Many Android TV and Google TV sets ship with preinstalled apps, promoted rows and background services that slow the home screen. Three open-source projects now automate the cleanup over Wi-Fi. This guide explains the method underneath them, the order that keeps risk lowest, and what to do if something goes wrong. It does not promise safety: the projects themselves report TVs stuck in restart loops.
Quick answer: turn on developer options, connect from a computer on the same Wi-Fi with Android's debug bridge (adb), record what is installed, then disable (never delete) apps in small batches, testing after each batch. Have the re-enable commands ready before you start.
Checked against the source on November 5, 2026. The CleanYourTV, tv-detox and Free My TV repository pages were read: each states an MIT licence, none showed a tagged release or an archive notice, and Google's Platform-Tools release notes list 37.0.1 (July 2026) as the latest stable revision, with 37.0.2 marked as a canary build for November 2026.
- CleanYourTV: Android 8.0 (API 26) or newer for the launcher; Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS), Roku, Vizio and Hisense VIDAA are listed as not supported because they have no ADB.
- tv-detox: its README says it was tested on Android TV 9, 11 and 12 and Google TV 14.
- Free My TV: Google TV or Android TV on Android 8 or newer, LG webOS 3 or newer, and Samsung Tizen from 2015 or newer.
- Platform-Tools: stable revision 37.0.1 (July 2026) per Google's page.
Pre-flight checklist
- The TV runs Android TV or Google TV. CleanYourTV lists Android 8.0 (API 26) or newer as its requirement. Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS), Roku, Vizio and Hisense VIDAA have no adb, so adb-based cleanup does not apply to them.
- A computer is on the same Wi-Fi network as the TV.
- You know the TV's IP address (Settings, Network and Internet on most sets).
- You know recovery exists. If the TV will not start far enough for adb, a factory reset from the recovery menu is the fallback named by CleanYourTV and tv-detox.
- You accept the risk. The tv-detox author says some TVs got stuck at the logo or kept restarting, and disclaims liability. CleanYourTV is provided without warranty and notes that changing software may affect warranty or support.
Step 1: install adb
adb ships in Google's Android SDK Platform-Tools. Google offers a standalone download for Windows, Mac and Linux, and says the download links always point to the newest version. The revision list on that page showed 37.0.1 (July 2026) when we checked. On a Mac, tv-detox suggests brew install android-platform-tools.
Google's wireless debugging guide asks for the latest Platform-Tools. Its check is adb server-status: version 37.0.0 or higher and mdns_enabled true.
Step 2: turn on developer options and debugging
The projects give this route: Settings, Device Preferences (on some sets System), About, then press OK on the Build entry seven times. Go back, open Developer options and switch on USB debugging. If your TV has a Network debugging or ADB debugging toggle, turn that on too (CleanYourTV).
Step 3: connect
There are two cases.
Sets that accept network adb. Run adb connect <TV_IP> (port 5555 is the default). The first time, the TV shows an authorisation prompt. Tick Always allow and accept.
Newer Google TVs and Chromecast with Google TV (Wireless debugging). tv-detox says its plain install.sh with an IP address does not connect to these. Google's documentation says wireless debugging on TV needs Android 13 (API 33) or higher, and the computer must be paired once with a code:
- On the TV, open Developer options, then Wireless debugging, then Pair using pairing code. Note the IP address, port and code shown.
- On the computer, run
adb pair <ip>:<pairing port>and enter the code when asked. - Run
adb connect <ip>:<port shown on the main Wireless debugging screen>. This is not the pairing port, and tv-detox notes it changes each time the TV restarts.
Free My TV adds a related warning: Chromecast with Google TV on Android 14 keeps port 5555 closed unless you use Wireless debugging first.
Confirm with adb devices -l. A line ending in device means connected. Google defines offline as not connected or not responding.
Step 4: record the starting state
Before changing anything, save what is installed and what is already disabled:
adb shell pm list packages > before-all.txt
adb shell pm list packages -d > before-disabled.txt
Google documents -d (only disabled packages), -e (only enabled), -s (system) and -3 (third-party) filters. The disabled list shows what was already off before you started. CleanYourTV keeps a similar record: its disable.sh writes the TV's earlier state to ~/.cleanyourtv/, and restore replays it.
Step 5: disable, do not uninstall
This is the central choice, and the three projects agree on it.
| Command | What Google's docs say | What the projects do |
|---|---|---|
pm disable-user --user <id> <package> |
disable-user takes a --user option naming the user to disable |
All three disable. CleanYourTV says this matches Settings, Apps, Disable |
pm uninstall --user <id> <package> |
uninstall removes a package from the system, for all users by default; --user limits it to one user |
Not used. The projects stress that nothing is uninstalled |
pm enable <package> |
Enables the given package or component | The way back for anything disabled |
pm list users prints the users on the device if you need the ID. We have not tested what an uninstall leaves behind on a TV. Google describes it as removing the package, and getting it back means reinstalling it, which is the reason to stay with disabling. A disabled app can be switched on again with one command or from Settings.
Apply changes in batches of a few packages, for example:
adb shell pm disable-user --user 0 <package.name>
Test after every batch: the home screen opens, the remote's Home, Input and voice buttons work, casting works and your streaming apps launch. tv-detox notes that some remote buttons depend on apps a cleanup may have turned off. It suggests checking with adb shell dumpsys window policy and re-enabling the relevant app.
The three tools
All three are community projects, and their claims come from their own READMEs.
CleanYourTV (MIT licence). Disables telemetry, ad services, content rows and preloaded apps with pm disable-user, then installs a small native launcher of about 572 KB. Manual use needs Python 3. Building the launcher needs a full JDK from 17 through 22, because the README says JDK 23 and newer breaks its Gradle 8.9 build, plus Android SDK platform 34 and build-tools 34. Our earlier article said only "JDK 17", so check your version. disable.sh skips any Home owner if no other app answers HOME, which protects you from losing the home screen.
tv-detox (MIT licence). Lets Claude Code or Codex propose changes you approve one by one, or you can skip the AI. Run sh supports.sh <TV_IP> first to see the TV, its RAM and whether swapping the home screen fits, then sh candidates.sh <TV_IP> to list every app with a verdict. Neither changes anything. sh undo.sh <TV_IP> restores the stock home screen, but reversing the whole cleanup means re-enabling packages yourself or asking the agent to reverse its change list.
Free My TV (MIT licence). Replaces the home screen and screensaver on Google TV and Android TV (Android 8 or newer), LG webOS 3 or newer and Samsung Tizen. To go back, choose Free My TV, Home Screen, then Original. A separate watchdog restores the stock home screen if the new one crashes three times in five minutes. Google TV Assistant answers for films and shows are limited while it is active.
Where the warnings are real
- Restart loops. tv-detox says turning off Google TV's own home screen left some devices stuck restarting, and one needed a factory reset. Since version 1.4.1 its installer leaves that home screen on unless you set
GOOGLE_TV=1. Do not override this without a recovery plan. - Setup wizard. CleanYourTV warns that on Google TV the setup wizard (
com.google.android.tungsten.setupwraith) can take Home and crash-loop the system. Disabling it can also delete a Wi-Fi network saved during setup, and phone casting may be affected on Chromecast and Google TV Streamer. - Order matters. CleanYourTV says to disable the stock launcher only after the new one is installed and running. Otherwise Home can land on a factory test app.
- Lost features. tv-detox says the YouTube button can stop working on some Google TVs while Google TV's home screen is off.
- Brand quirks. tv-detox notes that
com.tcl.tvmust stay on for HDMI on TCL sets, and that Wi-Fi was forgotten on some models. CleanYourTV says some China-market TCL sets refuse any launcher.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
adb devices shows nothing or offline |
Not connected or not responding. Run adb connect again. Google's fallback is adb kill-server, then start over |
| Connection refused on port 5555 | The TV may offer only Wireless debugging. Pair first, then connect to the port on the Wireless debugging screen |
| It worked yesterday, now it will not connect | The wireless port changes after each TV restart. Read the new port from the screen |
| No authorisation prompt | Look at the TV screen for the prompt |
| Pairing or discovery fails | Google says adb relies on mDNS, so check mdns_enabled in adb server-status |
| "No route to host" on a Mac though the port is open | CleanYourTV says this can be Local Network privacy. Allow your terminal app under System Settings, Privacy and Security, Local Network, then restart it |
| Play Protect blocks a launcher install on Android 14 | Free My TV says choose More details, then Install anyway, and do not open the APK on the TV itself |
| A remote button stopped working | A disabled app may be behind it. Re-enable the last batch |
Recovery
- The computer can still connect, even briefly at boot. tv-detox gives this sequence:
adb connect <TV_IP>,adb wait-for-device,adb shell pm list packages -dto see what is disabled, thenadb shell pm enable <package>for each one. Compare with your savedbefore-disabled.txt. - Use the project's undo.
tools/restore.shfor CleanYourTV (on Google TV, pass the stock launcher packagecom.google.android.apps.tv.launcherx),sh undo.shfor tv-detox, or Home Screen then Original for Free My TV. - The TV is usable but you have no computer. CleanYourTV says the TV's own Settings, Apps page can re-enable packages.
- The TV will not start far enough for any of this. Recovery mode or a factory reset, which depends on the brand.
After a firmware update, CleanYourTV says stock packages can return and new preloads can appear.
Finish by closing the door
CleanYourTV says network adb is plain text on port 5555, and tv-detox warns that while debugging is on, other devices on your network can ask to control the TV. When you finish, turn off USB debugging, Network or ADB debugging and Wireless debugging, revoke USB authorisations and reboot. CleanYourTV provides python3 tools/adb-closed.py <tv ip> to confirm the port is closed.
Reduce ads without debloating
CleanYourTV's FAQ says Private DNS (Android 9 and newer) can block many ad and tracker domains. The DNS provider then sees every lookup, and YouTube ads stay, because they come from the same servers as the video. On LG webOS, tv-detox suggests turning off Home Promotion and Content Recommendation.
Who should skip it
- Roku, Vizio, Hisense VIDAA, Samsung or LG owners hoping for a debloat. CleanYourTV lists all of these as unsupported (no ADB), and tv-detox lists Roku, Samsung and LG as unsupported. Only Free My TV lists Tizen and webOS, and it swaps the home screen rather than disabling packages.
- Fire TV owners. CleanYourTV says Fire OS will not hand Home to a third-party launcher, so only the debloat half applies, and Free My TV says it runs only as an app there.
- Anyone who cannot accept a bricking risk. The tv-detox README says "A few TVs got stuck at the logo or kept restarting" and asks you to proceed at your own risk.
- LG users who dislike maintenance. Free My TV says LG Developer Mode lasts about 40 days and must be extended.
Frequently asked questions
Does this void my warranty? CleanYourTV says changing software may affect warranty or support, so check your maker's terms.
Will streaming apps still update? CleanYourTV says they still update through the Play Store.
Is disabling the same as removing?
No. Disabled apps stay on the TV and can be turned back on with pm enable or from Settings.
Do I need a paid AI tool? No. Both tv-detox and CleanYourTV say you can run the scripts by hand.
These projects are young and move fast, and their performance and compatibility claims are the makers' own. Proceed at your own risk.
Sources
- https://github.com/Gathin23/cleanyourtv
- https://github.com/Ansub/tv-detox
- https://github.com/simbasjungles/free-my-tv
- https://developer.android.com/tools/adb
- https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools
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