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Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

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Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#461

Post by stiltzkin »

fartcannon wrote: post #2

Google, Microsoft, Apple, Facebook - we power their abuses with our money. Just stop buying their trash. Support open hardware, free and open source software.

Talking specifically of TV experience the Shield has been the best streaming device on the market. Working out of the box and putting away the tinkering and manual config of the common HTPC. NVIDIA has brought updates and support to old Shield devices with the almost same support as Apple devices. It is disappointing NVIDIA does not own their own OS as Apple and Shield loyal users are affected of Google anti-consumer behaviour.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#463

Post by stiltzkin »

scrollaway wrote: post #77

Question to HN users: I have a dumb display attached to an nvidia shield. The Shield is nice: It's powerful enough, runs decent version of the common apps I care about (netflix, plex, youtube, spotify are the ones I use), and the remote is minimalistic and nice to use. Let's say I want to opt out of Google for this. What the hell do I do? I do have a Windows PC attached to the TV, for gaming, but if I wanted to run t…

Look for Launcher Manager Ultimate, it lets you disable Google stock launcher and rolls back the basic Android TV launcher.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#464

Post by stiltzkin »

highwind wrote: post #314

If you buy a product from a company where their revenue comes primarily comes from ads, you should expect to see ads on their product.

Many Shield users were expecting NVIDIA disabling ads on the latest update for a $200 streaming device, seems NVIDIA did not care.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#465

Post by wutbrodo »

yccs27 wrote: post #442
wutbrodo wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're overestimating the degree to which useless subscriptions are sustainable. I just moved and am about to purchase something identical to what you're describing[1], and it's a one-time purchase, as expected. [1] https://sensibo.com/?device=m&campaignID=12697870451

Are you sure it will stay a one-time purchase? Given the post topic, your confidence seems ironic. In a few years' time, you might start seeing ads in the associated app...

I think you've misunderstood both my comment and the one I was responding to. Neither of us mentioned ads?

I was pointing out that even the parent comment's very example of a slow slide towards universal subscriptions that add no value didn't hold. It was framed as "I have inside knowledge of this nascent product category and its capture by useless subscriptions", while in reality this is already a market category that exists without any such issues.

This bizarre wild-eyed fearmongering about insane, lose-lose, somehow-inescapable business models is HN's version of QAnon.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#466

Post by stiltzkin »

Shido wrote: post #397

I hate the idea of ads just like any other person however how else companies profit without it or creating a paid subscription to remove ads for so much a month/year? As I see it you pay for the product not the service.

People paid for a $200 streaming device with a stock Android TV with basic launcher, NVIDIA failed allowing the stock Google launcher and not adding their own without ads.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#467

Post by darkerside »

Ansil849 wrote: post #17
dkdbejwi383 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you propose people don’t buy products that have ads added to them in the future?

It's very straightforward: do not buy products that have the capability to have ads added to them retroactively. There is zero way any of the three televisions in my house will have ads added to them unless someone physically comes into my home and replaces the television sets.

How do you prevent someone from adding ads to the phone or computer you used to send that post?

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#468

Post by SixDouble5321 »

matthewrobertso wrote: post #185
mctt wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I manged to remove them...you go to All apps..scroll down to "Show system apps"...Android TV Home...Force stop... Uninstall updates => You will have old Home Screen https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/forums/shield-tv/9/4579...

I looked through this thread when searching for a workaround but this method didn't work for me (2019 Shield TV Pro), I had to swap the launcher.

This worked for me at first now I have the new UI no matter what state the actual app is in

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#469

Post by Raphael »

bryik wrote: post #311
NietTim wrote: post #29

If history has taught us anything: this will blow over in a few weeks or months and everyone will get used to it in the end. The small percentage of users who (sometimes only temporarily) stop using the service is offset by the new income and the majority of users do not care.

Previously, I bought Pixel devices with confidence in Google's stewardship and taste. Now that Google has injected ads into a $200 device I bought a year ago, I can only assume that all Google products will eventually have ads. Why would I ever buy another pixel phone? $699+ for a phone that will some day have ads on its home screen? No thanks.

Nova Launcher has always been good. However, that still leaves Android Settings.

Re: Reviews of Android TV launcher after Google added ads to the homescreen

#470

Post by plushpuffin »

temp8964 wrote: post #15

I hated FireTV exactly because of the ads. Now I am using Roku comes with the TV. Roku has ad too, but not overwhelming. In the future, maybe the only choice is no-brand Android TV box/ stick which has ads removed.

I found a way to stop the ads on Roku without having to use a PiHole or other DNS filtering. Not sure if I should share it in case Roku engineers are browsing and fix my method.
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