I have a Chromecast with Google TV 4K. I bought it a year and a half ago to replace an old Chromecast that struggled with larger files and newer video codecs. It does a good job as a Chromecast device. It is, however, more advanced that what I had before, a sort of “Google TV Streamer lite” with a limited version of Android. Unlike the old Chromecast, it comes with a remote control, lets us install some apps, and has a UI where we can interact with (all on top of the old Chromecast feature).
The main problem is the UI/launcher. I don’t know if it got worse with time or if I’m getting crankier, but it promotes a lot of content. I wouldn’t mind if it was from the apps/services I use, but it’s from apps/services that I don’t even have installed. Here’s an example, an ad for “Fallout S2”:
And here’s the second suggestion, a new series from the BBC:
Here’s the thing: I don’t want to sign up to new streaming services. A while ago, I also stopped paying for my TV licence (something we have here in the UK that essentially pays for the BBC) as I don’t watch live TV or watch BBC iPlayer content, so I’d be breaking the law if I was to watch some of their picks. It’s the same story with the “Movies” and “Shows” tabs at the top.
Other than streaming pictures/videos from my phone, I mainly use this to stream content I have on my own NAS. For that I use VLC and, more recently, Jellyfin. I may also watch the odd YouTube video or a Portuguese series. That’s that row of apps at the bottom of the screen. That’s all I care.
Replacing the Launcher
I got fed up with this and decided to replace the launcher. Unfortunately, we can’t just install a launcher and then change the default like on most Android devices. I don’t know if Google does this on all devices or if it’s just on limited hardware like this, but the option doesn’t exist (we also can’t run apps like VPN clients).
The solution is to:
- Install a launcher.
- Connect via ADB and disable the stock launcher.
- Chromecast is forced to use the only launcher available (the one you’ve installed).
Note that the instructions below assume your Chromecast is connected via WiFi and you’re on the same network as the Chromecast. Also, do it at your own risk and all that.
Installing a launcher
I ended up picking a free and open-source launcher called FLauncher (Play Store, Gitlab). It’s very simple, exactly what I want.
After installing it, you should be able to open the app and explore it. We can’t use it as default yet, though.
Wireless Debugging
First we have to install adb on our machine. I’m using a Mac and use Homebrew, so I can install the tools with a brew install --cask android-platform-tools command. This can also be done with Windows, Linux, and even Android, so search for instructions online if you need help.
With this done, let’s work on the Chromecast. Go to Settings » System » About, and quickly press 7 times on the “build” option. After doing this, the hidden Developer Options menu now appears inside Settings » System.
Inside Developer Options, we must enable “USB debugging” and then “Wireless debugging”. When we do this for the first time, we’ll be asked if we allow debugging over the WiFi network (press “yes”). Then select “Pair device with pairing code”, which should generate a pairing pin and give you the ip/port we need to connect to (don’t use the one listed outside this menu).
Using adb on our computer (which should be on the same network as the Chromecast), type adb pair [ip]:[port] (replace ip:port with the IP/port displayed by the Chromecast, i.e.: adb pair 192.168.1.200:51392). When asked, type the pin and press enter. If everything goes well, you should see the device with adb devices.
Sidenote: This should be simple in theory, but I kept getting errors, like the device being “offline” when using adb devices or something about the remote device “refusing connections”. I think I had to re-start the configuration on the Chromecast at least 3 times (disable USB debugging and Wireless debugging, revoke permissions, reboot Chromecast) and restart adb on my own machine (with adb kill-server) 2 times… but eventually it worked. Also, some of the instructions available online no longer work with Android 14, the current Android version used by this Chromecast.
Disable Google’s launcher with ADB:
I used the commands listed on this XDA thread[a]. They only disable the apps, so we can re-enable them later if needed:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.tungsten.setupwraith
After running the two commands, go to the home screen with the remote control. The launcher you’ve installed above should be used (I rebooted the Chromecast just to be sure).
Note: If you don’t trust everyone on your network/with physical access to the Chromecast, you may want to disable USB/Wireless debugging when you’re done.
Much better
I went for something simple. No background image, no widgets, all apps I don’t use are hidden or were uninstalled. Only the apps I need are there. And more importantly, there are no ads/sponsored series or films from apps/services I don’t use:
It might be boring, but for me, it’s better than before.
LineageOS
If this stops working, I may try to install LineageOS on it (available for the 4K variant, codename sabrina). Apparently there’s no official way to unlock the bootloader and I’m not sure if any important feature stops working, but it could be a solution for some of us at some point.
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