Plugging in a new smart TV is always a thrill, until you see a garble of apps on screen that you never wanted in the first place. These pre-installed apps are not only annoying; They occupy your space, slow down your TV, and, too often, are there simply to record on you or bombard you with ads.
That’s why I am always sure to stop a couple of them instantly. This is a breakdown of the apps that I remove and why I remove them.
Manufacturer Smart Home Apps
To your surprise – apps such as TCL Home or Samsung SmartThings or LG ThinQ (note: those last two are mostly for LG’s own devices) will usually already be installed on the device and they promise centralized control of all your smart devices.
These apps:
- Very much so need to create another account.
- Request unnecessary permissions
- Collect data in the background
- Only add no real value to your remote and settings menu in particular.
Verdict: Delete it and follow your favorite smart home ecosystem.
Manufacturer Channel Apps
Online app stores like TCL Channel, Samsung TV Plus or LG Channels seem like free streaming services—but it’s mostly their own poor, ad-sponsored content.
They:
Autolaunch or flood your home screen
- Reruns that are pushed, obscure programmes, and low budget movies
- Exist primarily for ad monetization
- If you are a member of services such as Netflix, Disney+ or HBO Max these apps are excessive noise.
Verdict: Delete in order to get a faster, cleaner viewing experience.
Proprietary App Stores
On even TVs running Google TV, Fire TV or Roku, you will usually see the manufacturer’s own app store too. These usually:
- Offer fewer quality apps
- Auto-install unwanted bloatware
- Display intrusive recommendations
As most times it is impossible to remove them, I disable auto updates and hide them from my home screen.
Verdict: Utilize the store in main platform and disregard the manufacturers’ version of the platform.
Social Media Apps
Yes, your TV can allow you to install Facebook, TikTok or even Instagram, but that doesn’t mean you should.
These apps:
- Hard to navigate without a keyboard
- Have slow interfaces and weak performance
- Collect data even when idle
- Pose unnecessary security risks
- Your phone or under-tablet is a much more preferable place to scroll social feeds.
Verdict: Remove and leave your credentials off the TV at all.
Shopping Apps
Amazon or Walmart applications as well as regional shopping portals are also growing in prevalence of being pre-installed on smart TVs. But the reality is that TVs are a terrible place to shop.
They:
- Offer slow, frustrating user interfaces
- Push deal and pop-ups in your viewing.
- Waste precious space and system resources.
Verdict: Delete unless you really like shopping with a TV remote.
Generic Games
Think think Think – infinite runners, solitaire, random puzzle games with ads and laggy controls. These pre-installed games:
- Quite automated, or runs in background
- Eat up bandwidth and storage
- Include shady in-app purchases
- As far as gaming goes, you are better off with a console or cloud streaming.
Verdict: Eradicate all of them.
News/Sports Apps that you don’t watch.
CNN, Bloomberg, ESPN, etc. are some of the applications that are included in many smart TVs. Most are not really useful, but require cable logins and keep fetching updates which you do not need.
They:
- Push alerts and distractions
- Run in the background
- Are often geo-locked or paywalled
Verdict: Retain only what you will really need.
