I turned my streaming stick into a dumb app launcher, and that's all it should be
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Installing Arc Launcher on a Chromecast with Google TV transforms it into a minimal app launcher, eliminating the cluttered ads, poor recommendations, and performance slowdowns caused by the default Google TV interface. Arc Launcher shows only installed apps with no extras, making older streaming sticks faster and more usable. It requires sideloading but delivers a noticeably cleaner experience.
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Google TV made my Chromecast slowI don't need appo and content recommendationsArc Launcher fixes itQuestions this post answers
How do I remove ads and recommendations from the Google TV home screen on my Chromecast?
Installing a third-party launcher like Arc Launcher replaces the Google TV home screen entirely, removing ads, recommendations, and the 'continue watching' section. Arc Launcher shows only a list of installed apps and nothing else. It must be sideloaded onto the device, but the result is a noticeably faster and cleaner experience, especially on older Chromecast with Google TV hardware. Owners of aging Chromecast devices share fixes like this on daily.dev.