Android TV home screen starts showing unwanted advertisements

By Aaron Mamiit Published April 7, 2019

An image uploaded to XDA Developers shows a row labeled “Sponsored” on the Android TV home screen. XDA Developers

Android TV owners have started seeing unwanted advertisements on the home screen, in the form of a row of “sponsored” content.

Recommended Videos

The unwanted ads have appeared on Sony smart TVs, the Xiaomi Mi Box 3, and the Nvidia Shield TV, among other Android TV devices. A similar Android TV feature named Apps Spotlight that shows Google Play Store apps is easy to disable, but the new row of sponsored content has proven to be a bit more difficult to deal with.

The sponsored channels are apparently part of a pilot program by Google, which has affected even high-end TV models that are powered by the Android TV platform.

“Android TV is committed to optimizing and personalizing the entertainment experience at home. As we explore new opportunities to engage the user community, we’re running a pilot program to surface sponsored content on the Android TV home screen,” a Google spokesperson told XDA Developers in a statement.

Fortunately, Reddit user Felisens discovered a way to disable the unwanted ads that involves uninstalling the updates for the Android TV Core Services app. This will crash the TV’s home screen, but this should be fixed with a restart by pressing the Home button. Once the update has been rolled back, the ads may be removed from the home screen through the minus button or the channel settings page. This will require automatic updates to be disabled though, which may not be a good idea over a longer term as it will also prevent security updates from coming in.

In response to the appearance of the sponsored content, Sony published a support article on its official website that explained that the ads are managed by Google. The article confirms that the content in the sponsored channel may not be manually changed, so Sony suggested owners create and enable a Restricted Profile where they can select only the apps that they use.

Google told 9to5Google that the sponsored row should not be appearing on Xiaomi or Nvidia hardware, without an explanation on why the unwanted ads have reportedly appeared on the Xiaomi Mi Box 3 and the Nvidia Shield TV.

Former Contributor

Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…

Topics

Phones

Galaxy Z Fold 8: Everything we know

Samsung's boldest foldable redesign yet is now official, with a lighter build, a genuinely useful cover screen, and pricing that undercuts the pricier Fold 8 Ultra.

Symbol, Electronics, Mobile Phone

For most of its existence, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold has solved one problem while creating another. The book-style foldable has let buyers carry a tablet-sized screen in their pocket without actually carrying a tablet. But, through no fault of its own, that came at the cost of a cover screen so tall and narrow that using it one-handed felt unnatural and uncomfortable.

Viewing content on the inner screen came with giant black bars at the top and bottom, too. Samsung has now fixed that with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it's official: shorter, wider, passport-shaped, and a cover screen you can actually type on without contorting your fingers.

Phones

Samsung’s next tracker may look better while becoming harder to actually attach

Samsung may redesign the SmartTag right into an AirTag annoyance

Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2 in Black and White variants

Samsung appears ready to redesign its Galaxy SmartTag again. This time, the makeover could come at the expense of one of the SmartTag 2’s most practical advantages. SamMobile's latest report has shared the supposed design of the upcoming Galaxy SmartTag 3.

The smart tracker can be seen with a compact squircle-shaped body that resembles Samsung's recent One UI icons and the shape used around newer Galaxy Watch displays. In comparison, the current SmartTag 2 looks a lot different, with a longer pill-shaped body dominated by a big integrated loop at one end. The leaked SmartTag 3 diagram does away with that loop entirely.

Phones

Tecno shows off a bezel-less concept phone that looks achingly breathtaking

Tecno's bezel-free phone could be revealed at IFA 2026 in September.

Tecno camon bezel free concept phone.

Say what you will about bezel-less phones, how bad they are for typing, and how they are a glorified ergonomics nightmare, but you can't deny their charm. For over a decade, smartphone makers have made numerous attempts to reduce or eliminate those black borders. The likes of Vivo went with a sloping screen, while others like the ill-fated Essential and Xiaomi just kept trimming the sides. Apple and Samsung followed in their footsteps, but neither of them has tried anything too audacious lately.

Tecno, it seems, wants to go bezel-less without any tricks. The brand just released a short teaser video showing its "next-gen bezelless concept phone." It's a concept phone, so keep that designation in mind. The brand hasn't said when this phone will be officially showcased, or launched, but IFA 2026 is our best bet. As for the device itself, it just looks stunning, and rumors also suggest that the bezel race will be white hot in 2027.