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Guides · Android TV, Google TV and TVs running tablet Android ·

Why is my Android TV slow? A checklist

A slow Android TV is rarely one thing. Work down this list; the first item fixes more than you would expect. Every check marked audit is something android-cleanup-agent audit measures for you, read-only, over adb without root.

1. When was it last restarted? (audit)

TVs are rarely turned off properly; standby is not a restart. After weeks of uptime, background services fill the memory. The audit shows days since restart. On a real Thomson Go TV the count was 76 days. Restart first, then judge how slow it is.

2. What is sitting in memory? (audit)

The audit lists memory per app next to usage history. Look for apps that hold memory but that you never open: preinstalled streaming apps you do not subscribe to, the Google app or voice assistant on a TV you never talk to, a screensaver service.

3. What keeps waking it up? (audit)

The audit reads alarms: which apps wake the device in the background. A calendar or news widget refreshing on a TV home screen is a classic one.

4. Is the storage full? (audit)

The audit reports storage per app and free storage. Low free space slows the system and blocks app updates. Clearing app caches is offered in the plan (logins and settings are kept; caches rebuild as you use apps).

5. Is it hot? (audit)

The audit reports device heat. Sticks behind a TV and boxes in closed cabinets slow themselves down when hot. This is a placement problem, not a software one.

6. Are animations slowing the menus?

If you report slow menus or apps in the interview, the plan offers animations at half length (window, transition and animator scales to 0.5×). Settings you changed yourself before are left alone.

7. Is it scanning for things all the time?

Background Wi-Fi scanning and location can be turned off if you do not use location; background Bluetooth scanning only if you use neither location nor Bluetooth. Bluetooth itself is never turned off on Android TV or Google TV, because the remote uses it.

8. Are there services you never use?

On Google TV and Android TV the catalog can offer to turn off home-screen recommendations, Ambient mode, Chromecast built-in or voice search, and to remove apps like YouTube Music for TV, but never anything tied to a feature you said you use, and never an app you opened in the last 60 days. These TV entries are community-verified and not yet tested on a real Google TV by the author; see the Google TV guide.

Run the checks

android-cleanup-agent audit --summary

That is read-only. Or, with the Claude Code plugin, run /android-cleanup-agent:audit and ask “why is my TV slow?”. If you then want to change things, plan, approvals and apply take it from there, and restore undoes it.

Not on the list: Amazon Fire TV, which the tool does not support.

Steps at a glance

  1. Check how long since the last restart: The audit reports days since restart. Weeks of uptime let background services pile up in memory; restart the TV first.
  2. Look at memory per app: Find apps sitting in memory that you never open, such as preinstalled streaming apps or assistant services.
  3. Look at what wakes the TV: Check which apps schedule alarms in the background, for example widgets refreshing on a TV where nobody sees them.
  4. Check free storage: A nearly full TV slows down and fails to update apps. Clearing app caches frees space and keeps logins.
  5. Check heat: A hot TV box or stick slows itself down. Give it air and check the temperature the audit reports.
  6. Shorten animations: On slow hardware, halving the animation scales makes menus feel faster.
  7. Remove or turn off what you do not use: Approve only unused catalog apps and services, apply with health checks, and keep restore available.

New to the tool? Start with Getting started. Every change can be undone; see Safety & restore.