.
Google also introduced a new Android TV feature called Cast Connect in August 2020. Cast Connect goes beyond the traditional Chromecast capabilities and also allows you to control casted content on your TV using the remote. Currently, Cast Connect isn’t available widely. Google is working with app developers to add the feature to their respective apps. For now, only CBS and Australian streaming service Stan have launched Cast Connect.
Android TV setup: Apps to get started
Your Android TV comes pre-loaded with various popular streaming apps, so you won’t need to install things like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. You also get Google Play Music (soon to become YouTube Music), Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Games pre-installed. Having all these apps already in there is great, but you might want to consider installing the below-mentioned apps to get started with your Android TV.
VLC for Android
VLC is a great video and audio player, which supports a wide range of formats. It’s an excellent app to have on your Android TV if you want to play media files from an external source like a USB pen drive or hard disk.
Plex
Plex is one of the best Android TV apps you can get. It organizes all your personal media, including photos, music, movies, shows, and more, and presents it in a simple, easy to navigate UI. Of course, you can also stream all that media from within the app. But that’s not all that Plex is all about. The app also gives you free access to dozens of HD over-the-air broadcast channels for free. In the US, these free channels include networks like CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS plus, and many more. Plex also features ad-supported video-on-demand content, which it has now expanded with a partnership with Crackle. This means you can stream the entire Crackle library using the app.
Kodi
Do you have media content sitting on a hard disk or USB drive? Then Kodi is the app to get for your Android TV. It is an open-source, cross-platform Home theater PC (HTPC) software that works for both local and network storage services. It supports a vast variety of formats across both audio and video files, so you can use it to play just about anything. Kodi can also automatically add posters, trailers, fan covers, and more to items in your media library. If you’re looking to stream your photos, you can import them to Kodi, and it will set up an image library for you. Additionally, Kodi allows you to install third-party plugins that may provide access to content, which is not always legal.
Steam Link
With the Steam Link app on Android TV and a good internet connection, you can easily stream your Steam games directly to your TV at up to a 4K resolution at 60fps. You can check out all the games optimized for remote play on your Android TV here.
Google Drive via Send files to TV
If you have media such as photos or videos stored on your Google Drive and want to access it on a big screen, you can just download the Google Drive app on your Android TV. Sadly, the Google Drive app is not available through the Google Play store for Android TVs. However, you can always sideload the APK file by installing the Send files to TV app on your smartphone and television. This way, you can transfer the Google Drive APK file from your phone to your TV in a jiffy.
There are various other apps you can download to enhance your Android TV experience besides the starter apps mentioned above. Check out our list of the 10 best Android TV apps to get the most out of your TV.
Frequently asked questions about Android TV setup
Q: How to reset an old Android TV before setup?
If you have a pre-owned Android TV and want to set it up from scratch, you can do this by resetting it. On an Android TV with Android 8, head to the Home screen > Settings (gear icon) > Storage & reset > Factory data reset. Once you press this, you can follow the on-screen instructions to reset your Android TV.
If you have an Android TV with Android 9 Pie, head to Home screen > Settings (gear icon) > Device preferences > Reset
Q: How to set up a parental lock on your Android TV?
You can set up a PIN lock on your Android TV with granular restrictions based on content ratings, timings, and more. To do this, head to Home screen > Settings (gear icon) > Parental control.
Q: How to add another Google account on an Android TV?
You can add more than one Google account to your Android TV. To do this head to Home screen > Settings (gear icon) > Accounts and Sign-in > Add account.Â
Q: How to change the screensaver settings on Android TV?
You can tweak screen saver settings on your Android TV to show Chromecast wallpapers or colors when your TV is idle. To do this, head to Home screen > Settings (gear icon) > Device preferences > Screen saver.Â
You can also make your own photos from the Google Photos app appear as screen savers on your Android TV. To do this, head to the My Apps section on your Android TV and look for an app called Backdrop Daydream. Make sure this app is updated.
Now, head to the Google Home app and tap on the name of your TV. You’ll see an interface that lets you control your Android TV’s volume. On the top right corner, tap on the Settings button (gear icon). Tap Ambient Mode. Here’ you should see three options to choose from — Art Gallery, Experimental, and Google Photos. Tap on the Google Photos option to set your photos as screensavers.
Q: How to control Android TV with a smartphone?
Head here to our step-by-step guide to know how you can use your phone to control your Android TV.
That’s everything you need to know about Android TV setup! To know more about Android TVs and related devices, head here to our comprehensive Android TV buyer’s guide.