Google TV streaming devices have a Home screen full of suggestions. There are many ways you can improve them, but if you prefer a less cluttered interface, you can turn them off.
The Google TV home screen on devices like the Chromecast with Google TV is very different from the company's previous media streaming platform, Android TV. For one, you don't have as much control over how the home screen looks
If you enable “Apps Only Mode,” you can disable most of the suggestions, but there are still a few intrusions.
First, Apps Only mode also removes your access to the Watchlist feature and Google Play Movies library. However, you can still cast from the Google TV mobile app. Second, the Search tab and Google Assistant functionality are disabled.
If you're okay with all of this, just select your profile icon in the top right corner of the Home screen to get started.
Select “Settings” from the pop-up menu.
Select “Accounts & Sign In”.
Select your Google account (the same account that is logged in on the Home screen).
Scroll down and enable the “Apps Only Mode” option.
A confirmation explaining everything that will be disabled in Apps Only mode. Select “Continue” to continue.
The Google TV Home screen will now look like the image.
The “Highlights” row at the top will still show some suggestions, but everything else will be removed.
While it's disappointing that you can't use Google Assistant in Apps Only mode, this interface may be preferable for those who want to keep it simple. Only your installed apps will now appear on your Home screen.
Please note that you will need to disable Apps Only mode to install apps or games on Google TV.
