Android TV Launcher

I paid a premium for two Shield TVs. I had been super happy with them for years, including the Android TV interface. This week, Google deployed a change to the home screen that introduced these huge obnoxious ads that cannot be disabled. The ads are for content in services that aren't even installed or subscribed. They're totally irrelevant, dominating the screen and incredibly annoying. The entire experience has gone from great to awful in an instant. This is a blatant bait-and-switch, and whatever trust I had in Google is gone. "Don't be evil"? What a sham.

I wish I could give zero or negative stars. The update made a slightly outdated launcher more outdated. You can't customize and compared to FireTV, it looks like something you'd find on an elementary school interface. I've actually opted to purchase a FireStick for each of the four android smart tv's I own. This is just awful. Going back to the previous interface would be 100 steps forward.

In the last 5 years, I've spent 400 dollars on two Shield TV Pros for the clean and uncluttered experience of a device that is not subsidized with countless ads. If I wanted that, I've would have saved myself the trouble and bought a cheaper device like a Roku. Up until the last update, I've been largely happy with that investment but not anymore. An ad-free experience was implicit when buying a premium device like this. And developers need to understand this. My review is 1 star until the ads are removed or a option to permanently remove them from premium devices is implemented.

After dropping $2500 for a new TV, today the auto-update replaced the UI with this new "Discover" Android TV interface. The Home screen now offers full-page 'suggestions' for content on streaming apps I don't have or want, for instance Disney+. There's no option to select the services to scrape for suggestions, and no way to turn off these advertisements without rolling-back the operating system. This is infuriating. I own this hardware, spent more than I wanted to for it, and now I have no way of avoiding Google's advertising. This is infuriating.

All ads and no way to disable them. Customizing still keeps ads in prominent places and constantly asks you to customize and add more if you opt for none. The flow of the UI is tremendously degraded by making unfavorited apps take several button presses to access instead of an easy way to open previously installed apps from the home screen. All of these changes are blatantly seeking to monetize a product with no regard for usability or the users. Atrocious would be too generous.

Adverts on my TV home screen, no thanks Google. I go out of my way to avoid as much advertising as possible. Forcing adverts upon people on a purchased piece of hardware that you provide a software interface for is beyond the pale. I've put up with you overarching, intrusive probing due to the quality and usefulness of the products you offer and thought of it as a fair trade. I don't think this is a fair trade at all. Considering you have such a thorough profile of me you don't seem to be doing a good job of promoting event things I may like. Adverts for boxing, Disney+ and other things so far, none of which I have an interest in. At least give us the option to disable these.

Completely agree w/ all others here. The new ads are not welcome on the FOUR Nividia Shields I have (one original pro, one newer pro and two of the newer shield tv "tubes"). I've talked them up to a lot of people. It replaced all of our slower, ad-filled Roku TVs. I could install a secondary home screen launcher but why do I need to do that after having paid so much for all of these? Please give an option to opt out. You'll still have plenty of folks who don't care enough to go hunting down the settings. This is a Google product but Nvidia - you need to step up and switch or roll your own.

The purpose of a launcher is to quickly and easily launch the applications and games you use on a regular basis. The current Android TV launcher is now the worst launcher I have used on any platform. The actual list of apps is small, at the bottom of the screen, only displays a handful of apps, and has no support for organization such as folders, and has now become even more difficult to access. Every update makes this launcher worse, but the last straw was when they decided to throw giant full page ads on the main page. Being a TV, this means you have to manually up press multiple times on the remote through the ad to get from where the stuff I use is, to where the sleep button is. This "update" is completely mandatory too. I have been declining System Updates for over a year and have the Play Store set to not update anything automatically. It was still forced on us. Even uninstalling the launcher back to the original launch version doesn't remove the new ads. The only easy recourse we have is to disable Google Play services entirely, which I have now done. I have also begun transitioning completely away from the Google ecosystem. If an app no longer runs with Google disabled, I get it from Amazon or side load it. I paid a lot of money for this Android TV device, and I have really enjoyed it thus far. I even bought other Google home devices recently. But Google destroying one of my favorite devices with their forced ads, and doing nothing to remedy the situation despite the major user backlash shows that they cannot be trusted in the future. Never has it been more apparent that we are the product and that our "owner" does not care about us.

3.0 launcher update on atv's version 8+ (other than the shield?) means getting the ccwgtv-like interface (with even more ads/'content discovery'), reduced utility on the main home screen - requires way more clicks to get to the apps. will see how it grows on me, but impression is the ATV launcher has been mostly regressing since the original leanback design.

Huge home screen ADS that CANNOT be disabled. Got the new NVIDIA Shield update and the entire experience has gone from great to awful in an instant. I had been super happy with them for years until last week, Google deployed a change to the home screen that introduced these huge obnoxious ads that cannot be disabled.

Bought an Nvidia Shield to get a nice, powerful device with a clean interface. Google has wrecked that with a 1/3 of the screen advert on the latest update. The usability of the UI has taken a step back. Google, you can give it to us for free with Ads or if we pay for it you don't get to do ads. Pick one.

I would not currently recommend this particular "app" in its current state (as of 30 June 2021). The newly pushed update includes an intrusive advertising scheme which is affecting many people who rely on the android system for streaming shows to a TV (For example the Nvidia Shield streamer). As of this writing, the advertising banner occupies approximately 33% of the home screen real estate, and users are unable to fully opt-out without impacting other google services.

Absolutely hate the latest update. Always shows ads on the home screen with no way to disable them. It used to be a great interface, now it's abysmal.

The new layout that takes up nearly half the home screen with advertising is unacceptable. The simple layout that the home screen used to have was easier to use and access the app you wanted. The new layout requires scrolling past advertisements that cannot be disabled.

Recent changes to the Home screen including "featured programming" (aka "ads") and large permanent prompt to "customize" the home screen totally destroy the previously simple and clean design. Not only are the ads an annoying eyesore, but they also show content that is not really appropriate for children. Hated this on the chromecast with google tv, and now I hate it on my nvidia shield TV as well. Boo on google for forcing this on us. At this point, I prefer the roku interface to this monstrosity.

I'll add my review to the others here. I have several Nvidia Shield devices and was hoping they'd be free from the ad update plaguing other Android TV boxes, but Google has decided to push an update that forces me to see huge banner ads on every one of them with no way to disable them or roll back the launcher version to a previous version. The ads aren't even for services I have, which makes it even more frustrating. Very disappointed.

Was fine for several years but now ads for services I don't have or want take up 60% of the screen on my Nvidia Shield TV with no way to disable it. Google's greediness is getting ridiculous. I fixed the problem by installing Wolf Launcher instead. Now I won't have to go back to using this garbage.

You know what you did. I've spend hundreds of dollars on my device. I pay every month for multiple subscription services. I didn't do this to get ads on my TV every time I turn it on. Kodi or something next time. You've lost my trust. I'm sideloading another launcher in the mean time.

Abysmal. You've ruined my NVidia Shield with this god-awful update. The ads are grotesque and overly prominent, there's a Discover tab that I'll never use and just gets in the way. On the Apps screen you see fewer apps because the top section is needlessly dedicated to the Play store. What were you thinking? No option to remove, no option to customise? This is a disgusting, greedy update that ruins the user experience and sticks two-fingers up to everyone who bought one of these machines.

This is terrible. It was great until this week and then they pushed out some ugly update that has ads taking up an enormous part of the screen. The ads can't be moved or made smaller or anything. Time for a third party launcher.

Disgusting update. Ads replace what was MY content to watch and favourite apps on the first row with ads that play and use data whether you want it or not and no option to turn off or replace with again MY content like pictures or videos from my google account. They’re not even interest based for crying out loud. I never owned anything Disney!!! And I don’t want to! Get out of MY device with YOUR ads disguising themselves as recommendations. And if they were personalized, well then anyway none of my guests need to see my personalized recommendations on the TV’s home. If you really wanted people to discover stuff, it would be a different section. Those are ads, plain and simple. If you don’t get enough money from TV manufacturers, force them to stick to a version that doesn’t get updated because you’re ruining my physical PRODUCT and I am forced to update with Sony.

I paid a premium for Sony Android TV. Old Android TV interface was good. But now Google deployed a change to the home screen that introduced these massive amount of ads for content in services that aren't even installed on my tv and that cannot be disabled.

The latest "Discover" ads are not welcome on the Nvidia Shield. People who paid $200 or so on a dedicated Android TV device did so due to it's clean and ad-free interface. Google has now put unwelcome ads on the home screen that CANNOT be removed, and they take up the top 30% of the display. I am not interested in any of these ads or streaming services. I use what I use and do not want whatever you're peddling... Not only that, I view some of these ads as detrimentally inappropriate for kids and do not want them to see them. Remove this entirely, or give us the option to disable this and bring back the clean interface we liked before.

Yes. Put more ads on my TV Home Screen. I would rather revert to factory settings and never connect my tv to the internet than to have more of this garbage thrust in my face. Hell no. Would rate ZERO stars if there was the option.

A lot of screen real estate is now wasted with a top bar that you cannot configure. It will repeatedly show you ads for programs on apps you haven't even installed.

I had no complaints until Google flipped a switch and turned my nVidia Shield into a 50" billboard for services and shows I have absolutely no interest in ever using or watching. I open up Netflix and see banners for Netflix shows, no problem. I open up Disney+ and there's a big banner for Disney shows. No problem. I'm in that app, and looking for something to watch there anyway. But my home screen should not be a billboard. Again, for shows and services I have no intention on ever using. For an advertising company that supposedly knows everything about me, holy cow are you guys barking up the wrong tree with those ads.

I can't believe ads take upwards of 60% of my screen at time (typically top 1/3). What the actual hell!! I've never been more against Google than at this exact moment. For shame!!! Can't you maybe give the ads a break for even just a second? I know you are a "ad" company more than anything good for people, but perhaps you can give us a bit of a break between all the billions you're raking in. Greedy!!

The absolute worst, once again more intrusive advertising shoved in my face. Going to install Fire Stick on my Sony smart TV's to get rid of all this advertising. Don't want it, didn't ask for it, not going to put up with it.