Did you just buy an Android TV or maybe an Android TV box like Shield TV? Well, you might have noticed a few apps like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+ might come pre-installed. But what the rest of them?

Well, here are the must-have Android TV apps you should install in 2022. And yes, unlike other lists, we’ve tried to keep this list fresh and updated with recent apps.

TV Bro

The number 1 app on my list is TV Bro - a web browser for Android TV.

We recently did a dedicated video on how and why to use TV Bro, which you can check out on the YouTube cards right now.

But to tell you in short, I recently moved from Puffin browser to TV Bro, for various reasons.

TV bro is free and open source, which can be directly downloaded from the Play Store. Once you open the app, you will see a web browser kind of like Chrome.

It includes key features like tabs, support for bookmarks, and even voice search support. There's also an easy-to-use download manager, so you don’t have to worry about where the apks you've downloaded are stored.

Perhaps most importantly, TV Bro is the built-in adblocker. 

For example, this is YouTube with ads on and without ads off.

Again, this is apk mirror with and without ads, I know, everyone has gone through the pain of finding the right download button on apk mirror

Rave

Next up, we have is Rave. It’s a popular mobile app that lets you watch Netflix together remotely with your friend and family. And recently, it was made available for Android TV as well.

Check this out.

I’m watching Venom on my TV and it’s syncing in real-time with this smartphone. Not just that, if I pause the video on TV and if I’m talking on the phone, I can hear it live on my TV as well. How cool it that?

Of course, it not only supports Netflix, but it also works on Disney Plus, Hulu and HBO Max and YouTube.

That said, using the app is bit tricky on Android TV, so if you plan to use this app, go check out the detail setup video, we did few days back.

Airscreen

Another must-have Android TV app is Airscreen.

Android TV devices natively support Google Cast. This means you can cast content from Android smartphones or any Chrome browser and Chromebooks straight to your TV screen.

But, if you have an iPhone/iPad/Mac and you want to airplay to your TV, Airscreen is the app that you need.

Not as good as it is natively integrated but just launch the app and you are good to airplay to your TV.

It will let you mirror your iPhone or iPad screen on your Android TV box.

The app also works with the Google Cast, Miracast, and DLNA Protocols.

Smart Tube Next

Up next, we have Smart Tube Next.

First thing first, unlike other apps, this app is not available on the Google Play store, so let me show you how to download it or even sideload it onto your Android TV.

Open the TV Bro app, and search for Smart Tube Next and click on the first Github link (see how easy it’s to use the browser). Now scroll down download the apk, and it’ll be available in the download folder, simply go there and install it directly. You might have to enable download for unknown sources option if it’s your first time installing the app.

Now, coming back to Smart Tube Next. It’s a YouTube alternative, and now you will be like, why do we need a YouTube alternative app.

Well, you have more control with this app. You can set the default video quality (you can specifically target a resolution and frame rate), resize the UI or even change colors.

And the biggest reason is, It doesn't have ads, and it blocks YouTube's ads. Also, there's a cool feature enabled by default that will skip video's intros, advertisements made by the YouTubers themselves (so many NordVPN recommendations, lol). Although, do support your fav YouTubers if you are using an adblocker by either Patreon Superchat or just sharing the content.

Send Files To TV

And finally, we have Send Files To TV, if you want to quickly share any file from Android TV or to your Android TV, then you must install Send files to TV.

Normally, it’s a laborious process that requires cables and even USB drives or SD cards to get a file from your phone to your TV.

But with this app, check this out, simply install the app on your phone as well as on your Android TV. Now, say, if you want to sideload applications, then grabbing an apk file and sending it over. The interface is also super easy to grasp with just two options to choose from “Send” and “Receive.” This Android TV app is free to download on Windows, Mac, Android, and Android TV.

What are some of your favorite Android TV apps? Let us know down in the comments below. Also, check out Smart DNS Proxy Android TV app, if you want to bypass geo-restriction on video sites. Thanks for reading and watching, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified about new videos.

See you in the next one!