Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.
The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.
So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for $5 and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.
To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.
AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
Everything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.
I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.
The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.
Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.
The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.
So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for $5 and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.
To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.
AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
Everything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.
I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.
The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.
You can move or hide apps on the home screen.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
#App #Google #Usablehow-to,tips,google,android,tv">This App Makes Google TV Actually Usable
I get stressed out every time I turn on my television. A giant tech company is to blame.
Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.
The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.
So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for $5 and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.
To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.
AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
Everything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.
I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.
The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.
You can move or hide apps on the home screen.
Courtesy of Justin Pot
#App #Google #Usablehow-to,tips,google,android,tv
I get stressed out every time I turn on my television. A giant tech company…
The company announced the AlphaFold smartphone on Thursday—targeting business executives—which comes outfitted with the Hermes Agent. This agent can purportedly handle schedules and tasks on a user’s behalf and “connect to enterprise systems.” Agents are big in the smartphone world right now, with companies like Google and Samsung offering ways for Gemini on Android smartphones to perform tasks such as booking an Uber or ordering DoorDash. Vertu is cashing in on that trend.
But the company has a checkered past. Originally, Vertu was a Nokia subsidiary that made handcrafted luxury Nokia phones (in the UK!) in the early 2000s. Each phone came with access to a live concierge service. The company faced headwinds with the smartphone revolution and fell behind the times. Vertu then changed hands over several years, with various acquisitions, eventually shuttering its UK factory and laying off staff.
Courtesy of Vertu
In the last few years, the company has been churning out luxury Android smartphones again—it debuted a folding flip phone last year that starts at $4,300 (with a calfskin backplate, naturally). In late 2025, it unveiled the Agent Q, which it calls the “world’s first AI agent phone for entrepreneurs.”
While the company still claims a British heritage, its phones are no longer made in the UK, and according to its website, its head office is in Hong Kong. Vertu spokesperson Viki You tells WIRED that the phones are “still handcrafted,” but they’re assembled in China. “We have different factories,” You says, noting that the company sources its high-end materials from other countries, like the full-grain calfskin from Italy.
The AlphaFold has all the markings of a high-end Android smartphone. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from 2025 and is 11.8 millimeters thick when folded, 5.4 mm when unfolded. Not quite as svelte as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, but not far off from competitors like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Vertu says the hinge and screen architecture were tested to withstand 650,000 folds, which is more than Samsung’s claim of 500,000 folds.
Inside is a 6,500-mAh silicon-anode battery, an up-and-coming battery technology that’s been making waves in Chinese smartphones and has only recently made its way into Western smartphones from the likes of Motorola. There’s 65-watt fast charging, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate for the inner 8.05-inch screen, and a 6.53-inch outer screen. There’s a triple-camera system with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel telephoto.
The company announced the AlphaFold smartphone on Thursday—targeting business executives—which comes outfitted with the Hermes Agent. This agent can purportedly handle schedules and tasks on a user’s behalf and “connect to enterprise systems.” Agents are big in the smartphone world right now, with companies like Google and Samsung offering ways for Gemini on Android smartphones to perform tasks such as booking an Uber or ordering DoorDash. Vertu is cashing in on that trend.
But the company has a checkered past. Originally, Vertu was a Nokia subsidiary that made handcrafted luxury Nokia phones (in the UK!) in the early 2000s. Each phone came with access to a live concierge service. The company faced headwinds with the smartphone revolution and fell behind the times. Vertu then changed hands over several years, with various acquisitions, eventually shuttering its UK factory and laying off staff.
Courtesy of Vertu
In the last few years, the company has been churning out luxury Android smartphones again—it debuted a folding flip phone last year that starts at $4,300 (with a calfskin backplate, naturally). In late 2025, it unveiled the Agent Q, which it calls the “world’s first AI agent phone for entrepreneurs.”
While the company still claims a British heritage, its phones are no longer made in the UK, and according to its website, its head office is in Hong Kong. Vertu spokesperson Viki You tells WIRED that the phones are “still handcrafted,” but they’re assembled in China. “We have different factories,” You says, noting that the company sources its high-end materials from other countries, like the full-grain calfskin from Italy.
The AlphaFold has all the markings of a high-end Android smartphone. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from 2025 and is 11.8 millimeters thick when folded, 5.4 mm when unfolded. Not quite as svelte as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, but not far off from competitors like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Vertu says the hinge and screen architecture were tested to withstand 650,000 folds, which is more than Samsung’s claim of 500,000 folds.
Inside is a 6,500-mAh silicon-anode battery, an up-and-coming battery technology that’s been making waves in Chinese smartphones and has only recently made its way into Western smartphones from the likes of Motorola. There’s 65-watt fast charging, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate for the inner 8.05-inch screen, and a 6.53-inch outer screen. There’s a triple-camera system with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel telephoto.
#Vertu #Folding #Phone #Powered #bySurprisean #Agentphones,smartphones,android,shopping,luxury,design">Vertu Is Back With a Folding Phone Powered by—Surprise—an AI Agent
The company announced the AlphaFold smartphone on Thursday—targeting business executives—which comes outfitted with the Hermes Agent. This agent can purportedly handle schedules and tasks on a user’s behalf and “connect to enterprise systems.” Agents are big in the smartphone world right now, with companies like Google and Samsung offering ways for Gemini on Android smartphones to perform tasks such as booking an Uber or ordering DoorDash. Vertu is cashing in on that trend.
But the company has a checkered past. Originally, Vertu was a Nokia subsidiary that made handcrafted luxury Nokia phones (in the UK!) in the early 2000s. Each phone came with access to a live concierge service. The company faced headwinds with the smartphone revolution and fell behind the times. Vertu then changed hands over several years, with various acquisitions, eventually shuttering its UK factory and laying off staff.
Courtesy of Vertu
In the last few years, the company has been churning out luxury Android smartphones again—it debuted a folding flip phone last year that starts at $4,300 (with a calfskin backplate, naturally). In late 2025, it unveiled the Agent Q, which it calls the “world’s first AI agent phone for entrepreneurs.”
While the company still claims a British heritage, its phones are no longer made in the UK, and according to its website, its head office is in Hong Kong. Vertu spokesperson Viki You tells WIRED that the phones are “still handcrafted,” but they’re assembled in China. “We have different factories,” You says, noting that the company sources its high-end materials from other countries, like the full-grain calfskin from Italy.
The AlphaFold has all the markings of a high-end Android smartphone. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset from 2025 and is 11.8 millimeters thick when folded, 5.4 mm when unfolded. Not quite as svelte as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, but not far off from competitors like the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Vertu says the hinge and screen architecture were tested to withstand 650,000 folds, which is more than Samsung’s claim of 500,000 folds.
Inside is a 6,500-mAh silicon-anode battery, an up-and-coming battery technology that’s been making waves in Chinese smartphones and has only recently made its way into Western smartphones from the likes of Motorola. There’s 65-watt fast charging, a 120-Hz screen refresh rate for the inner 8.05-inch screen, and a 6.53-inch outer screen. There’s a triple-camera system with a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel telephoto.
On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
Image Credits:screenshot of Pixel icons by TechCrunch
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
Image Credits:screenshot of Pixel icons by TechCrunch
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Google #glitter #discoball #icons #yall #TechCrunchai icons,Android,disco ball,Google,icons,PIXEL,Spotify">Google goes for the glitter with disco-ball icons: ‘Are y’all sure you still want this?’ | TechCrunch
So bad, it’s good? Google on Friday joined in the disco ball icon fun taking place on home screens everywhere. After Spotify’s temporary new disco ball app icon, released to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, drew extensive online backlash (and a bit of praise for those who like a little kitsch!), Google decided to get in on the joke and rolled out a custom set of Android app icons sporting a similar disco ball theme.
On X, Android ecosystem head Sameer Samat posted, “Your wish is our command. Disco icons available on Pixel as of today…Are y’all sure you still want this?”
His post included a screenshot of a Pixel phone fully decked out with sparkly, disco-ball-inspired icons, which looks just as terrible (incredible??) as it sounds.
The new icons are available through Pixel’s relatively new custom icons feature, which allows users to choose from different AI-generated styles for their app icons. Before this, users could only customize their icons by changing their colors to match the phone’s wallpaper and theme.
Image Credits:screenshot of Pixel icons by TechCrunch
The custom icons feature rolled out in March’s Pixel Drop — Google’s term for its periodic feature updates to Pixel phones — introducing app icon templates like a hand-drawn “Scribbles” aesthetic, a gold look called “Treasure,” a colorful, painted style dubbed “Easel,” and others.
Earlier this week, Samat had jokingly tweeted, “Should we make this icon pack happen on Android?” alongside a Chrome icon turned into a disco ball.
Silly as it may be, Google actually made it happen.
Many people had complained about the Spotify icon, calling it ugly, prompting the company to remind them it was just a temporary sitch. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone,” the streamer wrote.
Google, seemingly, disagrees. As off-brand as its disco-themed icons are, there’s also something whimsical about turning your whole homescreen into a sparkly landscape of little apps. (And, in case you missed it, the Zillennials are really into whimsy right now, The New York Times reports, describing their “playful response to a difficult world.”)
Upon seeing Google’s release, X user and former Pixly co-founder Race Johsnon quipped, “When your home screen gets bottle service.” Said another, “Omg it’s awful. I’ll take it!”
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
.jpg?ssl=1 "This App Makes Google TV Actually UsableI get stressed out every time I turn on my television. A giant tech company is to blame.Google TV, the television operating system based on Android, is great in some ways: It runs well on my TV, there are apps available for every streaming service, and the interface is very customizable. It comes preinstalled on new sets from Sony, Hisense, and TCL, among others.The default home screen, though, is a mess. There’s a row of your applications, if you squint, but the majority of the screen is taken up by ads for movies and shows that some company is presumably paying to promote.So I was thrilled when I found AT4K, an alternative home screen for Google TV. Inspired by the Apple TV interface, this launcher shows me only thumbnails for the streaming services I use, and I can even turn those off if I want to. It’s free with no advertisements; there is a premium version you can unlock for and get some nice extras, but that’s completely optional, and the free version works great.To get started, simply install the application on Google Play. You can do so in your browser on whatever device you’re reading this article on. Or, if you want, you can launch Google Play on your smart TV and search for “AT4K.” Either way the launcher will load and the installation will be initiated on your television.AT4K’s interface is clean and uncluttered, a lot like the Apple TV interface.
Courtesy of Justin PotEverything about the AT4K is quite clean. At the very top of the screen, in the right corner, there is a clock alongside buttons for the application settings, system settings, and connectivity settings. Below that is a row of boxes with thumbnails for shows you’re currently watching. Below that is a row of five applications. Keep scrolling and you’ll find the rest of the applications installed on your device, along with icons for your various inputs.I recommend moving the streaming services and input devices you actually use to the top of the list, so you can access them quickly. To do that, select the app you want to move, then press and hold your enter button. You’ll see a sub-menu.The Move App option lets you use the arrow buttons on your remote to move the application where you want. Repeat this process until the top row includes all of your favorite streaming services.You can move or hide apps on the home screen.
Courtesy of Justin Pot#App #Google #Usablehow-to,tips,google,android,tv")
.jpg)
.jpg?ssl=1 "The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Makes Me Wish All Phones Had a Privacy Screen")
