If you need a web browser for your Android TV and you don’t know which one to choose, we offer you the best options: both from the Google Play Store and installed in apk format. You can navigate from the sofa using the remote control.
It’s not that web browsing is the most comfortable on a TV, but surely you must have done it more than once. To see a specific page, search directly on Google or because you didn’t want to get up from your chair to get your phone, the reasons could be multiple. Although yes, Android TV has a problem with this type of application: It does not come standard with any browser; although there are options in the Google Play Store on TV (and beyond).
Android TV is not designed to use browsers
It’s surprising that Google hasn’t included an Android TV-compatible version of its ubiquitous Chrome, although there’s a reason for that: Using the TV remote control to browse the Internet is not comfortable at all. That doesn’t mean the experience has to be bad, at least if you’re not browsing for a long time.
Despite this undeniable discomfort, TV navigation can be useful for more than one purpose. Therefore, it is convenient to have the best options at your fingertips.
Puffin TV – Fast Web Browser
It’s one of the best web browsers you can find. search on Android TV Google Play Store. It’s perfect for use with the TV remote, it has favorites, content loads normally, and most things play out correctly on the screen. Puffin is Chromium-based (like almost all browsers on this list) and has the problem that the version it’s based on isn’t the latest; For what sometimes it gives incompatibilities with according to the sites.
Puffin TV – Fast Web Browser
TV Brother
Another web browser for Android TV which can be downloaded from Google Play, however not compatible with all TVs and players. It offers a use perfectly adapted to the TV remote control and does not present too many disadvantages beyond being a little limited in options. Even so, it has bookmarks, voice control, and even allows choice of “user agent” in order to trick web pages into impersonating another browser. It’s not a bad app.
TV Brother
Google Chrome
Using Google Chrome on the Nvidia Shield TV with Gamepad
How is it possible that Google doesn’t include Chrome as a recommended app on Android TV? Quite strange, but it is as follows: It is not pre-installed and cannot be downloaded from the Google Play Store.. Fortunately, it is possible to install Google Chrome on Android TV, just follow the process below.
Google Chrome is not quite suitable for use with the TV remote because in many websites it is necessary to enable the cursor (with a mouse or via a physical gamepad), but that’s not too inconvenient either. Beyond that, Chrome works very well on Android TV: it adapts content correctly to the screen and runs the latest versions of the mobile browser, avoiding incompatibilities with pages. It also allows the activation of desktop mode.
Firefox for FireTV
There is no mistake: we have highlighted a web browser for Amazon Fire TV. And it is that the adapted version of Firefox works perfectly: just install the APK on the TV or player and browse. Its use is perfectly adapted to the TV remote control and offers an experience that is as complete as it is simple. In our opinion, this is the best application for what we are looking for: surf the web from tv.
To install Firefox on your Android TV, you need to do the same thing as with Google Chrome: download the APK file and run it on the TV or player.
- Install File Commander on Android TV and Sideload Launcher.
- Download the latest version of Firefox TV from the APK Mirror website.
- Download the APK to your Google Drive, in the root folder.
- Open File Commander on your Android TV and connect to Drive from the file manager.
- Navigate in File Commander to the folder where you downloaded the Google Chrome APK and install it. You will need to accept permission to install apps outside of Google Play.
Firefox is very well suited for use from the remote control, it renders pages quickly, offers great web compatibility, allows Firefox bookmarks to be synced and even send pages from another Firefox browser. It is extremely functional.
Vita Browser
This is one of our top recommendations, over Google Chrome and others. The Vita browser relies on the web view for a basic and very comfortable experience. You don’t have too many options beyond web browsing, and that can be an advantage in a system as unsuitable for using sliders as Android TV is. Of course, you need to install it as an apk: follow the steps above and instead of sending the Firefox browser to the TV, send the Vita browser apk file. Install it on your TV with File Commander and enjoy.
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