How to change the default launcher on Google TV and Android TV
Installing a launcher is easy; making the Home button open it is the hard part. Here are the methods that work in 2026, from easiest to most complete.
Short answer
Google TV has no setting to choose a home app. Use a launcher that overrides the Home button, or connect over ADB and run adb shell cmd package set-home-activity <package/activity> (Android 10+), then press Home to check. If the TV still opens the stock launcher, its firmware gives the stock launcher priority; disabling com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx after the new launcher works is the last resort. TVHomeX does these steps from an iPhone and keeps a restore point.
Before you start
- Install the launcher you want and open it once from the apps list.
- Switch on developer options and debugging if you’ll use ADB.
- Write down what you change so you can undo it.
Method 1: the TV’s own setting (some Android TV models)
Some older Android TV sets ask which home app to use the first time you press Home after installing a launcher, or offer a Home app option under Settings > Apps > Default apps. If you see it, pick the new launcher and choose Always.
Method 2: a launcher with Home-button override
Launchers such as Projectivy offer an option that uses an accessibility service to open themselves when the stock home screen appears. It needs no computer, but there is a brief flash of the old home screen, and updates can break it.
Method 3: set the home activity over ADB
adb shell cmd package query-activities --brief -a android.intent.action.MAIN -c android.intent.category.HOME
adb shell cmd package set-home-activity com.example.launcher/.MainActivity
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_HOMEOn Android 10 and later you can also grant the Home role: adb shell cmd role add-role-holder android.app.role.HOME com.example.launcher. Always press Home afterwards; a successful command doesn’t guarantee the TV will use it.
Method 4: disable the stock launcher (last resort)
Some firmware gives the stock launcher a higher priority than any app, so Home keeps opening it. Disabling it (pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx on Google TV) forces the new launcher. Do this only after the new launcher opens correctly, and keep the restore command handy: adb shell pm enable com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx.
The easy way: TVHomeX from your iPhone
TVHomeX reads the TV’s Home candidates and priorities, sets the home activity, verifies with a real Home press and on Android 10+ uses the Home role. If the stock launcher still wins, it tells you instead of claiming success, and offers an optional compatibility mode that turns off the stock launcher with a saved restore point. “Restore the original home screen” undoes everything.
Questions people ask
Why does my TV keep going back to the Google TV home screen?
The firmware gives the stock launcher priority. Use an override, set the home activity over ADB, or as a last resort disable the stock launcher.
Can I change the launcher on Fire TV?
Fire OS generally doesn’t allow a third-party launcher to become the default home screen.
Official sources
Written and checked by BiHai Song, developer of TVHomeX and TVRemoteX