Megan is a Software Writer at XDA Developers who has been writing about consumer technology since 2016. With a postgraduate degree in New Media journalism, she has always been passionate about diving deep into topics and writing about them in a way that makes them easier to understand for everyday consumers.
She runs her own blog called Tech Valkyrie and has contributed to Tom's Guide and Android Authority. She also worked at MakeUseOf as a Lead Editor.
In her spare time she plays video games and geeks out about the latest tech.
Google TV has plenty of benefits, but the home screen's clutter is a common complaint. Series recommendations often don't feel relevant and take up most of the screen. Worse, some users get ads when they're just trying to browse their apps in peace.
However, there is a way to get around this without requiring a new launcher for your Google TV device. Apps only mode, a toggle hidden in your settings, streamlines your experience — but most people don't even know it's there.
Apps only mode removes the clutter from Google TV
But first you have to find it
If you weren't aware of Google TV's apps only mode, you're not alone. The feature doesn't appear during initial setup, so you can go years without realizing it's there.
So what does it do? The mode hides personalized recommendations on your Google TV home screen and focuses the UI on your installed apps instead. You can reorganize these apps in your preferred order so that your favorites appear first and uninstall any apps you no longer need.
While the mode is intended for use when you have guests over and don't want them to see your recommendations, it's a great way to remove clutter from your home screen. To enable apps only mode, you can set it up in your account settings. Go to All settings -> Accounts & Sign In, then select your profile. Scroll down and enable the Apps only mode toggle. Your TV will immediately switch over to the new, more minimalistic mode.
You might want to use apps only mode instead of a launcher
It's a bit easier to set up
Often, people switch to a launcher to declutter their Google TV home screen, but this requires downloading and setting up a third-party app. It can also be intimidating for users who don't want to tweak their accessibility settings or use a button remapping app.
That makes apps only mode a great alternative. It's also helpful for people who are worried about additional apps taking up storage or affecting the performance of their device. While popular launchers are pretty lightweight, the apps only mode doesn't require any additional software.
It's also extremely easy to switch out of apps only mode. You simply need to go back to your account settings and toggle the feature off. This switches you back to the traditional Google TV experience.
Apps only mode also preserves certain features, including Google Photos screensavers and casting from your devices. However, there are a few limitations.
Apps only mode comes with some drawbacks
There are certain trade-offs
While apps only mode is pretty convenient to enable, it has certain limits that you should know about. When I switched my TV box over to this device, it still displayed a Discover more apps banner above my actual app icons. This means it wasn't as streamlined as I'd hoped. However, it is much better than the default Google TV experience.
Another frustration is that the Discover more option doesn't even work, making the banner completely unnecessary. At first I thought this was because you couldn't install new apps in this mode, but after diving into my settings I discovered you still can — just not with this shortcut.
Installing new apps while in apps only mode is not a convenient process since the shortcuts on your home screen do not include the Google Play Store. This isn't a big problem if you already have all the apps you need, but it can be an annoyance if you have a newly set-up device. I would recommend making sure you have all the apps you usually use before switching to this mode.
Otherwise, you need to go to All settings -> Apps, select the option to See all apps, then Show system apps, and then access the Google Play Store that way.
Apps only mode also doesn't consolidate certain menus in Google TV. For example, my TV box still has the main home screen, a separate My Home screen, a Quick Settings icon, and a hidden All settings option. It gets rid of the search menu, but not the Mi Home tab that I never use. This means there's still a bit of scrolling when it comes to accessing certain elements, whereas a launcher like Projectivity consolidates your settings under one option.
Despite its drawbacks, it still is the quickest and easiest way to remove clutter from your Google TV home screen.
Try out apps only mode if you're hesitant about a launcher
If you're not sure about installing a separate launcher but are tired of the clutter on your Google TV home screen, apps only mode offers a balance between the two. It's a streamlined version of the Google TV home screen, but it lacks some of the customization associated with launchers like Projectivity.
However, it's so easy to enable or disable that it's worth trying to see if you prefer it to the default Google TV experience.