[Google Chromecast] bernarbernuli:
All-in-One tool for Windows. Android TV Tools v3

View attachment 6049843 ​

It's a tool for use with any Android TV device (Google TV, Nvidia Shield TV, Google Chromecast...). I am releasing today an optimized version with several features. Although it is an initial version, it is already very advanced because I had already developed a similar version for Wear OS watches, and I have gained a lot of experience in this type of development. I have tested it on Google TV with Chromecast, I'm curious if it works as well on other Android TV devices, please comment suggestions for future updates or bugs that you notice in the tool.

What does it do?

It is an All-in-One tool for Windows that makes it easy to do certain things with the TV device, such as:

Send files to the TV device, such as MP3, images, PDF, or download to PC files hosted on the TV device.

Send texts from PC to TV device. [New]

Install applications (Sideload).

Install applications in bulk.

Uninstall applications from the TV device.

Enable/disable applications on the TV device.

Package name and version recognition

Remove bloatware with Universal Android Debloater.

Help generate shortcuts (icons) for installed apps that do not appear in the launcher with this website

Install Play Store shortcut to display in your launcher

Extract all apps you have installed on the TV device and restore them in bulk when needed (Backup/Restore).

List user apps that were installed only from Play Store (and also only outside play store). [New]

Manage device permissions

Grant write permissions on external USB

List packages that have a certain permission available

Repair NTP server to synchronize date and time correctly. [New]

Apply Custom Settings on the TV device:

- Hide/Show developer options menu.

- Enable/disable GPS location

- Adjust screen timeout

- Remove advertisements

- Install alternative ad blocker (AdGuard for Android TV) [New]

- Rotate TV screen

- Enable/disable Ambient display

- Set the timeout to activate the Ambient Screen

- Set the timeout time to turn off the TV when idle

Replace official Google launcher with an alternative launcher (Projectivy Launcher, FLauncher...)

Install Google TV launcher for devices that don't have it

Replace official YouTube with alternative ad-free YouTube (Stable or Beta) (SmartTube)

Method to set any launcher as default

Replace default screen saver (Aerial Views screensaver)

Help customize remote control buttons (with Button Mapper)

Install IPTV apps (Tivimate, kodi, TDTChannels...) [New]

Add m3u lists with a URL or with a file in IPTV apps. [New]

Automatically start any app (with Launch on Boot). [New]

Install Google Play Store on devices that do not have it, e.g. devices of Chinese origin

Install alternative shops such as Aurora Store and Aptoide TV

Change screen density

Change font size.

Enter ADB commands via command line.

Advanced reboot (Enter Recovery mode and developer mode).

View and control the TV device from PC with ScrCpy.

Take screenshots and send them directly to the PC.

Record the TV device screen and send the video directly to the PC in MP4 format.

Optimize the TV device:

- Increase the speed of animations.

- Improve performance.

- Enable the processing speed management system.

- Delete cache memory.

- Optimize performance.

- Close background apps

- Delete data and cache memory of apps

Send from PC predefined or custom voice commands

Shortcuts Settings screens

Launch installed user applications

Wake up the TV device

Put the TV device to sleep (stand-by)

Check for TV device updates

Launch notification curtain

View TV device information, such as serial number, build version, Android version, resolution, battery status...

History of connected TV devices.

Suggest the IP of the TV device if you don't know what it is

Changelog:

v1.0 (Dic 30, 2023) - Initial version

v2.0 (Feb 05, 2024) -

Install Play Store shortcut to display in your launcher (option 1.9).

Manage device permissions (option 4.5).

Grant write permissions on external USB (option 4.5.2)

List packages that have a certain permission available (option 4.5.5)

More query links (option 7.3)

Install stable or Beta version of SmarTube (option 7.6)

Install Google TV launcher for devices that don't have it (option 7.7.1. 3)

Method to set any launcher as default (option 7.7.1. 4)

Install Google Play Store on devices that do not have it, e.g. devices of Chinese origin (option 7.10)

Install alternative shops such as Aurora Store and Aptoide TV (opt 7.11)

View list of uninstalled or hidden apps (opt 2.7.5)

It will now always download the latest available version of: ADB drivers, Universal Android Debloater, scrcpy, SmartTube and Projectivy Launcher.

The auxiliary file for window sizing (cmdmax.exe) is no longer embedded in the executable, it will now be downloaded the first time you start the tool.

Now, if there is no internet connection, you can download the auxiliary files from the post to make the tool fully functional.

Fixed ADB driver and aapt driver download link.

Fixed ad blocker (also blocked internet connection) (option 4.6)

Fixed responses to installation errors or any ADB instructions.

Improved installation method of Projectivy Launcher and FLauncher (option 7.7)

Improved the option to transfer files via remote folder, now the server is activated automatically (option 1).

Improved closing of listing windows.

Added 2nd page in option 7 (Other tools)

Aesthetic improvements to the interface

v3.0 (Apr 16, 2024) -

Added alternative ad blocker (AdGuard for Android TV)

Added option to install IPTV apps (Tivimate, kodi, TDTChannels...)

Added option to add m3u lists with a URL or with a file in IPTV apps.

Added option to repair NTP server (solution to sync date and time correctly)

Added option to automatically launch any app.

Added option to list uninstalled or hidden apps.

Added option to list user apps that were installed only from Play Store (and also only outside play store).

Added option to send texts from PC to TV device.

Improved option to backup and restore apps (now allows to make several backups and restore the one you want).

More improvements in the tool to backup and restore apps (now restores first the apps that were installed from play store)

Improved information when connecting (now accurately informs the reason for not connecting)

Improved and extended information in case of error installing or uninstalling apps on the device.

Improved the option to block advertising.

Improved SmartTube installation method.

Improved Help option (when typing "help" when connecting) to fix various types of errors.

Fixed error when recording screen.

Fixed bug when downloading AptoideTV.

Fixed "Findstr" bug in some users when connecting.

Lots of aesthetic improvements.

Requirements

Windows O.S.

Have the ADB drivers installed. Here is the link to download them. During installation, make sure to enable the "Add to System Path Environment" option. Here you have more information about ADB drivers. If you don't have ADB drivers installed, they are automatically downloaded and installed as soon as you open Android TV Tools.

Connect the TV device to the same Wi-Fi network.

On the TV device, go to Settings > system > About and tap "Build Number" several times until you see a message that says "you are now a developer". Then go to Settings > system > developer options and enable "USB debugging".

Considerations

The tool is available in English (EN) and Spanish (ES).

Tested on Google TV with Chromecast, please give feedback on other TV devices.

With Windows 10 and Windows 11 it is fully compatible and functional. Running the tool on Windows 7 or lower is partially functional, as there are some instructions that it does not interpret on older Windows.

To find out the IP address of the TV device, just go to Settings > Networks and Internet > "Your Wi-Fi network". Under that option, you will see the IP. It is also in Settings > System > Status.

You can use the tool in multitasking mode, i.e. you can for example backup TV device apps while you are applying custom configurations.

Use of Android TV Tools in offline environment

If you are going to run the tool without an internet connection, download Aux Files for Android TV Tools.rar and unzip the file in the same folder as Android TV Tools vXX.exe, as the tool makes use of several auxiliary files such as:

cmdmax.exe (for resizing the tool's windows).

ScrCpy (for viewing and controlling your TV device from your PC)

Universal Android Debloater (to remove bloatware)

In addition, ADB drivers are included, so there is no need to install them to use Antroid TV Tools.

View attachment 6064171​

Does Android TV Tools contain Malware?

The tool is 100% clean and safe, of course it does not send any personal information to any remote server, however Antivirus software in recent times has become much more sensitive especially in the engines used in Virustotal.com so some Anti-Virus engines detect Android TV Tools as some kind of Malware I guess because it matches a certain pattern, logically to users of the tool this creates concern especially if it is detected by 39 of 72 engines as happened when launching Android TV Tools v2. The only solution is to contact each of the anti-virus companies via questionnaire or email so that they can reanalyze the file and normally in less than 48 hours you receive a response from the companies informing you that it is indeed a false positive and that they will update the engine. In the case of those 39 engines detecting some type of malware, and after countless emails they were reduced to 4 engines, I must say that these 4 Anti-Virus companies neither answer (neither for good nor for bad) nor update their engines correcting the false positive, these are DeepInstinct, Rising, SkyHigh and TrapMine. It's like hitting a wall, it's very frustrating.​

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Please, if Android TV Tools is detected as malware/virus by your Anti-virus software or detected by VirusTotal.com engines inform me as soon as possible, I for my part commit myself to be aware of the analysis in VirusTotal.com to avoid alerts in Anti-virus engines. Here is a link to a contact directory of VirusTotal.com antivirus engines if anyone wants to collaborate and send emails to reanalyze the tool, I would appreciate it because this issue of false positives takes a lot of my time.​

File : Android TV Tools V3_EN.exe

Algorithm : MD5

Hash : 1884D18FA16AB3DC46EB33599D76F2B7

Web virustotal.com

Where to download?

Android TV Tools v3

Method

Download and unzip in a folder the file from the "Where to download" section.

Make sure you meet all the points in the "requirements" section.

Locate the IP address of the TV device, as explained in the "considerations" section.

Run Android TV Tools and enter the IP address.

A notification will probably appear on the TV device asking "Allow USB debugging?", select "Always allow from this computer" and re-enter the IP address in the tool.

In the tool, choose a function to run and follow the instructions on the screen.

View attachment 6049619​

To-Do

Improve optimization tool with more optimization tasks (any suggestions from this thread for Samsung Galaxy devices or this thread for Pixel devices?).

Porting code to Linux and Mac via Java or Python.

View attachment 6099839

View attachment 6049603

View attachment 6064176​

I share this tool for free, to code the tool as it is now having taken me quite some time, I just ask for some feedback for the one who download it and try it.

If you are going to use it, please comment what you think or what bugs you see or what new features you suggest. Any opinion is interesting.

Version Information

Status: Stable

Current Version: v3

Release Date: 30/12/2023

Last Update Date: 16/04/2024