Speed up a slow Google TV without root
Catalog status: the Google TV and Android TV entries used in this guide are community-verified. They come from community debloat lists and have not yet been tested on a real Google TV by the author. The safeguards (role protection, health checks, automatic rollback, restore) apply to them like to every other entry. If you run it on your TV, reports are welcome on GitHub.
A Google TV that takes seconds to open the home screen is usually not broken. The common causes are things the tool can see in its read-only audit: it has not been restarted in weeks, preinstalled services you never use stay in memory, storage is nearly full, and animations add delay on slow hardware.
What the audit looks at
- Days since the last restart. Long uptimes let memory fill up with background services.
- Memory per app. Which apps sit in RAM even though you never open them.
- What wakes the TV. Apps that schedule alarms in the background.
- Storage per app and free storage. A nearly full TV slows down and fails to update apps.
- Heat, settings and usage history (which apps you actually open).
What can be offered on a Google TV
Only what is in the curated catalog, and nothing tied to a feature you said you use:
| Item | What it is | Action | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google voice search for TV | Powers the microphone button on the remote | Turn off | High (own yes, done alone, health-checked); not offered if you use voice |
| Chromecast built-in | Casting from your phone to the TV | Turn off | High; not offered if you use cast |
| TV home-screen recommendations | Fills the home screen with suggested content | Turn off | Medium |
| Ambient mode | The TV screensaver | Turn off | Medium; not offered if you use the screensaver |
| YouTube Music for TV | Preinstalled music app | Remove for this user | Low |
| Unused Google and preinstalled apps | For example Google TV (Play Movies) or a preinstalled Prime Video, if you never open them | Remove for this user | Low |
| Animations at half length | Only if you said menus or apps feel slow | Setting | Low |
| Background Wi-Fi scanning, location off | Only if you do not use location | Setting | Low |
| Background Bluetooth scanning | Only if you use neither location nor Bluetooth | Setting | Low |
| App caches | Cleared; logins and settings are kept | One-off | Low |
Bluetooth is never turned off on Android TV or Google TV, because the remote uses it. Apps you used in the last 60 days are not offered. Your launcher, keyboard and other apps holding a system role are never touched.
Run it
android-cleanup-agent connect --host 192.168.1.60
android-cleanup-agent audit --summary
android-cleanup-agent plan --uses cast --power mains --symptoms slow-menus,video-stutter --keep com.google.android.youtube.tv
android-cleanup-agent approvals init
android-cleanup-agent approvals show
android-cleanup-agent approvals set --category google-apps=true --category performance=true
android-cleanup-agent apply
android-cleanup-agent apply --yes
android-cleanup-agent reboot --yes
android-cleanup-agent resultsThe IP address, answers and package names are examples. If something is playing, the health check waits instead of pressing Home, and reboot is refused until playback stops.
If something feels wrong afterwards
android-cleanup-agent restore --yes undoes the run newest first, or --item <id> undoes one change. After a system update, android-cleanup-agent verify shows which changes the update reverted.