How to Uninstall or Hide Unwanted Launchers on Android TV

Updated 2026-11-04

Why Android TV pulls up another launcher

Android TV devices ship with a default launcher that isn’t Google’s stock one, and those launchers often come pre-installed alongside your streaming apps. When a third-party launcher promises a slick interface but silently runs in the background, you end up with a cluttered dashboard that slows down voice search, game overlays, and quick app switching. Trying to force‑remove them through Settings doesn’t always work, and if you disable the wrong system process the TV may stop launching apps correctly.

The cleanest path is a combination of uninstalls followed by purposeful hiding, using the OS tools that the Android TV version ships with. This guide walks you through the exact steps that preserve your essential apps—streaming services, Plex, YouTube, and the like—while clearing out the extra loaders.

What launchers do on Android TV, and why they stick around

Most custom launchers on Android TV install themselves like any other app, but they rely on deep access to the platform’s view hierarchy and launch sequence hooks. That means simply deleting the APK in Settings > Apps often isn’t enough; the system keeps a reference until the package is fully removed from the package database. Some bundlers include a “hide” toggle inside their own preferences screens, which is where the real maintenance trick lives.

The launchers that appear most often on TVs are:

• NootLauncher — lightweight, keyboard‑driven, bundles its own script runner.
• Nova Launcher for TV (community builds) — highly customizable but adds startup weight.
• RetroArch / Boost for TV wrappers — include hidden menu scripts that survive a normal uninstall.

These launchers persist because they register as a default activity via a small companion binary or an Android TV “compositor hook,” so a plain uninstall leaves a ghost entry in the system launcher table.

Safe way to remove a third‑party launcher

Start from the Play Store side, and only go manual if the uninstaller refuses to complete cleanly.

1. Open Settings > Apps. Find the launcher you don’t want (e.g., “NootLauncher”).
2. Tap Uninstall. If the option is greyed out, the launcher has a protection flag—skip to the manual removal section.
3. If the app uninstalls successfully, reboot the TV. On Android TV 12/13, a restart clears the residual process references.

For stubborn cases—where the launcher has disabled itself or is pinned as a primary activity—the manual route works better:

• Navigate to Settings > System > Developer options.
• Toggle Developer mode if it is off.
• Long‑press the launcher icon, then select Force stop from the context menu.
• With the launcher closed, boot into recovery, open a terminal emulator app, and run pm uninstall --user 0 <package_id>.
• Reboot normally.

This method removes the entire package, including its background services, which is why it’s effective on TV boxes that use a stripped‑down AOSP base.

How to hide a launcher instead of removing it

If you’d rather keep the launcher installed for testing, or you need it for a kiosk-style setup, use the built‑in “Hide” feature before that option becomes unavailable.

1. In Settings > Apps, find the launcher.
2. Scroll down and enable Hide apps from the home screen (sometimes listed under Launchers in the app info pane—if absent, the launcher hides itself in its own settings screen).
3. Open the launcher’s on‑device main menu (most TV launchers add a gear icon on the lock screen), and look for Hide in the advanced display options.
4. Confirm. The launcher icon disappears from the home screen, but the app remains functional when launched via the quick‑access button or the remote’s search bar.

Some launchers, such as NootLauncher, have an in‑app Show/Hide toggle inside Settings > Launchers > Manage. Disable the “Show launcher in quick‑launch” flag there to make it vanish from the remote’s suggestions entirely.

Preserving essential apps after you hide or uninstall

The biggest risk is accidentally removing the app that holds your Plex media server browser, your Chromecast controller, or your search indexer. Before touching anything, make a list of these core apps and their exact package names:

• Plex (or your chosen media player)
• Chromecast / Google Cast
• YouTube / Google TV
• Google Search (essential for navigation)
• Amazon Alexa (if used as voice remote)

Delete the launcher, then verify each core app is still listed in Settings > Apps before you exit. If you used the hide‑only method, the launcher icon is gone but none of your media apps are touched, so you can safely continue. For removal, double‑check that the package ID you entered in pm uninstall --user 0 corresponds to the launcher—not the media app.

Trade‑offs: removing versus hiding in practice

Hiding is the gentler first step. It lets you keep the launcher around while checking whether any feature breaks. Only escalate to removal once you’ve confirmed every core app still launches.

Testing the tidied home screen before you call it finished

After the launcher is gone or hidden, spend a few sessions walking through your daily workflow:

1. Launch Plex and confirm the app opens without lag.
2. Open Chromecast and cast a single test stream.
3. Use the remote to jump between apps via voice search—make sure the new launcher’s search index covers all installed apps.
4. Check that the voice assistant still recognizes “launch” and “open” for both the existing Google Assistant and any third‑party voice plugin.

If something fails, revert quickly: re‑enable the launcher from the backup you made, or temporarily reinstall the removed one with pm install --user 0 <package>.

What happens to cached data after you hide or remove a launcher

Uninstalling a launcher does not delete the cached thumbnail database—it only removes the launcher’s own process entries. That’s why you might see old icons flickering, or a momentary delay where the previous launcher’s preview appears. Hiding the launcher usually deletes the cached thumbnail file for that launcher, so the transition is cleaner and faster. If you want to scrub the cache manually, go to Settings > System storage > Cached data and tap Clear cached data (the launcher folder is excluded from the standard cache wipe, so it won’t affect system caches).

Wrapping up: a stable, lean Android TV home screen

Getting rid of unwanted launchers is one of the simplest ways to reclaim screen real estate and improve response time on Android TV. The recommended order is:

1. Try uninstalling first. If the uninstaller blocks you, move to a forced uninstall.
2. If you’re unsure, use the hide option instead of deletion—this preserves your setup while you evaluate.
3. Always back up your core apps list before touching anything.
4. Test the final configuration over several days before considering it done.

A lean home screen also means fewer mistaken voice activations and a smoother casting experience. With a single clean launcher (or none, if you prefer the stock Google TV launcher), your Plex browser, Chromecast, and streaming apps will load faster, and your remote will respond more predictably.

Quick checklist

• List core apps: Plex, Chromecast, YouTube, Search, Alexa
• Attempt uninstall via Settings > Apps
• If blocked, use Developer mode + force stop, then pm uninstall --user 0
• Verify each core app still launches after removal
• Use the launcher’s own hide setting if removal is too risky
• Clear launcher cache via Settings > System storage if thumbnails remain
• Test daily workflow before finishing

Following these steps, you can safely prune unwanted launchers from Android TV and keep the set of essential apps intact. The result is a faster, simpler home screen that respects your voice remote and casting habits—exactly what a TV experience should be.

Related reading: more Android TV notes