Fix your TV
My television has become slow: how to speed it up
TVs rarely slow down by themselves. Year after year they gain apps, updates and a busier home screen while the processor and memory stay exactly the same. Here is what to do about it.
Why TVs get slower
-
Years of updates on the same hardware
Each update to the system and the apps is written for newer, faster devices. Your TV’s chip hasn’t changed since the day you bought it.
-
Too many apps
Installed apps take storage, and some start in the background and keep using memory even when you are not watching them.
-
Full storage
A TV with little free space slows down everywhere: opening apps, installing updates, even moving around the menus.
-
A heavy home screen
Home screens that fill themselves with recommendations, artwork and promoted content do a lot of work every time you press Home.
-
A weak network
When rows load from the internet, a slow Wi-Fi connection can make the whole interface feel slow even though the TV is fine.
What speeds it up
-
Restart it properly
Unplug the TV for a minute instead of using standby. It clears the memory that has been building up for days.
-
Uninstall what you don’t use
Settings › Apps lists everything installed. Remove the apps you haven’t opened in months.
-
Clear the cache of the biggest apps
In Settings › Apps, open an app and choose Clear cache. It only removes temporary files. Avoid “Clear data” unless you want to sign in again.
-
Switch off what you don’t use
Turn off personalised recommendations, autoplaying previews and voice or ambient features you never touch. Their names vary by brand.
-
Improve the connection
If you can, use an Ethernet cable, or move the router closer or to the 5 GHz band. A faster connection helps every row that loads from the internet.
-
Shorten the animations (optional)
Advanced: turn on Developer options (tap the build number in About seven times) and set the animation scales to 0.5x or off. The TV will feel snappier.
-
Replace the home screen with a lighter one
The home screen is what you use most, so a lighter one is felt on every press of Home. That is exactly what HView is for.
Where HView helps
If moving around the home screen is slow, HView helps the most: it is designed to stay smooth on a 1 GB box, loads nothing you have switched off and has a theme with no images at all.
It also gives you the controls to tidy up: hide apps you never use, put favorites first and uninstall from the home screen.
Where it doesn’t
HView doesn’t clear caches, close other apps or make an old processor faster. If the slowness is inside an app, or in how fast apps open, expect little change.
Questions
How much faster will HView make my TV?
It depends on what is slow. If the home screen is slow, you will feel it straight away. If apps are slow to load, hardly at all. The free 7-day trial lets you find out without paying.
Is it safe to clear an app’s cache?
Yes. The cache is only temporary files the app can recreate. “Clear data” is different: it resets the app and signs you out.
Do I need to root the TV or use a computer?
No. HView is installed from Google Play like any other app. A computer is only needed in the rare case of a TV with no accessibility screen, for the optional Home button module on Google TV.