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this is much more minor than a cancer patient missing his last damn holiday, but I have a device running android tv, and every few days it auto-redownloads “And

this is much more minor than a cancer patient missing his last damn holiday, but I have a device running android tv, and every few days it auto-redownloads “Android TV Home”, which is an advert-infested replacement home screen run by (I assume) Google. every time, I have to go into the Play Store and uninstall it again. uninstall the home screen! how illogical is that? and how would I have known how to do that if I wasn’t tech-savvy enough to find a reddit post telling me how? every time, this resets my normal home screen, and I have to set it all back up again, removing the semi-advertising “channels” that are already in the less-bad default home screen. the device this is on cost more than £500, and yet I’m still paying out in attention because greedy Google wants to please their shareholders

UI_at_80x24 4y ago
Nvidia shield perhaps? Just side load an Android app called "NetGuard" which is a free firewall app on Android (though it's only available on the Android phone, but you can still sideload it on the Shield TV). Download the NetGuard APK file and then install it on your Shield TV using a 3rd party file manager app (you can find the NetGuard .APK file on Google search, or you could use an APK extractor and extract the NetGuard app from your Android phone after downloading it from the Play Store). You might need to also download a 3rd party launcher to see the side loaded Android apps as it will not appear on the stock Android TV home launcher. Then open the NetGuard app and disable network connections to the "Software Upgrade" app, then switch on the NetGuard toggle and it will block the "Software Upgrade" system app from accessing the internet, therefore it cannot download the software update and then prompt you to install it with an annoying pop up screen message. If you get a software update message and the software update gets downloaded, just go to the app settings of "Software Upgrade" and delete the app cache and data. Once you have the NetGuard app enabled, it should auto start every time you boot up the Shield TV and it will always run in the background. I suggest that you regularly open the NetGuard app and have it in the background so just incase Android OS puts it to sleep. Additionally, I suggest you go to Google Play Services and the Google app and disable all the app permissions to access storage or change system settings (though if you use things like Google Assistant or voice search, you may need to leave the microphone permission on). Do the same for the other Nvidia apps which you might think may try to control or change settings on your Shield TV without your permission. I'm still on Android 8.0 on my 2017 Shield and I'm happy with it. I don't really need any extra features and nothing needs to be fixed. This is the only method I found to work. I have tried to delete the "Software Upgrade" app package from my computer using Android ADB but I just couldn't do it (maybe Nvidia blocked it). So the firewall method is the only option. I don't know if Nvidia made changes and blocked this method in newer updates, but try it and let me know if it works.
- sdiq 4y ago
  Samsung has now decided that for me to use the camera on my Android phone, i must give full permission to something called Nearby Devices. Thankfully, i can live without the camera but for the first time, i mulling over moving to Apple.
  - galangalalgol 4y ago
    Samsung has fallen far. I switched to a cheap version of the pixel last time I got a new phone. Much longer os update cycle, and they essentially always get rom support first of all the phones. There is certainly better hardware put there but it only has google adware not the vendor's and Google's adware. And roms with no google are am option. I think I may consider an iphone when it gets usb-c but I would miss having a fedora install on my phone to do weird stuff. If they gave me a way to get a terminal where I could have rootless docker or jails on an iphone. I'd be on it. Bonus for having the usbc recognize keyboards, thumb drives and Ethernet adapters.
    - RunSet 4y ago
      > I switched to a cheap version of the pixel last time I got a new phone. Recommend GrapheneOS for your Pixel phone. It is so good I wonder how long it will last. https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/
  - P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
    Apple's privacy stance is why I'll never move to Android. And yes, I get it, they're not perfect, but they're the better of 2 bad options.
    - folbec 4y ago
      Don't count your chickens yet : https://www.thespl.it/p/apples-sleeping-advertising-business https://www.thespl.it/p/apples-sleeping-advertising-business " For the past five years, Apple has been setting up for what will soon be its most profitable product line. It's not a new phone or computer: it's advertising. " As some C-suite suit bonus will depend on that, you can be sure that the various protections will evaporate over the years.
znpy 4y ago
Ok that matter, last time i shopped for a tv, I looked explicitly for one without any software. I found one from a brand named “OK” (sold by mediamarkt/mediaworld) and it’s just awesome. No software, if I ever want new features I’ll get a firestick from amazon or some xiaomi dongle i can plug into one of the two hdmi inputs. I love it (and i hate smart tvs). Bonus: it also costed way less! About 250-280 Euros iirc, for a 42" panel with full-hd resolution.
- pferde 4y ago
  I am not doubting you, but I'm surprised that it was cheaper. Every time this is discussed here on HN, or on other forums, the prevailing narrative is that it is increasingly difficult to buy a non-smart TV, and that the only option is to look for "industrial display panels" (or some similar designation), which, people claim, are rather expensive. Note that I am only recounting hearsay, and I haven't done my research on this, as my three PC monitors cover my needs completely, and I have no need for a TV. I'm only "idly curious" about this topic, because one day I may need such a dumb TV.
  - oogali 4y ago
    Context is important. HN consists of many different people in many markets. For US folks, yes, you generally have to go for an industrial display panel which is slightly more expensive than a smart TV [whose lower price can be subsidized by the data they're eventually selling]. Maybe for the previous poster who is in the EU, faces a completely different market than the US, a market which is more favorable to non-smart TVs.
  - ljf 4y ago
    I have a 'smart tv' (HiSense) - and while it has a bunch of smart stuff that isn't that bad, the best thing is it starts on the input you left it on. So for me it always opens as connected to hdmi1/chromecast, and I never have to see the smart stuff and the tv itself has no internet connection
    - kitsunesoba 4y ago
ksec 4y ago
>because greedy Google wants to please their shareholders I sometimes wonder, if the founder has controlling voting shares, or the shareholders on public exchange / stock market are non-voting shares. Would the company still have to please their non-voting shareholders?
- hansvm 4y ago
  Yes (to the extent that it's reasonably possible). Voting rights give you power, but you have a contractual obligation to use that power in the interest of _all_ your shareholders. It's the same reason why, at least in theory, VC founders can't structure a deal that devalues everyone else to ~0 and pockets the extra money in a side-channel transaction. They definitely have the power to do so, but if you can prove that better options existed and have the inclination to take that to court then you have a decent shot at recovering damages.
- Sander_Marechal 4y ago
  Non-voting shareholders can and will sue, and in the US they will probably win. This pretty much forces companies to please shareholders as much as possible at the expense of everything else.
ars 4y ago
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.tvlauncher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.and... The reviews on it are quite something to see.
- aix1 4y ago
  Yeah, I abandoned Android on my TV for this exact reason and now I use the TV as a dumb screen for an external streaming box (also running Android TV, but one that's less locked down and allows me to install my own launcher and control the UI). I wish dumb TVs with good panels were easier to buy.
  - abawany 4y ago
    I'm getting close too, starting with the cancellation of my YT Premium subscription. All I wanted was to be able to watch my subscriptions in peace on my tv (e.g. bigclivedotcom) but instead I get random breaks (e.g. only the home page shows on the yt app, no access to subscriptions), daily reset of my playback speed preferences, etc. I hope the people who think it's cool to experiment with paying customers get to experience the same for the rest of their lives.
- permo-w 4y ago
  I really have to wonder what the corporate process behind implementing this was. they must have known people wouldn’t like it. they must have known they were literally making their product worse. when these decisions were made, did they feel bad? did they not care? did they delude themselves that people want “recommended content” against their will? did anyone at any point say “hey maybe we shouldn’t do this?”? I bet at least one person who was involved is on hacker news. maybe they’ll see this and can comment. or maybe someone who’s been in a similar position at a company
  - blep_ 4y ago
    > did they delude themselves that people want “recommended content” against their will? Probably. In fact, I think you're underestimating the degree to which they can. Very few evil people actually think they're evil. Most think they're legitimately doing good and helpful things, while being extremely misguided as to what is good and helpful.
newhotelowner 4y ago
I have given up the fight. I have pihole. It blocks ads. I can see the broken ad square on my sony android tv/google chrome. I disabled the recommendation. I just scroll down to my favorite app "Emby" and start watching my stuff.

UI_at_80x24 4y ago

Nvidia shield perhaps? Just side load an Android app called "NetGuard" which is a free firewall app on Android (though it's only available on the Android phone, but you can still sideload it on the Shield TV). Download the NetGuard APK file and then install it on your Shield TV using a 3rd party file manager app (you can find the NetGuard .APK file on Google search, or you could use an APK extractor and extract the NetGuard app from your Android phone after downloading it from the Play Store). You might need to also download a 3rd party launcher to see the side loaded Android apps as it will not appear on the stock Android TV home launcher. Then open the NetGuard app and disable network connections to the "Software Upgrade" app, then switch on the NetGuard toggle and it will block the "Software Upgrade" system app from accessing the internet, therefore it cannot download the software update and then prompt you to install it with an annoying pop up screen message. If you get a software update message and the software update gets downloaded, just go to the app settings of "Software Upgrade" and delete the app cache and data. Once you have the NetGuard app enabled, it should auto start every time you boot up the Shield TV and it will always run in the background. I suggest that you regularly open the NetGuard app and have it in the background so just incase Android OS puts it to sleep. Additionally, I suggest you go to Google Play Services and the Google app and disable all the app permissions to access storage or change system settings (though if you use things like Google Assistant or voice search, you may need to leave the microphone permission on). Do the same for the other Nvidia apps which you might think may try to control or change settings on your Shield TV without your permission. I'm still on Android 8.0 on my 2017 Shield and I'm happy with it. I don't really need any extra features and nothing needs to be fixed. This is the only method I found to work. I have tried to delete the "Software Upgrade" app package from my computer using Android ADB but I just couldn't do it (maybe Nvidia blocked it). So the firewall method is the only option. I don't know if Nvidia made changes and blocked this method in newer updates, but try it and let me know if it works.

sdiq 4y ago
Samsung has now decided that for me to use the camera on my Android phone, i must give full permission to something called Nearby Devices. Thankfully, i can live without the camera but for the first time, i mulling over moving to Apple.
- galangalalgol 4y ago
  Samsung has fallen far. I switched to a cheap version of the pixel last time I got a new phone. Much longer os update cycle, and they essentially always get rom support first of all the phones. There is certainly better hardware put there but it only has google adware not the vendor's and Google's adware. And roms with no google are am option. I think I may consider an iphone when it gets usb-c but I would miss having a fedora install on my phone to do weird stuff. If they gave me a way to get a terminal where I could have rootless docker or jails on an iphone. I'd be on it. Bonus for having the usbc recognize keyboards, thumb drives and Ethernet adapters.
  - RunSet 4y ago
    > I switched to a cheap version of the pixel last time I got a new phone. Recommend GrapheneOS for your Pixel phone. It is so good I wonder how long it will last. https://grapheneos.org/ https://grapheneos.org/
- P5fRxh5kUvp2th 4y ago
  Apple's privacy stance is why I'll never move to Android. And yes, I get it, they're not perfect, but they're the better of 2 bad options.
  - folbec 4y ago
    Don't count your chickens yet : https://www.thespl.it/p/apples-sleeping-advertising-business https://www.thespl.it/p/apples-sleeping-advertising-business " For the past five years, Apple has been setting up for what will soon be its most profitable product line. It's not a new phone or computer: it's advertising. " As some C-suite suit bonus will depend on that, you can be sure that the various protections will evaporate over the years.

znpy 4y ago

Ok that matter, last time i shopped for a tv, I looked explicitly for one without any software. I found one from a brand named “OK” (sold by mediamarkt/mediaworld) and it’s just awesome. No software, if I ever want new features I’ll get a firestick from amazon or some xiaomi dongle i can plug into one of the two hdmi inputs. I love it (and i hate smart tvs). Bonus: it also costed way less! About 250-280 Euros iirc, for a 42" panel with full-hd resolution.

pferde 4y ago
I am not doubting you, but I'm surprised that it was cheaper. Every time this is discussed here on HN, or on other forums, the prevailing narrative is that it is increasingly difficult to buy a non-smart TV, and that the only option is to look for "industrial display panels" (or some similar designation), which, people claim, are rather expensive. Note that I am only recounting hearsay, and I haven't done my research on this, as my three PC monitors cover my needs completely, and I have no need for a TV. I'm only "idly curious" about this topic, because one day I may need such a dumb TV.
- oogali 4y ago
  Context is important. HN consists of many different people in many markets. For US folks, yes, you generally have to go for an industrial display panel which is slightly more expensive than a smart TV [whose lower price can be subsidized by the data they're eventually selling]. Maybe for the previous poster who is in the EU, faces a completely different market than the US, a market which is more favorable to non-smart TVs.
- ljf 4y ago
  I have a 'smart tv' (HiSense) - and while it has a bunch of smart stuff that isn't that bad, the best thing is it starts on the input you left it on. So for me it always opens as connected to hdmi1/chromecast, and I never have to see the smart stuff and the tv itself has no internet connection
  - kitsunesoba 4y ago

ksec 4y ago

>because greedy Google wants to please their shareholders I sometimes wonder, if the founder has controlling voting shares, or the shareholders on public exchange / stock market are non-voting shares. Would the company still have to please their non-voting shareholders?

hansvm 4y ago
Yes (to the extent that it's reasonably possible). Voting rights give you power, but you have a contractual obligation to use that power in the interest of _all_ your shareholders. It's the same reason why, at least in theory, VC founders can't structure a deal that devalues everyone else to ~0 and pockets the extra money in a side-channel transaction. They definitely have the power to do so, but if you can prove that better options existed and have the inclination to take that to court then you have a decent shot at recovering damages.
Sander_Marechal 4y ago
Non-voting shareholders can and will sue, and in the US they will probably win. This pretty much forces companies to please shareholders as much as possible at the expense of everything else.

ars 4y ago

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.tvlauncher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.and... The reviews on it are quite something to see.

aix1 4y ago
Yeah, I abandoned Android on my TV for this exact reason and now I use the TV as a dumb screen for an external streaming box (also running Android TV, but one that's less locked down and allows me to install my own launcher and control the UI). I wish dumb TVs with good panels were easier to buy.
- abawany 4y ago
  I'm getting close too, starting with the cancellation of my YT Premium subscription. All I wanted was to be able to watch my subscriptions in peace on my tv (e.g. bigclivedotcom) but instead I get random breaks (e.g. only the home page shows on the yt app, no access to subscriptions), daily reset of my playback speed preferences, etc. I hope the people who think it's cool to experiment with paying customers get to experience the same for the rest of their lives.
permo-w 4y ago
I really have to wonder what the corporate process behind implementing this was. they must have known people wouldn’t like it. they must have known they were literally making their product worse. when these decisions were made, did they feel bad? did they not care? did they delude themselves that people want “recommended content” against their will? did anyone at any point say “hey maybe we shouldn’t do this?”? I bet at least one person who was involved is on hacker news. maybe they’ll see this and can comment. or maybe someone who’s been in a similar position at a company
- blep_ 4y ago
  > did they delude themselves that people want “recommended content” against their will? Probably. In fact, I think you're underestimating the degree to which they can. Very few evil people actually think they're evil. Most think they're legitimately doing good and helpful things, while being extremely misguided as to what is good and helpful.

newhotelowner 4y ago

I have given up the fight. I have pihole. It blocks ads. I can see the broken ad square on my sony android tv/google chrome. I disabled the recommendation. I just scroll down to my favorite app "Emby" and start watching my stuff.