How to install an APK on Android TV, Google TV and Fire TV

Why TV is different

Android TV and Google TV run the same Android, but the Play catalogue is limited to apps with a TV interface, there is no browser to download from, and the launcher hides apps that lack a TV banner. Sideloading is common on TV precisely because of the first two points. Fire TV is Amazon's fork of Android and works the same way with different menu names.

Enabling unknown sources

Android TV / Google TV: Settings › Apps › Security and restrictions › Unknown sources › enable for the file manager you will use.

Fire TV: Settings › My Fire TV › Developer options › Apps from Unknown Sources › enable (on recent firmware this is per app, under Install unknown apps). If Developer options is missing, go to About and select the device name seven times.

Getting the file onto the TV

• USB drive: copy the APK to a FAT32 or exFAT drive, plug it in, open it with a file manager such as File Commander or X-plore from the TV's store, and tap the file.
• Send Files to TV: install the app on both the phone and the TV; it transfers over Wi-Fi.
• Downloader (Fire TV, also on Android TV): enter a URL and it downloads and opens the package. Version pages on this site show the direct download link.
• adb over network: enable Network debugging in the TV's developer options, then adb connect <tv ip> and adb install file.apk from a computer. This is the only route for split bundles, using adb install-multiple.

Bundles

TV file managers cannot open XAPK files. Choose the APK build on the version page when one exists; otherwise extract the bundle on a computer and install it with adb.

The app does not appear

The launcher only shows apps with a TV banner. Find the app under Settings › Apps › See all apps, or install a sideload launcher (Sideload Launcher, TV App Repo) that lists everything. Phone-only apps run but may need a mouse; a USB or Bluetooth mouse works on most boxes.

Architecture

Most TV boxes are arm64 or armeabi-v7a; a few older ones are x86. The universal APK covers all of them; a bundle generated for a phone may not.