05

CipherTV

Install CipherTV on a Google TV or Android TV box, and hand it the Home button.

CipherTV is the CipherOS home screen for Google TV and Android TV. It installs on a stock TV without root and without unlocking anything, so this guide is much shorter than flashing a phone. Start at the CipherTV page if you want to see what you are installing.

1. Turn on developer options

  1. On the TV, open Settings, then System, then About.
  2. Scroll to Build and press it seven times. The TV confirms that you are now a developer.
  3. Go back to Settings, then System, then Developer options, and turn on USB debugging.
  4. If your device offers Network debugging or Wireless debugging in the same screen, turn that on too. It is the easiest route on a TV with no usable USB port.

2. Connect ADB to the TV

Find the TV's address under Settings, then Network, then About, or in the Wireless debugging panel. Then pair from your computer.

shell
adb connect 192.168.1.42:5555
Replace the address with your TV's

The TV shows a prompt asking whether to allow debugging from this computer. Accept it, then confirm the device is listed.

shell
adb devices
Your TV should appear as a connected device

3. Install CipherTV

Download the current build from SourceForge, then install it from the folder you saved it in.

shell
adb install -r ciphertv-launcher-v2.0.apk
The -r flag upgrades in place if it is already installed

CipherTV now appears in the app list. Open it once before moving on, so it can finish setting itself up.

4. Make CipherTV your home screen

Installing it is not quite enough. Google TV holds on to the Home button, so pressing Home still takes you back to the old screen. One switch fixes that.

The easy way, recommended

No computer needed for this one. Do it with the remote, from the sofa.

  1. On the TV, open Settings, then Accessibility.
  2. Find Home button override and turn it on.
  3. Press the Home button on your remote. You should land on CipherTV.

That is it. If Home now opens CipherTV, you are done and can skip the rest of this page.

The other way, if you prefer

Would rather not leave an accessibility service running? Switch off the old home screen instead, with one command from the computer you used to install. Your accounts stay signed in and nothing is deleted.

shell
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.tvlauncher
Turns off the stock home screen

Then check it worked:

shell
adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME
Home should now open CipherTV

Still landing on the old screen?

In CipherTV, open About, then Launcher setup. It names the app currently answering Home. If that is the setup wizard rather than the old home screen, turn that off too.

shell
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 com.google.android.tungsten.setupwraith

With the override switched on, the old screen can flash up for a moment before CipherTV appears. That is normal and harmless.

Undoing any of it

Nothing here is permanent. Re-enable the stock home screen, or remove CipherTV entirely, and the TV goes back to how it shipped.

shell
adb shell pm enable com.google.android.tvlauncher
adb uninstall com.cipheros.tvlauncher
Put everything back

Known limits

  • Network and accessory tiles open system settings instead of switching the radio. Android stopped letting ordinary apps do that in Android 10 and 13 respectively. Installing CipherTV as a system app, or making it device owner, restores the direct toggles.
  • A network tile shows Connected rather than the network name unless location permission is granted, because Android will not disclose the name without it.
  • Report anything else on the issue tracker, or ask on Telegram.