What is Talkies?
Talkies is a free, open-source launcher for Android TV and Google TV. It brings installed apps, streaming picks, Continue watching, app channel rows, weather and live sports scores onto a configurable home screen. Users can reorder or hide apps, customize the dock, change wallpapers and switch between light and dark appearances.
Its Control Center provides playback controls, a sleep timer, recent apps, network information, Bluetooth connections and shortcuts to TV settings. On supported televisions, Talkies can display named HDMI inputs, place input shortcuts on Home and offer to switch when a connected device turns on. It also supports remote-button reassignment and its own screensaver.
Talkies is installed by sideloading a release APK through Downloader, a USB drive or adb, with source builds available for modification. Setup involves accessibility access, notification access and permissions used for Wi-Fi information and Watch Next. It replaces the home screen only: manufacturer apps, advertising services and tracking remain installed.
Talkies screenshots
Explore the interface. Open a screenshot to view it at full size.
Source: official Talkies project page.
Key capabilities
- App organization Configure the dock, reorder apps, hide unwanted entries and choose which app channel rows appear.
- Streaming discovery Show country-specific trending and new titles alongside Continue watching from Android TV's Watch Next list and playback information reported by apps.
- TV controls Access playback controls, a sleep timer, recent apps, Bluetooth connections, sound settings and a network speed test.
- Input management Name or hide TV inputs, add input tiles to Home and receive switching prompts when connected devices turn on.
- Personalization Assign actions to spare remote buttons, select wallpapers and configure light or dark appearance and screensavers.
- Release updates Check for official releases and validate downloaded APK size, checksum, version and signature before requesting installation.
Where Talkies fits
Talkies fits home television setups where users want an alternative to the manufacturer's launcher while retaining their existing streaming apps. It can emphasize app shortcuts and Continue watching, or hide recommendations for a clock-focused screen. It also works alongside CleanYourTV when manufacturer software removal is handled separately.
Before deployment, users should verify that the device runs Android TV or Google TV with Android 8.0 or newer and permits APK installation and the required access settings. Input and screensaver controls vary by device. Trending and new-title recommendations generally require a personal TMDB key, with a StreamRadar fallback in India. Network debugging should be disabled after installation when no longer needed.
Install
adb install -r talkies.apkReviews of Talkies
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