I’ve used and recommended Projectivy Launcher for Android TVs for the longest time. And honestly, I never thought anything could come close to replacing it. But TV Launcher Premium Smart UI changed my mind, so here we are.
Its name and even the app icon don’t give much confidence, but the launcher is no joke. It actually makes your TV feel premium, and it’s completely free. That’s what makes it unique from other Android TV launchers that feel more or less the same.
TV Launcher Premium Smart UI does things differently
Give your boring TV a makeover
I’ve tried dozens of Android TV launchers, and none of them look or feel like TV Launcher Premium Smart UI. Yes, the name is a mouthful, but the launcher is refreshingly different, and you’ll notice it the second you land on the home screen.
There are no ads or content suggestions, of course. At the top, you get the usual status bar with date, time, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi indicators. Your apps live at the bottom and the launcher even sorts them into categories like Internet, Multimedia, IPTV, Tools, and Games. From there, you can move apps around and create new categories to organize things your way.
The real highlight here is the widgets panel. By default, the launcher shows a clock and a weather widget, but there are hundreds of widgets to choose from. They’re all grouped into categories like Weather, Clocks, Media, System, Security cameras, Podcasts & news, and Home & photos. Each of these has a stack of design options, so you’ll likely find something that works for you. And again, everything here is free, so you don’t have to worry about running into a paywall.
You can stack up to two rows of widgets, which can make the home screen look a bit busy, but that’s the whole appeal here. The launcher tries to make your TV look more premium rather than minimal, like Projectivy Launcher, AT4K, or Monet.
My favorite touch, though, is that the launcher also uses the widgets as a screensaver. This makes the TV look much cooler when you’re not watching anything.
The customization options go way deep
Rabbit hole alert
Customization is usually non-negotiable when it comes to launchers, and yes, TV Launcher Premium Smart UI doesn’t disappoint. Inside its settings menu, you’ll find options to change the app icon style, size, and spacing, as well as show or hide app names.
The Themes tab is where you’ll find options to adjust the background transparency and button colors. The launcher has this liquid-glass look going on, so you can also dial in the background blur from here.
One option you shouldn’t miss is Backgrounds. The launcher shows a curated gallery of nature, art, animals, cars, and even aerial photos. They are all high-quality, and you can set the launcher to switch between them every few minutes. And if you want something simple, you can even set a solid color as a background.
As I said earlier, the launcher uses your widgets as a screensaver, but if you don’t like that, you can change that from here or switch back to your TV’s default screensaver. Last but not least, there’s status bar customization. By default, the top bar is crammed with everything from a language switcher to a settings shortcut, so you can trim it down to just what you actually use.
It has a few more tricks up its sleeve
TV Launcher Premium Smart UI offers a lot, but the thing is, not everyone using the TV is going to like the same widgets and home screen layout as you do. So to counter this, there are profiles. It lets you create 10 different profiles, so everyone in your home can have a home screen with their favorite widgets and apps. And if you’ve got kids, there’s also a parental control option that lets you set up screen time limits.
My favorite part, though, is the Tools menu. It’s where the nerdier options live. The Device info section, for example, shows your TV’s specs, model number, Android version, storage status, and a few more details. There’s also the internet speed test menu in case you want to check how your internet connection is doing.
Setting it as the default is also easy
The biggest catch with using third-party launchers on an Android TV is that you can’t set them as the default. That means any time you press the Home button, it takes you back to the default interface. The obvious workaround here is remapping the button, and the developer has already made a separate app for that. It’s called Button Mapper TV, and once you set it up, pressing Home takes you straight to TV Launcher Premium Smart UI.