How to remove ads from the Google TV home screen
Google TV’s home screen mixes your apps with recommendations, a sponsored banner and promoted shows. Here are four ways to quiet it down, from a built-in setting to replacing the home screen entirely.
Short answer
The quickest fix is Apps only mode (Settings > Accounts & profiles > your account > Apps only mode), which removes recommendation rows but keeps a promotional banner and turns off Google Assistant features. To remove the banner too, replace the home screen with an ad-free launcher such as TVHomeX or Projectivy, and on supported devices turn off the stock launcher over ADB. Ads inside YouTube and other apps are not affected.
Where Google TV ads come from
The sponsored banner, “Top picks” and promoted rows are part of the Google TV home app and its content services. Some manufacturers add their own content launcher on top, such as Xiaomi’s PatchWall. That’s why one setting rarely removes everything.
| Method | Removes | Keeps | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps only mode | Recommendation rows | Promo banner; Assistant and some features off | 1 minute |
| Hide individual items | Specific titles | Everything else | Ongoing |
| Custom launcher | Banner and rows (when set as Home) | Ads inside apps | 10 minutes |
| Disable services over ADB | The stock home app and ad services | Ads inside apps | 15 minutes |
1. Turn on Apps only mode
- Open SettingsSelect the gear icon at the top right of the home screen.
- Go to Accounts & profilesChoose your Google account.
- Switch on Apps only modeConfirm. The home screen now shows your apps and a smaller promotional area.
Trade-off: Apps only mode also turns off Google Assistant and personalized features, and a promotional banner stays at the top.
2. Hide titles you don’t want
Highlight a recommendation, press and hold OK, and choose to hide it or say you’re not interested. TCL documents this for its Google TV models. It helps a little but doesn’t stop new promotions.
3. Replace the home screen with an ad-free launcher
A launcher replaces the whole home screen. Options include Projectivy Launcher (installed on the TV from Google Play) and TVHomeX (installed and configured from your iPhone). The catch: Google TV doesn’t offer a menu to choose a default home app, so launchers either intercept the Home button with an accessibility service or set themselves as Home over ADB. A 2026 Google TV update was reported to stop some launchers from overriding Home automatically.
TVHomeX sets the home activity over ADB, checks with a real Home-button press, and on Android 10 and later also uses the system Home role. If the TV still prefers the stock launcher, TVHomeX tells you and can run as a normal app instead. See how to change the default launcher.
4. Turn off the ad services over ADB
Advanced users can turn off the stock Google TV home app (com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx) and related recommendation services, but only after another launcher is working as Home. Otherwise the TV may show a blank screen when you press Home. TVHomeX’s optional compatibility mode does this with a saved restore point and checks the result with a real Home press.
What none of these remove
Ads inside YouTube, free streaming channels and other apps are served by those apps. Some sets also show ads in their screensaver; check the TV’s Ambient mode or screensaver settings.
Questions people ask
Can you turn off ads on Google TV completely?
Not with a single setting. Apps only mode removes most recommendations; a replacement launcher removes the home screen banner too. In-app ads remain.
Does Apps only mode remove the banner?
No. A promotional area stays at the top of the home screen in Apps only mode.
Is it legal to use a custom launcher on Google TV?
Yes. Installing a launcher and using developer options are standard Android features. Check your device’s warranty terms if you are unsure.
Official sources
Written and checked by BiHai Song, developer of TVHomeX and TVRemoteX