5 f*cking viral TV posts this week and zero actual instructions
Here's the actual prompt. Paste it into Claude Code and do it yourself:
I want to remove ads and bloatware from my Android TV / Google TV.
Model: [YOUR MODEL]. My computer is on the same wifi.
Apps I use and must keep: [Netflix, YouTube, ...]
1. Tell me how to turn on Developer options and network/ADB debugging on this exact model. Wait for me to confirm.
2. Install adb (platform-tools) if missing, find the TV on my network and connect. On Android 11+ use the wireless pairing flow.
3. Run pm list packages and show me a table: package, what it does, remove / keep / not sure. Never touch anything for system updates, wifi, HDMI, remote/input, or my apps above.
4. Wait for my approval. Then disable the approved packages one by one with pm disable-user --user 0 (not a full uninstall) and check the TV still works after each.
5. Install a clean launcher (Projectivy Launcher or FLauncher), set it as default, and disable the stock launcher instead of deleting it.
6. Save every command and the package list to tv-cleanup.md so I can undo anything with pm enable or cmd package install-existing.
Hacked my TV with Claude Code today
No more ads, bloatware, spyware or laggy UI
I also got a beautiful screensaver with my revenue, calendar, weather, and notifications for new Stripe payments
It was super easy! I sent it the listing for my tv, asked "can you hack this?" And it talked me through how
The prompt. Paste it into Claude Code, fill in your model and apps:
I want to remove ads and bloatware from my Android TV / Google TV.
Model: [YOUR MODEL]. My computer is on the same wifi.
Apps I use and must keep: [Netflix, YouTube, ...]
1. Tell me how to turn on Developer options and network/ADB debugging on this exact model. Wait for me to confirm.
2. Install adb (platform-tools) if missing, find the TV on my network and connect. On Android 11+ use the wireless pairing flow.
3. Run pm list packages and show me a table: package, what it does, remove / keep / not sure. Never touch anything for system updates, wifi, HDMI, remote/input, or my apps above.
4. Wait for my approval. Then disable the approved packages one by one with pm disable-user --user 0 (not a full uninstall) and check the TV still works after each.
5. Install a clean launcher (Projectivy Launcher or FLauncher), set it as default, and disable the stock launcher instead of deleting it.
6. Save every command and the package list to tv-cleanup.md so I can undo anything with pm enable or cmd package install-existing.
Your TV was paid off. The ads weren't.
My parents had a Xiaomi TV. Every time they turned it on, a sponsored ad played before they could even get to Netflix.
I didn't call support or dig through forums. I gave Claude Code the model number
one afternoon later:
→ Claude Code found the TV on the home wifi
→ removed 25 Xiaomi packages
→ wrote a brand new launcher
→ the ad before Netflix is gone, and the home screen looks like an Apple TV
The ad is the business model. Last quarter Roku made $672.8M from ads and $133.7M from selling the actual devices. Five times more from your attention than from the hardware
So i turned it into a step by step prompt for Android TV and Google TV sets: Sony, TCL, Xiaomi, Philips, Sharp, Hisense (Google TV models). nothing gets deleted for good, every step can be undone
Full prompt will be in the next post.
@gathint The part that matters if anyone tries this: ask it to disable packages instead of uninstalling them. pm disable-user can be undone in one command if netflix or updates break
Turned this into a step by step prompt for Android TV / Google TV sets, it's on my profile
@Argona0x 11 repair requests answered with "next week" is so painfully real..
Trying this on my own lease tonight. only change i'm making is asking it to cite the page for every claim so i can double check before i send anything.