Installing apps on Android TV in general, and Chromecast with Google TV in particular, is usually a simple task. There are, however, limitations to what you can install directly from the Play Store, since only approved software enters the platform. If you want to color outside the lines and load apps that are not officially supported, or if you want to force an app to update, you need to use APK files. Uploading them to Chromecast and installing them is no easy task, so we’ll walk you through the process step by step.
This tutorial is for Chromecast with Google TV, not the old Chromecast or Chromecast Ultra, and focuses on the wireless transfer method of an Android phone or tablet.
If you want to sideload an APK on a normal Android TV device or if you prefer to use ADB to send files from a PC, you should check out this other tutorial.
1. We need some applications
There are dozens of apps you can use to send APKs from your phone to Chromecast, but the easiest method we find is through the ‘Send files to TV’ app – it’s light, fast and very simple. Search the Play Store and install it on your Android phone and your Chromecast.
The application offers an option to open the downloaded file, which in the case of an APK should technically start the installation, but I found this very problematic. Often, the APK was never opened and the installation process was never started. That’s why you may need an appropriate file manager or app installer on Chromecast.
In the tutorial below, I will use our sister website application, APK Mirror, because it not only allows me to start the installation process on TV, but also explains why a particular installation was interrupted in the event of failure. Find the app and install it directly from the Play Store on your Chromecast. If you prefer a full file browser, you can get File Commander, Solid Explorer or any other file manager.
2. Now get the APK
If you are reading this article, you probably know what an APK is and where to get it from. I’m not going to go into that further, but I will highlight a few points:
- If you want APKs compatible with Chromecast, look for those made for the architecture of the armeabi-v7a processor.
- We recommend that you use our APK Mirror from the sister site to find them for many reasons.
- Some applications that are not officially available on Android TV / Google TV can be downloaded and used on the platform, but expect some errors in the way you launch or browse them. Not everything is optimized for the launcher or remote control.
3. Send the APK to your Chromecast
Start by opening the ‘Send files to TV’ app on your Chromecast, approve the necessary storage permission and select the big one To receive (move down so that the light blue background is behind it). This will open a blank page momentarily with no transfers in progress.
Then, grab your Android phone. Now that you know which APK you want to sideload, download it to your device, open the ‘Send files to TV’ app and approve the permission request to access media and files. Touch the big Submit button and find the APK you just downloaded – it will probably be on Download folder. Selecting it opens a list of recipient devices, which must include your Chromecast. Of course, your phone and Chromecast need to be connected to the same network for this to work.
Choosing the receiving Chromecast immediately starts the direct Wi-Fi transfer process, so that the APK gets to your TV quickly.
You can try to open this downloaded APK directly in the app, but, as I mentioned earlier in the post, this doesn’t seem to work as expected. Therefore, we will need to take a few more steps.
4. Install the APK
Installing APKs through third-party applications, such as web browsers or file managers (also known as “unknown sources”), required special permission on Android for several years. Typically, you start the process and a pop-up informs you that you cannot continue until you grant this permission and you are taken directly to that setting. This has also been the case with Android TV so far.
But Chromecast with Google TV is a little bit special. There is no pop-up and the “unknown sources” are dimmed in the settings. We need to trigger the Developer Options first to activate them.
4.1. Enable developer options
On your Chromecast, open the side menu and go to Settings> System> About. Scroll down to the Android TV operating system version section and click on it repeatedly. A free message will appear, explaining that you are just a few steps away from becoming a developer. Keep clicking until you activate it.
4.2. Enable the “unknown sources” setting
Go back to the main Definitions page and select Applications> Security and restrictions> Unknown sources. Turn on toggle for APK Mirror or any file browser you decided to use in step 1 of this tutorial.
4.3. Install APK (phew)
Finally it’s time to install this APK. If you decided to use a file browser, use it to browse to the file, open it and approve the installation.
In the images below, I show you how to do this with APK Mirror. First, open the app on your Chromecast and select Browse files, I go to the Download directory, select the APK you downloaded in step 3, click Install package> Install application> Install. When the installation is finished, you can open the application.
Congratulations! You went through a complicated process, but the good news is that after doing this once, all you have to do is get the APK and send it (steps 2 and 3) and install it (step 4.3 only) just a minute or more for each new APK, so you can manually update your Chromecast with Google TV apps if a new version doesn’t arrive in time, or try out some unofficially supported apps, almost as quickly as if you were doing it on your phone.