Working PrototypeAndroid / Google TVLauncher
StreamSaddle — Your TV, Your Way
Your apps, your layout, your look. StreamSaddle replaces the TV home screen with a centered Wired West brand, easy-to-read weather and clock displays, and a large scrolling app grid. Start with YouTube TV, Jellyfin, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube; hold OK to move or remove a shortcut, and restore hidden apps through settings.
Choose from 52 themes and 50 clock faces, customize time/date formats, explore detailed weather and forecasts with radar options, and configure an optional news ticker, autolaunch triggers and branded screensaver. Matching high-resolution green leather and engraved brass artwork keeps streaming shortcuts familiar. The top-right wagon wheel opens theme, app and launcher settings; Remote Ranger is available in the app list.
New: 1.1.0 preview · October 5, 2026. Tested on physical Chromecast with Google TV and Google TV Streamer hardware, with earlier Android TV emulator checks. The owner confirmed YouTube → YouTube TV and Netflix → Jellyfin remote-button behavior on the Streamer after enabling StreamSaddle remote shortcuts, including Netflix pressed from inside YouTube TV. Full Remote Ranger helper-to-TV video/control testing remains pending.
Download StreamSaddle 1.1.0 APK (117.9 MB) · Release notes & setup guide
What changed and what was fixed
- More useful Home space: weather left, clock right, both centered between the logo and screen edges. Bigger town, temperature and clock readouts; bottom 70% dedicated to the editable app grid.
- Easier app organization: hold OK for Move shortcut, Remove from home or Cancel. Move with the D-pad and press OK to finish; restore shortcuts under Apps settings. Fixed the menu disappearing on release of the original long press.
- Cleaner navigation: moved theme selection and Edit app layout into the top-right wagon wheel. Removed the Home app heading and movement instructions. Play Games, Play Movies and Play Store are hidden from Home without uninstalling them.
- Matching artwork: larger green leather/brass icons for streaming apps, including Twitch, Hulu, Tubi, Shudder, Roku, Disney+, Pluto TV and ESPN+, plus a matching wagon-wheel Settings badge. Artwork is applied when the associated app is discovered; apps are not bundled.
- Remote shortcuts: physical YouTube opens YouTube TV and physical Netflix opens Jellyfin across foreground apps. The optional accessibility handler must be enabled. Remote settings now link to Android Accessibility to enable or restore it.
- Google TV Home setup: verified device-specific launcher setup on the Chromecast and Streamer. Some firmware requires disabling Google's launcher and, on the tested already-configured Streamer, its setup-recovery fallback. See the setup guide for reversible commands and model-specific limits.
Installation, updates and remote-button setup
Development preview: debug-signed, version code 3, not a Google Play release. Android TV / Google TV is intended; Remote Ranger requires Android 11 or later. Streaming apps and subscriptions are separate. Keep the stock launcher installed during setup.
- Download and transfer: save the APK above and transfer it to the TV with a file-transfer app, supported USB storage, or ADB.
- Install: allow the chosen TV file manager to install unknown apps when prompted, then open the APK. Install over the existing compatible signed preview to preserve settings; uninstalling first deletes them.
- Open and customize: start StreamSaddle from the TV app list. Use the wagon wheel for Themes, Apps, Clock, Weather, News and Autolaunch. Hold OK on an app for move/remove choices. Click the weather pill for current conditions and future forecasts.
- Enable remote buttons: wagon wheel → Remote → Remote button accessibility settings → enable StreamSaddle remote shortcuts. This handler filters app-button keys and does not read screen contents. It is separate from Remote Ranger's control service. If Android turns it off after an update or force stop, enable it again. The app-grid Netflix and YouTube icons continue launching their named apps.
- Optional default Home: choose StreamSaddle in Android's default Home settings if available, or use the ADB Home command below. Google TV firmware can override it; use the detailed setup guide or contact Wired West for the tested reversible launcher-disable procedure. Restore disabled stock packages and the previous Home/screensaver before uninstalling StreamSaddle.
For ADB, install Android SDK Platform Tools, enable TV developer options and debugging, and approve the connection. Wireless pairing and connection ports are different; use the TV's current values. The pairing command prompts for its code.
adb pair TV_IP:PAIRING_PORT
adb connect TV_IP:CONNECTION_PORT
adb -s TV_IP:CONNECTION_PORT install -r StreamSaddle-1.1.0-preview.apk
adb -s TV_IP:CONNECTION_PORT shell am start -n com.example.streamsaddle/.MainActivity
# Optional default Home request
adb -s TV_IP:CONNECTION_PORT shell cmd package set-home-activity com.example.streamsaddle/.MainActivity
Feature limits: YouTube TV manages its playback position. A stale resume position was observed on the test Streamer; restarting YouTube TV returned it to its home screen. Automatic last-channel playback at the live edge is not guaranteed; select the channel through YouTube TV's Live guide. Weather requires internet; radar uses US National Weather Service coverage. Autolaunch timers run while the launcher is active. Remote Ranger asks for screen-capture approval. Uninstalled apps do not become available simply because custom artwork exists. Other TV models and firmware may differ.
APK SHA-256: edac5547e4320f1ae3b18cc97802110958b92357fdc5d1458de2086433734e8f
Android Platform Tools · Official ADB setup guide · Full release notes, Home setup and rollback instructions