7 apps to remove from Smart TV
Smart TVs offer a lot of entertainment, but not all apps are really necessary. Here are 7 apps you should consider removing to optimize the performance of your device.
When setting up a new smart TV, it's almost impossible to avoid a jungle of pre-installed apps you never asked for.
Not only do they clutter the interface and take up storage space, they can also slow down your device. Therefore, removing unnecessary apps is an important step to improve your user experience.
1. Smart home application of the manufacturer
One of the first apps users should uninstall is the smart home app developed by the TV manufacturer itself. Although advertised as a central control tool for the TV and other devices in the ecosystem, these apps are often cumbersome, have limited features, and are not really necessary.
If you're already using platforms like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, or Apple HomeKit, then most smart TVs today are compatible without the need for proprietary manufacturer software.
In fact, these “homegrown” apps rarely provide additional value beyond the functionality available in the settings menu or remote control. Worse, they often require the creation of separate accounts, request unnecessary permissions, and tend to collect data in the background without the user’s control.
2. Channel viewing application developed by the manufacturer
Next on the list of removals are pre-installed channel viewing apps such as TCL Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, etc. which at first glance look like attractive free TV services, but in reality, most of them only contain poor quality content such as reruns, videos extracted from the web or little-known low-budget movies.
Photo: Internet.
Some apps launch automatically when you turn on your TV, others take up space on your home screen, and most exist solely to play ad-supported content. They’re more focused on grabbing your attention to make money from ads than providing a real entertainment experience, especially if you’re subscribed to services like Netflix, Disney+, or Amazon Prime Video.
Removing these apps helps the TV boot faster, the interface is cleaner, and the viewing experience becomes much more enjoyable.
3. Exclusive app store
Although most smart TVs today run on popular platforms like Google TV, Fire TV, etc., many manufacturers still integrate their own app stores.
However, instead of providing a better experience, these stores often only offer a poor, tightly controlled list of apps, full of sponsored content and junkware.
Worse, some stores silently install apps that users don't ask for, display ads, and autoplay videos on the home screen, all of which make the experience cluttered and less smooth.
Therefore, users should uninstall proprietary store apps if possible, and only use the official app store that comes with the TV platform. In case it is not possible to uninstall, it is recommended to turn off automatic updates and remove the store icon from the home screen to restore neatness.
4. Applicationssocial network
In theory, you can absolutely run Facebook, TikTok, or some other social media platform on your smart TV. But in practice, the experience is often worse than expected.
The interface isn't optimized for large screens, the remote navigation is cumbersome, and the input is slow and frustrating, all of which makes these apps feel like a feature that was just stuffed in for the sake of it.
You can barely post or respond effectively, and viewing photos and videos is a pain. Worse, many apps still work in the background, sending requests to servers, tracking user behavior, and automatically downloading new content, even when you don't open them.
So these are the apps you should remove from the get-go, not just because they’re impractical, but also because they’re security risks. Entering social media credentials on a smart TV, which isn’t as well protected as a phone or computer, is not worth the risk.
5. Shopping apps
If you come across apps like Amazon, Walmart, or even unfamiliar shopping platforms pre-installed on your smart TV, you should delete them immediately.
The idea of shopping from your TV sounds modern and convenient, but the reality is that the experience is clunky, slow, and unintuitive. The interface is often designed to facilitate transactions rather than provide an efficient shopping process.
The bigger problem is that they have little to do with your viewing experience. Do you really need an online store that's always just a click away from Netflix?
For most users, the answer is no. Instead, these apps take up memory, run silently in the background, and sometimes send notifications or insert advertising banners onto your screen, disrupting your entertainment space.
Removing them helps clean up your app list, reduce distractions, and free up system resources, a small but worthwhile step to keeping your smart TV running smoothly and serving its intended purpose of entertaining, not shopping.
6.Game applications
Whether it's simple puzzles, racing games, or ad-filled versions of solitaire, the games that come pre-installed on smart TVs are often at the top of your list of things to delete.
Most of them don’t offer a real gaming experience, with sluggish controls, outdated interfaces, and constant advertising interruptions. Some even include in-app purchases aimed at young children, raising concerns about uncontrolled costs.
Not only that, many games also automatically run in the background or update silently, consuming bandwidth and taking up valuable storage space, all to maintain an experience that most users will never touch.
7. News and sports apps
Many smart TVs come pre-installed with news and sports apps, but many require you to sign in to your TV service to unlock content, and constantly run background updates for news or scores that you may not care about.
Removing these apps not only helps to clean up the TV interface, but also prevents you from being distracted by unwanted notifications or feeling “forced” to watch uninteresting content.
When you need to catch up on the news or follow sports scores, you actively seek out information instead of letting the TV decide when and what to watch. This makes the entertainment experience much more free and enjoyable.
In short, removing unnecessary pre-installed apps on your smart TV not only frees up memory and improves system performance, but also allows you to personalize the experience the way you want.
