Put couch-tv on your TV
A clean home screen with no adverts: your apps up front, the time, the weather and a changing scene behind them. About ten minutes, most of it with the TV remote. You can undo all of it.
- Your TV, switched on, and its remote.
- This computer on the same Wi-Fi as the TV.
Works with
- Google TV (Sony, TCL, Hisense, Philips, Panasonic Google TVs, Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer and others).
- Android TV 7.1 and newer, if Developer options has Wireless debugging, or the TV asks "Allow USB debugging?" over Wi-Fi.
- Fire TV on Fire OS (sticks, Cubes, and Fire TV TVs such as Panasonic's). Amazon's home flashes up for a moment before couch-tv comes back.
Does not work with this app
- Samsung (Tizen), LG (webOS) and Roku OS. couch-tv still works on them through a computer at home that stays on (the bridge), just not through this app. The guides are on GitHub: docs/SAMSUNG.md, docs/LG.md and docs/ROKU.md.
- VIDAA (Hisense's own system).
- Apple TV (tvOS).
- Fire TV sticks on Vega OS (Fire TV Stick 4K Select, Fire TV Stick HD 2026, Fire TV Stick 4K 3rd gen). They cannot install apps.
- Panasonic with My Home Screen or TiVo OS, and TiVo OS on any brand.
- Philips with Saphi or Titan OS (most 2025 and all 2026 Philips TVs).
- Android 6 and 7.0 TVs (for example the Xiaomi Mi TV 4A with PatchWall): experimental, set up from a computer with the GitHub guide.
- Android TVs with no Wireless debugging that never ask "Allow USB debugging?" over Wi-Fi: they need a computer with a USB cable once. The app checks and tells you.
Any of these can get everything by plugging a Google TV box (for example the Google TV Streamer) into the TV.
This computer is only needed today. Once it is set up, couch-tv runs on the TV by itself. Nothing is deleted from the TV, and nothing about you is sent anywhere.
Find your TV
Looking on your Wi-Fi…
Type the TV's address instead
Google TV: Settings, Network and Internet, then your Wi-Fi network. Android TV: Settings, Network. Fire TV: Settings, My Fire TV, About, Network. Type the IP address it shows.
Nothing yet? Check the TV is on and on the same Wi-Fi as this computer. If the Mac asked to "find devices on your local network", it needs Allow (System Settings, Privacy and Security, Local Network). If Windows asked whether to allow couch-tv Setup on networks, it needs Allow. A guest or "Public" Wi-Fi can keep devices apart: use your home Wi-Fi. A Fire TV only shows up once ADB debugging is on: pick Type the TV's address.
This TV needs another way
What kind of TV is it?
Not sure? On the TV open Settings, then System, About (or Device Preferences, About) and look for "Android TV OS" or "Google TV". Fire TV says Fire OS under Settings, My Fire TV, About.
Switch on Wireless debugging
This lets this computer make the changes on the TV. With the TV remote:
- Settings, System, About (older Android TV: Settings, Device Preferences, About). Press OK on Android TV OS build (or Build) seven times, until it says you are a developer. Press Back.
- Settings, System, Developer options (or Device Preferences, Developer options).
- Go down to Wireless debugging, open it and switch it on. If it asks "Allow wireless debugging on this network?", tick Always allow and choose Allow.
- Choose Pair device with pairing code. Leave that screen open.
Careful: in that list, Revoke USB debugging authorisations sits right above Wireless debugging. Never press OK on it. Check what is highlighted before each OK.
No Wireless debugging in the list? Go back and choose Android TV. The TV must be on Wi-Fi, not a cable: Android only allows Wireless debugging on Wi-Fi.
One more number
Paired. Now go back one screen on the TV, to Wireless debugging, and type the port shown under IP address & Port (the numbers after the colon). It is a different port from the pairing one.
Switch on debugging
This lets this computer make the changes on the TV. With the TV remote:
- Settings, Device Preferences, About. Press OK on Build seven times, until it says you are a developer. Press Back.
- Settings, Device Preferences, Developer options.
- If you see Wireless debugging, go back and choose Google TV instead: that way is easier.
- Switch on USB debugging. If there is also a Network debugging switch, switch that on too.
- Open Settings (the gear at the right of the top row), then My Fire TV.
- If you see Developer options, skip to step 4.
- Open About and press select on your stick's name seven times. "You are now a developer" shows. Press Back.
- Open Developer options and switch ADB debugging on. Say OK to the warning.
On a Fire TV, Amazon's home still flashes up for a moment before couch-tv comes back. That is as good as Fire OS allows.
Look at your TV
Tick Always allow from this computer, then press Allow.
This TV did not ask
The TV did not let this computer in. If "Allow USB debugging?" never showed up, this TV may only let a new computer in through a USB cable: some Android TVs without Wireless debugging work that way. This app cannot do that, so it stops here. Nothing was changed on the TV.
What you can do:
- Set it up once from a computer with a USB cable plugged into the TV, with the guide on GitHub.
- Or plug a Google TV box (for example the Google TV Streamer) into the TV, and set up that instead.
- If you did not see the question because you were not watching, press Try again and look at the TV.
Here is the plan
Make it yours (you can skip this)
You can change all of this later on the TV, in couch-tv's Home settings (the gear tile).
TCL: after setting up, open the TV's Settings, Accessibility and check both couch-tv services are switched on. On TCL TVs that is what keeps couch-tv as the home after a restart.
Setting it up
Starting…
Keep the TV on. This takes a minute or two.
couch-tv is your home screen
Press Home on your TV remote. You should see couch-tv. On Google TV and Fire TV the TV's own home may flash up first: that is normal.
Phone remote (optional)
Use your phone as the remote, and search for a show by name. It adds a second small app to the TV. No computer is needed afterwards.
On your phone (on the same Wi-Fi), open and type the 6 numbers the TV shows. Then add the page to the phone's home screen.
To let the phone press keys and type, open on the phone and follow the Wireless debugging steps there. It needs its own pairing code from the TV, the same screen as before.
On an up to date Fire TV, Amazon blocks the phone remote from pressing keys and typing. Opening apps and finding shows still work.
Finish
couch-tv does not need debugging any more. Switching it off is safest:
To take couch-tv off again, open this app and choose Take couch-tv off a TV. Or by hand, with the remote: Settings, Apps, the couch-tv Home app, Uninstall.
Take couch-tv off this TV
This puts the TV's own home back and removes the couch-tv apps. Your other apps, logins and settings stay as they are.
If a computer at home runs couch-tv for you (the bridge), stop it first, or it switches things back: see docs/UNINSTALL.md on GitHub.
Done
couch-tv is off this TV. Press Home on the remote: you should see the TV's own home.
Want Developer options gone too? On the TV: Developer options, switch the switch at the top off.
Setup has stopped
You can close this tab.