Google Photos isn't available on Android Television, and for expert reason. As long as you can cast any photo or video from your phone to your TV, you don't really demand the total app to be installed on the latter. However, there are a few reasons why you might want to go the proper Photos app installed and for that, we have this tutorial. It's a very convoluted process, particularly if you ain a Chromecast with Google TV (but much less so if you own an NVIDIA Shield), and you're ameliorate off not wasting your time with it unless you actually need it.

Why get the Google Photos app

I could talk virtually how more than convenient it is to browse your gallery direct on the Telly instead of looking down at the telephone then upwards at the big screen, only really that'south a tiny nitpick. Every bit far as I'm concerned, in that location are only ii valid reasons to get Google Photos running on your Android Idiot box.

The showtime ane is to set up automated backups and sync your screenshots to other devices. This is clearly something only tech writers, gamers, app developers, or tutorial writers would find useful. For nearly other people who don't need the automated fill-in to kicking in each time they accept a screenshot, in that location's ever a slower transmission way to send screenshots to other devices — uploading from Solid Explorer to Google Bulldoze, or using Ship Files to TV are two methods I've oft used.

The second reason is to allow someone who doesn't take a smartphone to browse your gallery on the large screen. It could be younger kids or elderly people, or anyone else who doesn't accept a telephone or tablet, and you lot desire them to be able to access the gallery and check some pics or videos when you're not around to bandage the content to the Tv.

Missing features, enough of inconveniences

For those of you who feel like rebels and call up they'd still want to access Photos on the TV, let me have a moment to deflate your enthusiasm. Even when you get it running, the experience is zilch similar you're used to. This is the aforementioned Photos app but the interface isn't optimized for Android Tv set, then a lot of the features only aren't available.

For one, the bottom tabs we're used to seeing on our phones aren't visible on TVs, so you lot tin can't become to the search tab (people, places, things) or access your library (albums, favorites, archive). That means you can just browse shared albums — through the conversation bubble on the top left — merely even then, only the start two rows of pics are accessible, and not the entire anthology. For some reason, information technology's incommunicable to whorl by them.

And nosotros haven't fifty-fifty gotten to the biggest downside of the experience: You can't press side by side (right) or previous (left) on your remote's D-pad to move between fullscreen media. Instead, you have to open each image or video one past one, then become back and cull another.

All the icons here aren't attainable with a Idiot box remote'southward D-pad.

That merely leaves some limited functionality. Besides browsing ane by i, you tin can tap and hold to select items and so share, delete, annal, or add them to an album. You can also ready automatic backups for specific folders.

Using a USB or Bluetooth mouse might better the situation a bit, but still, a lot of the features remain inaccessible due to the way the app is presented on Android TV. Overall, what's hither isn't worth the hassle for nearly people.

Step i: Install Google Photos on Android Television set

If, after all of these warnings, you're however excited to get Google Photos to run on the Boob tube, brace yourself. The process isn't for the unexperienced or the faint of center. If any terms I use below seem confusing, you're ameliorate off skipping this whole bidness altogether.

Download the latest Google Photos APK

Since browsers on Android TV are more often than not crap, it's amend if y'all kick this off on you lot phone. You need to offset by grabbing an installation file for Photos that's compatible with your TV.

Of course, nosotros recommend going to our sis site APK Mirror and getting the latest version. Your all-time bet is to get a full APK, i.east. skip the ones that have a "bundle" notice next to them. The variant to grab will depend on the Television you have. For example, you need the v7a processor variant for the Chromecast with Google Tv, and the v8a one for the Nvidia Shield.

Sideload it

The next steps are to send this APK over to your Television set and install information technology there. I won't go over these two steps in item here because we've already written dissever tutorials for them:

  • sideloading APKs on any Android TV
  • sideloading APKs on the Chromecast with Google TV — beware, at that place are a couple of additional steps hither (4.1 and 4.ii) that only apply to this Android Tv set device, equally far as we know.

Pace 2: Discover, launch, and scan Google Photos

Photos being an unsanctioned app on Android Idiot box, information technology doesn't show up in the app launcher, and so there'southward no style for you to quickly launch it.

You'll need to go to the Android TV'due south Settings > Apps > Come across all apps, and then roll down to go to Photos and select Open on the correct console.

If you find yourself opening Photos frequently enough that these steps become annoying, or if y'all want to simplify it for a kid or someone else, y'all tin gear up a Button Mapper shortcut for information technology. Basically this remaps almost any push on the Tv set's remote to Photos.

Some other solution would be to utilize a tertiary-party launcher like Sideload Launcher or Home Screen Launcher to show your sideloaded apps and open them chop-chop.

Whatever the method you lot determine to access Photos with, the first time you open the app, information technology'll enquire you for the permission to encounter your photos and media. You have to agree to that, then Photos' almost-familiar interface springs upwards.

The superlative bar lets you access your shared photos and conversations, too as the diverse settings (more on that subsequently). Beneath that, you'll find your memories followed by your gallery. As I mentioned earlier, the functionality here is very limited, so don't wait annihilation like Photos on your phone.

Stride iii: Set automated screenshot backups

I already explained how to accept a screenshot on Android Tv set in my remote remapping tutorial. Owners of the Nvidia Shield demand non get through that, though. Belongings downward the Home button on the Shield'due south remote surfaces a card for taking a screenshot.

Turn on automated backups

When you first sign in with Google Photos, there's a good chance you'll be asked to turn on backup & sync. If yous programme to employ the Photos app to sync your screenshots, you need to turn that on, but it's not enough.

Most Android TV devices don't save screenshots inside the DCIM binder, and so they won't be automatically part of the backup. You demand to toggle sync for the standalone screenshot folder, but information technology isn't every bit easy as tapping on your avatar and going to settings to turn it on.

Yous'll apace notice that D-pad scrolling in the carte du jour isn't possible in Photos on Android TV, so yous can't get down to settings or click on anything. What y'all demand is a mouse or mouse-like functionality to do that.

Get a USB/BT mouse or a third-party app

Three scenarios present themselves in the case of the missing mouse office.

➡️ If you lot have a USB or Bluetooth mouse fix, just connect it to your Android Telly unit. Information technology's the easiest manner to proceed.

➡️ If you have a Shield Telly, you can download the official remote app from the Play Store and switch to the mousepad mode in it. You'll get a hovering mouse on your TV that you can movement effectually and click on items with. Easy peasy.

➡️ And finally, if you accept any other Android Television set, you're left in the cold because the official remote app has a trackpad and a swipepad, just no mouse. I tried plenty of apps, but only ane worked well on my Chromecast with Google TV: Zank Remote. I had to install it on both my phone and my TV to enable the cursor mode. The app requires accessibility access and the permission to display over other apps (it'southward putting a cursor on superlative of your screen). I as well noticed that it kept request for USB debugging and the permission to access media, just I got it to work without those.

Honestly, I'g non very comfortable recommending this because the app asks for more than access than information technology needs. But if you don't have a Shield or a mouse, then information technology'south the only matter that works. You can always revoke the permissions — and even uninstall the app — once you're done setting things up in Photos.

Enable screenshot backups (finally)

Whew, we're almost there.

Regardless of the mode you lot got a cursor to bear witness up on your Goggle box, it's time to enable that screenshot folder backup. Go to your avatar on the summit right of Google Photos. Now select Photos settings > Back up & sync > Support device folders and toggle Screenshots on. All of the steps are outlined in the screenshots below.

And with that done, you can simply get back, disable the mouse and keep living your life normally. Each fourth dimension you lot take a screenshot, it'll exist automatically backed up to Google Photos, and it'll become accessible from all your devices. Information technology works in the background likewise, just like Photos on any other Android device, but it may not exist as instantaneous. Requite information technology a few seconds if you don't encounter the images popular upwardly on your telephone.

I told you before nosotros got started that this wasn't a elementary process and I hope you realize why it's not worth it, given all the limitations y'all still terminate up facing once the app is installed. Only if you often have screenshots on your Television receiver and want to become them wirelessly over to your other devices, there's nothing equally quick and reliable as Photos backups.

Roblox beginner'south guide: How to get started exploring and creating the all-time experiences

Read Side by side

Near The Author

Rita El Khoury (3257 Articles Published)

Rita was a Managing Editor at Android Police. In one case upon a time, she was a pharmacist too. Her love story with Android started in 2009 and has been going stronger with every update, device, tip, app, and game. She lives in France, speaks three languages and a one-half, and watches a lot of TV serial.

More From Rita El Khoury