FLauncher : New Open-Source Android TV Launcher
This post will invite you to discover a new Launcher App for Android TV named FLauncher. This launcher for Android TV allows you to install and manage apps without the limitations of Android TV and Google TV.
If you’re not happy with the latest Android TV and Google TV updates, such as the automatic playback of YouTube or the addition of unwelcome ads, there are many launchers that allow you to get rid of them.
FLauncher is one of them, but it also adds a nice feature: the ability to launch and organize applications that are not intended for the TV interface.
About FLauncher
Most Smart TVs today come with Android TV or Google TV as their default launcher. To overcome this limitation and allow users to launch downloaded apps from the Android TV interface, several third-party launchers are available. Android TV FLauncher joins this list.
Even though Android TV is based on Android, it is only meant to be used with apps and games designed for TV sets. That’s why smartphone-only apps don’t appear in the Android TV Play Store, and when users load apps without a TV interface, they don’t appear in the standard Android TV app launcher
Over the years, many third-party launchers for Android TV have circumvented this limitation. FLauncher uses Google’s relatively new Flutter framework, designed to create cross-platform applications, which is the latest innovation in the field. The latter comes from an open source mobile application development created by Google. It is used to develop applications for Android and iOS, in addition to being the main method of creating applications for Google Fuchsia.
The main purpose of the FLauncher is to allow users to open and manage sideloaded applications on their Android TV. It can therefore be used as a default launcher on TV and replace Android TV/Google TV.
The whole looks quite minimalist, which may already please many users, but it also has the good taste to avoid the presence of ads or the aggregation of suggested content directly from your home screen.
Besides, FLauncher offers many customization options. To be specific, it allows you to change app/game categories, select favorite backgrounds, customize lines, change grid display options, etc. The developers also note that there is a shortcut to open the settings and information about each installed application.
FLauncher is still in at an early stage of development. New features are to come in the future. Although the application is in its infancy, all the essential features of a launcher are already present.
Last year, Google launched its custom Google TV interface for Android TV, which features many interface improvements. To learn more about FLauncher, users can check out the project’s GitLab repository. Also, if they want to install it on their Android TV, the app is available on Google Play Store.
February 2, 2022 @ 4:58 pm
nvaluable on the Shield. Among the multiple reasons I bought the Shield was its clean ad-free interface. Coming from the FireTv’s constant visual and audio assault, it was well worth the price. But now Google has forced its ads even into premium hardware, making the Shield much less enjoyable. Enter FLauncher. Unlike the other launchers, its actively developed, installable from the Playstore and open source, which makes it completely unique among launchers both on and off the Playstore. Other currently developed launchers might be available through side loading, but they’re closed source, leaving me unwilling to give them access behind my firewall. While still in pre-version 1, its already impressive. Clean, completely customizable launcher page with clock widget, ad-free of course, support for plain or gradient background, or wallpaper if you prefer, including beautiful walls from Unsplash, and easy access to android settings. Map it to your Shield menu button, and you never have to see Googles’ new ad based interface again. I think we have a winner here.
February 2, 2022 @ 4:59 pm
Perfect, simple replacement on Shield for the now bloated built in launcher everyone is getting. For nVidia Shield users, all you need to do to make this replace the built in launcher, is following ADB command: “adb shell pm disable-user –user 0 com.google.android.tvlauncher”. I did it with ADB over network, can be enabled from developer options. Then “adb connect (ip_address):5555”.