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vast cow

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For Google TV (Android TV OS): Launching a Minimal App with Android Studio + Kotlin

Target: Google TV (= Android TV OS)
Goal: Get to the point where a minimal app can be launched using Android Studio + Kotlin.

Environment Used (Android Studio) 

Android Studio Otter 3 Feature Drop | 2025.2.3
Build #AI-252.28238.7.2523.14688667, built on January 9, 2026
Runtime version: 21.0.8+-14196175-b1038.72 amd64
VM: OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM by JetBrains s.r.o.
Toolkit: sun.awt.windows.WToolkit
Windows 11.0
GC: G1 Young Generation, G1 Concurrent GC, G1 Old Generation
Memory: 2048M
Cores: 8
Registry:
  ide.experimental.ui=true
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1. Create a New Project

  1. Android Studio → New Project
  2. Template: Television → Empty Activity
  3. Language: Kotlin
  4. minSdk must be 21 or higher (TV assumes API 21+)
  5. After creation, first run Gradle Sync (check progress in the bottom-right status bar)
  • The first run may take quite a long time

2. Run (Emulator or Physical Device)

A. TV Emulator (Incomplete)

  • Android Studio → Tools → Device Manager → + Create Virtual Device
  • Add Device → TV → Television (720p)

  • Configure virtual device → API: API 34 (Android 14 / UpsideDownCake)

    • Assumed to match Google TV

  • Aborted after this point, so omitted

B. Google TV Physical Device

1) Check the Location of adb

  1. Android Studio → Tools → SDK Manager
  2. Check Android SDK Locations
  3. Example: {Android SDK Location}/platform-tools/adb.exe

2) Enable Developer Options on the Device

  • On the device: Settings → About → Build → Tap repeatedly → Enable Developer options

3) Debug Settings (USB / Wi-Fi)

  • Developer options

    • USB debugging: ON if using USB
    • Wireless debugging: For Wi-Fi
    • Enable (it seems to work if you disable it once and then re-enable it)
    • Open “Pair device with pairing code” → A PIN, etc. is displayed; use it for pairing

4) Pair / Connect with adb 

adb kill-server
adb start-server

# Close and reopen the PIN screen on the Google TV side, then run
adb pair {IP}:{PORT} {PIN}

adb shell
# Even when pair was successful, there were many times it wouldn’t enter shell
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5) Run on the Physical Device from Android Studio

  1. Android Studio → Tools → Device Manager
  2. Confirm that the physical device has been added
  3. Run Run 'app' → The app launches on the Google TV device

References

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