How to install 3rd party apps on Samsung smart TV

When you hear of third-party apps, you might think they’re illegal apps, but these are simple apps that aren’t available on the app store of your device. They’re made by developers other than the manufacturer of your device or its operating system and arent listed on your device’s official store. 

However, it’s not illegal to download these apps since they’re just regular apps that you download from other places on the internet and not the app store. So, how do you install 3rd part apps on Samsung smart TV? You’ll first need to allow unknown sources feature on your Samsung smart TV, enable the developer mode, then add apps to your smart tv. Always make sure that you connect your Samsung tv and computer to the same wireless network. 

How to download 3rd party apps on your Samsung smart TV

There are several ways you can install them on your smart tv. 

Allow install from unknown sources

Normally, 3rd party apps are regarded as unknown sources by your smart tv’s operating system. You can turn on the unknown sources feature on your smart tv to allow you to install the apps without any problems. here are the steps to follow:

  • First, turn on your Samsung smart tv
  • Click on the settings menu
  • Select the personal tab
  • Click the security option
  • From the left panel, select add-ons and enable the unknown sources

Now you can freely download the 3rd party apps from the apps option on your smart tv’s home screen.

Enable developer mode

This is the setting that isn’t used by normal users and it’s used to tests the new apps on your smart tv. It allows you to download many 3rd party tools and tweaks them on your smart tv. Here are the steps to follow to enable it:

  • Turn on your smart tv and go to settings
  • Click on the smart hub option
  • Select app selection
  • Once you click on the apps panel, you’ll be asked to enter a pin. Enter 12345 using your remote which is the default code for all Samsung smart TVs
  • The developer mode window will open and toggle the switch to enable it
  • Enter your computer’s IP address and click OK
  • Restart your smart tv

You can now download the 3rd party apps on your smart tv. There are internal and external ways to download the apps using a command prompt on your PC or external storage devices.

Using the command prompt

This is an easy way where you just use your PC to give a few commands and install the app on your smart tv, but you’ll need to know your TV’s IP address. Here are the steps to follow:

  • Turn on your tv and click on settings
  • From the left panel, click on the network
  • Click on information, you will see your smart tv’s IP address. Write it down
  • On your computer, type cmd on the search box, then right-click the command prompt app and click on run as administrator 
  • In the command prompt, type adb connect 192.168.2.201 ( your TV’s IP address) then click enter
  • Type in the command install D/install.apk (the file location of the app) then click enter. Wait till the installation is complete
  • Run the adb disconnect 192.168.1.39 command to disconnect your tv from your computer
  • Go to the smart hub to open the 3rd party apps you’ve just installed on your smart tv. 

Install 3rd party apps using a USB flash drive

You’ll first need to download the apps from a trusted source on the internet onto your computer, then using a flash drive copy the file from your computer to your smart tv. 

Here are the steps to follow:

  • On your PC or laptop, open the web browser
  • From trusted sources, search for the .apk file you want to install in your Samsung smart tv, then download it
  • Click on the downloadable .apk file
  • Plugin your flash drive into your laptop or computer and copy the file into it
  • Once you’ve copied the file, unplug your flash drive from your computer and plug it into you’re your smart tv
  • Open the flash drive and find the .apk file in the drive. Right-click on it then select install
  • Wait for the installation process to be completed, then open the app on your smart tv

How to uninstall apps on your Samsung smart tv

A Samsung smart tv is a high-quality tv that contains many apps to watch content, but it doesn’t have enough space to store all the apps you want to watch. So you’ll need to only keep the most important apps and remove the least important ones. It’s very easy to uninstall an app you’ve already installed on your smart tv. Here are the steps to follow:

  • Click on the home button to access the home screen
  • Go to settings
  • On the support tab, scroll down and click on device care
  • Your tv will scan and select manage storage
  • Select all the unwanted apps, then click delete
  • Click OK and confirm

Some of the popular Samsung smart tv apps

App
Use 
YouTube
Most popular Samsung app for easy and convenient interface 
Netflix
Pre-installed and downloaded to TVs 
Hulu
Popular on-demand service that's used to transports the most popular and exclusive content to your tv
Spotify
A popular app for listening to music

Conclusion

The Samsung smart tv is a very popular tv for viewing great content. However, its apps store is limited, but you can work around that by installing 3rd party apps to compensate for the lack of apps and to view high-quality content.

FAQ

What should I do if my Samsung smart tv have an app store?

You’ll need a smart hub so you can access the app store on your smart tv. If it’s not installed on your tv, install it then install your favorite apps.

How do I install Android apps on my Samsung smart tv?

On your tv go to the home screen and open the smart hub. Click on Samsung apps to view all the apps on your tv that you can download. Search and select the google play app to install it on your tv.

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Robinson Wright is a home automation specialist and has helped many modern home developers pick the right gadgets for home automation. According to Wright, most people struggle with particular areas in their home, some would want improved security especially when away from home for a couple of days and others will want to improve power consumption. Homeowner's needs can be fulfilled by investing in smart home gadgets but most importantly is that one must know the functionality that they desire to achieve and then choose a product and technology that would fulfill the need. Robinson Wright runs an appliance enterprise and when not in the field working with his clients, he loves spending time in his workshop testing out the new technologies.

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