The Android TV home screen is your gateway to a world of streaming content. Personalizing this screen can make it easy to find your favorite streaming services and discover new TV shows and movies to watch. We’ll show you how to do it.
The home screen is made up of what Google calls “Channels.” These channels are horizontal rows that can be scrolled through. Android TV includes some built-in channels, but the majority of them are from the apps you install. Customizing these rows can greatly improve your experience.
Add (or Remove) Shortcuts to Your Favorite Apps
At the very top of the Android TV home screen is a channel row for your favorite apps. To add an app to this row, navigate all the way to the far right of the row and select “Add App To Favorites.”
Scroll through the list of installed apps, and select the one you’d like to add to the row.
To remove an app from the row, highlight an app, and hold down the “Select” or “Enter” button on your remote.
Long-pressing the app will reveal a menu with some options. Select the “Remove From Favorites” option from the menu.
To rearrange the order of your favorite apps, select “Move” from that same menu.
Use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the app left or right in the row. Press the “Select” or “Enter” button when you’re done.
Customize (or Remove) the Play Next Channel Row
By default, the Android TV home screen has a “Play Next” channel. This row is for continuing shows and movies you didn’t finish, and for recommendations based on things you’ve watched. It can’t be moved or removed in the same way as other rows, but it can be turned off.
Scroll down to the very bottom of the home screen and select the “Customize Channels” button.
Select the “Play Next” option from the top of the menu.
Switch the toggle at the top of the screen to the “Off” position.
Alternatively, you can customize what appears in the Play Next channel. Leave the toggle from the previous step “On,” and scroll down through the menu to toggle on or off the apps you wish to appear in Play Next.
Remove Channel Rows from the Home Screen
Not all of the channels can be removed from the home screen, but most of them can. First, scroll down the home screen, and highlight the row you’d like to remove.
Navigate to the left until you’re highlighting the “-” button. If the channel can’t be removed, this will not be an option.
Select the “-” button to remove the channel. Now it’s gone!
Add Channel Rows to the Home Screen
Android TV comes with several channel rows on the home screen already. Sometimes, channels from apps you install will automatically be added. You can manually add channels yourself as well.
On the home screen, scroll all the way down to the bottom, and select “Customize Channels.”
Scroll through the list of apps, and toggle the switch on for the app channels you’d like to add.
Some apps include multiple channels, and you’ll have to select the app to go in and choose which ones you want to add.
Move Channel Rows on the Home Screen
To move a channel row up or down on the home screen, highlight the row, scroll to the left, and select the Move button.
Now you can use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the row up or down.
Click the “Select” or “Enter” button on your remote when you’re done moving the channel.
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