Originally published at: Google TV Uninstalling "Harmful Apps" - Here's How to Fix
It appears as though various Google TV boxes are now automatically uninstalling apps they consider “harmful.” Here’s how to fix this before it impacts you. If you own a Google TV device, there’s a good chance you’ve used it to install apps and APKs from outside the official Play Store. That flexibility is one of…
Just FYI, the instructions to turn off Play Protect on my (recently factory reset) nVidia Shield didn’t work. There was no “Security” option in my Device Settings menu - I had go go into the Google PlayStore on the device to turn off Play Protect. Do you know if this accomplished the same thing on my Shield as the (missing) setting would have?
That is the only way it’s worked on any of my devices. Had to open Playstore, click my avatar, then click play protect.
Thanks guys. I updated the guide. My device needed a restart.
good to know , thank you for this.
Good to hear it wasn’t just me doing something wrong!
Hey I just got a Google TV. Is it too late for me to be able to side load apps? When I use the downloader it says “Apk downloaded but not installed because unknown sources is not enabled under Settings>Security & restrictions. But I can’t find where to turn this off on Google TV. Any help would be appreciated.
What make and model of TV. This is a setting you enaable not one you turn off. Every manufacturer has it’s own setup and enabling this is found in different locations depending on the make.
Have a look for apps and permissions. There has to be a permission section in your settings.
If Google is doing this now I think it won’t be too long before Google goes the way of Firestick and actively blocks some files. Don’t forget that Google is routinely sued and fined by the EU for some infractions. Someone came up with a way to block firestick updates to prevent Amazon from actively removing apps, however it was way too late for a lot of firestick users (me included in that list). I hope someone is able to come up with a way to proactively stop Google from either blocking or removing apps and not wait until it is too late for many.Right now I can turn off play protect however it would be pretty easy for Google to hard code play protect into the OS so we can’t turn it off.
They already said they are going the blocking route, however with all the backlash they have also stated that you will be able to sideload but have to go through 3 popups(I think it was) before it will be allowed and most likely have to agree to a popup that states any damage legal scrutiny will be yours to deal with.
But nothing to lose a second of sleep over as I’m sure Troy will make a tutorial on how to get through all the new steps to be able to sideload your apps. Have fun and Stream On.
Hey…thank you so much. I found it. They’re sneaky about hiding it with the multiple taps to become a developer!
settings-apps
I’m side loading all non-PlayStore apps onto my Nvidia Shield, and using the paid, utterly bitchin’ Projectivity launcher to organize them together to send to my Samsung TV. In my understanding, Google & Samsung can’t complain about my Amber streaming service or non-PlayStore apps. Correct?
Thankx for the free VirusTotal security scanner.
I never install any apps directly onto my Samsung TV. I have a BuzzTV P6L plugged into my TV via HDMI cable. All my apps are on my streaming device and I only use the TV as a super monitor. My P6L is way faster as TVs don’t have as powerful a cpu or as much storage and the OS on a Samsung is Tizen and not Android, so there may be conflicts. all the Apps I have are android.
I don’t believe Google is doing anything yet that involves removing Apps? amazon is for sure. I have read that in the future Google MAY send popups regarding 3rd party apps and they are dangerous (Saving us right! LOL) but ultimately it will be our decision if we want to keep them. Meaning unlike Amazon, Google has no plans to just delete apps
Interesting issue I experienced this morning. I have had Play Protect disabled on my Onn 4K Pro since the beginning. I woke up this morning however, and upon turning on my device, got a notification that the device automatically removed SmartTube and one other app. It seems that my device somehow enabled Play Protect overnight and automatically started removing things. I was able to go into settings and disable it again and then re-install SmartTube without issue, but this is definitely an annoyance. Has anyone else noticed this behavior?
That also happened to me. You have to turn off the auto update in the Play store and go with manual update so you can control what updates.