We are seeking a method to hack into the Vizio WiFi (internet enabled) TVs which we believe run on Android, and add apps. The first app would be a browser, Chrome for example.
Please let us know if you have knowledge of how to do this.
andersontaylor said:
We are seeking a method to hack into the Vizio WiFi (internet enabled) TVs which we believe run on Android, and add apps. The first app would be a browser, Chrome for example.
Please let us know if you have knowledge of how to do this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do not run on android, unless you somehow got ahold of a brand new 2013 model that is based on the same firmware in Vizio's Co-Star (the Google TV box by Vizio) - and I'm not even sure the new line of TVs will be 'GoogleTV based', I just know they plan on dropping Yahoo... hopefully that firmware is retro-active and I can upgrade to it... doubtful, very doubtful, but still - hopefully?
My Vizio E3D470VX uses Yahoo! internet TV services.... which (IMO) suck. From what probing has been done, it appears to run on Linux, possibly a modded version of Ubuntu which supports the Yahoo! TV apps... more like widgets in my opinion, but whatever at least its 3D.
Here is what is known so far: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=36898270
Here is what it could look like *IF* it did run android / was based on Google TV similar to the new Vizio Co-star box: http://www.googletvforum.org/forum/...into-3-000-vizio-samsung-lg-look-like-tv.html
Honestly I was kind of mad when I saw an article about the Co-Star Google TV box.... because it had the EXACT same remote sitting next to it, with the qwerty keyboard on the back, just like my remote has.... Only the qwerty keyboard on my remote never gets used and is pointless..... I really hope someone can hack this to run some form of android, or even a linux based XBMC add-on ... at the least some sort of custom firmware option... anything should be better than what it is, especially the interface for DLNA/UPNP and USB drives....
Simple solution: buy equiso from your local wal-mart. Plug it into the hdmi port in the back. From equiso, run any Android apps you want from the App Store. Need to have Wi-Fi or a wireless tether for internet access, FYI. Equiso runs Android 4.3 I believe.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Am I missing something here? App is not compatible with some of your devices.
Htc Evo- check
Transformer Tablet- no check
I need to understand the developer side of this coin. I have been trying to persuade Jawbone to update their android app "Jawbone Companion" to support my tablet. I don't know, but I assume their would be a publisher option in Google Play to add or delete supported devices so that they cannot be installed on those from the Play store. For example, I had to go to the website to find the app because search shows no results on the tablet.
It's a bluetooth headset. It supports 2.1+edr. App supported on Android OS 4.0, OS 2.3 and select OS 2.2 phones. Transformer tf300 has bluetooth. It supports 3.0+edr. It has ICS and is certainly more capable than a 2.2 phone.
Sooo the only difference I see from this side is a bigger screen. I have emailed at least 3 app makers that I use frequently and they just keep saying it's not tablet supported. So do they just have to add devices to some file that cross checks with Google Play or is the code for my tablet so drastically different that they would have to write a whole new app for tablets?
A technical explanation link of the whole developer process regarding this would be nice.
Update to OP
I have found a method of downloading apk files in the Chrome browser with the APK Downloader extension. It only works with Chrome and I logged into my wife's account, did a quick search for my apps in question, then proceeded to download them to pc by making play think it was sending the apk to my wife's "supported" phone. Then I manually transferred the apks to my "unsupported" tablet where they are now running fine, no errors and no resolution problems.
I have emailed the developers of these apps and they have blown me off by saying that tablets in general are not supported, I emailed them all back telling them their apps were working fine and I didn't understand why they couldn't have allowed me to just download it the easy way.
So are they just being lazy? This just reinforces my reasoning that the phone and tablet are about the same and don't require any more coding than any other app that has problems on certain phones. Seems to me as long as the resolution is high enough and it allows auto rotation that any phone app should run on a tablet, and I don't see why they all keep telling me apps are not supported.
Until then I guess I'll just get my apps the way I described.
yap the apkdownloader would be the way i recomended to you =)
dunno why they dont support tablets
in some cases u dont have to understand them
feel lucky u find a way to make it work
xposed module to modify user apps for leanback support such as emulators or sideloaded **free** games that never show up on Android TV such as NSTV.
The idea behind this to make it work is really simple....somehow the module will:
1. Load ALL user apps that don't have leanback support
2. Modify either permanently/load the app's manifest to add leanback LAUNCHER & other lines to it.
3. On restart Theoretically it should work with almost all apps being modified for Android TV.
Side note:
Any app/game that only has touch support will NOT work at all since those apps probably don't have either controller, keyboard, & mouse support at all and it will be just redundant to mod them...
(Tried playing cod zombies on NSTV...I tried all key mapping apps and nothing worked.)
THIS MODULE WILL PROBABLY REPLACE THAT **SIDELOAD LAUNCHER**
From the way I wrote this you should have already guessed that the module has NOT been made yet, since more research is needed to be done in order to progress any further than an idea, but I'm posting it now for anyone that's wants to tackle this project or help me make it(new to xposed module developing.)
Xstar410 said:
xposed module to modify user apps for leanback support such as emulators or sideloaded **free** games that never show up on Android TV such as NSTV.
The idea behind this to make it work is really simple....somehow the module will:
1. Load ALL user apps that don't have leanback support
2. Modify either permanently/load the app's manifest to add leanback LAUNCHER & other lines to it.
3. On restart Theoretically it should work with almost all apps being modified for Android TV.
Side note:
Any app/game that only has touch support will NOT work at all since those apps probably don't have either controller, keyboard, & mouse support at all and it will be just redundant to mod them...
(Tried playing cod zombies on NSTV...I tried all key mapping apps and nothing worked.)
THIS MODULE WILL PROBABLY REPLACE THAT **SIDELOAD LAUNCHER**
From the way I wrote this you should have already guessed that the module has NOT been made yet, since more research is needed to be done in order to progress any further than an idea, but I'm posting it now for anyone that's wants to tackle this project or help me make it(new to xposed module developing.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for an xposed module. just a new launcher, there's a few out already, not great though
for the mapping, I don't think it's possible to do that, xposed or not due to different mappings per game, the shield TV community is tiny, without many developers onboard.. will be a tough to get anyone with knowledge to write anything at this stage.
xd4d3v said:
No need for an xposed module. just a new launcher, there's a few out already, not great though
for the mapping, I don't think it's possible to do that, xposed or not due to different mappings per game, the shield TV community is tiny, without many developers onboard.. will be a tough to get anyone with knowledge to write anything at this stage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I been using es file explorer, but I want native support though for my games/emulators
Xstar410 said:
I been using es file explorer, but I want native support though for my games/emulators
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ES file explorer to start sideloaded apps?
try sideload launcher, or HAL launcher for a full launcher replacement.
xd4d3v said:
ES file explorer to start sideloaded apps?
try sideload launcher, or HAL launcher for a full launcher replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nah, Im saying I been using it for everything & its great, but I would like to see my non-native tv apps on the leanback lists for games...I hate to modify them manually since it is a bit annoying
Why don't you guys just use Kodi as your launcher?
I've looked into the same issue, mainly because of the norwegian TV app GetTV that is ment for customers to watch TV on any device in and out of the house and with NSTV i would have 1080p native from the IPstream instead of the 1080i the cableboxes they deliver can handle.
To make apps work that way, they need a layout compateble with DPad navigation, so changing the manifest wouldn't help much i think, and if you create an app to launch with an overlay for the app you would need to run an emulated new version of android and in that instance launch the app and have cursor/leanback support for non-native apps, that would drain the power and create even more issues, best way to do this would be for Nvidia to add a cursor mapping profile for the gamepad controller og tv remote (ex. "trippleclick search to start 'mousemode'." and then use the directional keys to move the cursor around)
Zacharybinx34 said:
Why don't you guys just use Kodi as your launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaking personally, because that would make this flagship device very limited in terms of what you can do outside of Kodi. Who would buy a device as powerful as the Shield TV then use it simply for watching video in Kodi?
Leanback is terrible. I use Smart Launcher Pro myself, lots of options, support for remotes and automatic categorisation of applications and games.
Beefheart said:
Speaking personally, because that would make this flagship device very limited in terms of what you can do outside of Kodi. Who would buy a device as powerful as the Shield TV then use it simply for watching video in Kodi?
Leanback is terrible. I use Smart Launcher Pro myself, lots of options, support for remotes and automatic categorisation of applications and games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can create links to android apps within Kodi.
Zacharybinx34 said:
You can create links to android apps within Kodi.
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Click to collapse
Yes, I'm aware of that. But the whole process is limited and the interface less than ideal for a device of this type, or at least if used to its potential. If we were talking about a system of limited specification that was used for little else other than video playback and a few additional apps (for example, an Amazon Fire Stick) then it would perhaps make sense. But I have 60+ applications and games installed on my Shield TV. And the idea of having to access them from within Kodi, an application which was not designed with this in mind, is unappealing to say the least.
This is funny. I enjoy how the discussion is on modifying Leanback Launcher, but all the suggestions are "Don't use Leanback Launcher".
I for one actually like Leanback and the way it works on my TV with a remote. Like it was designed for it.
In terms of the discussion at hand - this isn't that hard to implement. You don't have to hook *every* package - you just need to hook the bit of Leanback Launcher that enumerates the packages and then modify that code to always return "yes" when asking if it has the Manifest permissions for Leanback.
As I find this quite intriguing and know a bit about Xposed - I think I'll take a look at this today if time allows. I happen to have both the nexus player and shield TV system images lying around (access to both versions of Leanback), so I may just be making this.
I'll post back here if anything comes of it.
Also, I wonder if I can force the "Live Channels" app to display at the top of Leanback's home interface, like it does on my parents' Samsung w. Android TV.
While we're modifying leanback...Should we put the "non-leanback" apps in their own row, or in the same row as all the other apps?
digitalhigh said:
This is funny. I enjoy how the discussion is on modifying Leanback Launcher, but all the suggestions are "Don't use Leanback Launcher".
I for one actually like Leanback and the way it works on my TV with a remote. Like it was designed for it.
In terms of the discussion at hand - this isn't that hard to implement. You don't have to hook *every* package - you just need to hook the bit of Leanback Launcher that enumerates the packages and then modify that code to always return "yes" when asking if it has the Manifest permissions for Leanback.
As I find this quite intriguing and know a bit about Xposed - I think I'll take a look at this today if time allows. I happen to have both the nexus player and shield TV system images lying around (access to both versions of Leanback), so I may just be making this.
I'll post back here if anything comes of it.
Also, I wonder if I can force the "Live Channels" app to display at the top of Leanback's home interface, like it does on my parents' Samsung w. Android TV.
While we're modifying leanback...Should we put the "non-leanback" apps in their own row, or in the same row as all the other apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its own row would be great actually.. Otherwise I feel that things could become a little bit too messy. Or you could simply let the user select that via the module's option[emoji14]
Xstar410 said:
xposed module to modify user apps for leanback support such as emulators or sideloaded **free** games that never show up on Android TV such as NSTV.
The idea behind this to make it work is really simple....somehow the module will:
1. Load ALL user apps that don't have leanback support
2. Modify either permanently/load the app's manifest to add leanback LAUNCHER & other lines to it.
3. On restart Theoretically it should work with almost all apps being modified for Android TV.
Side note:
Any app/game that only has touch support will NOT work at all since those apps probably don't have either controller, keyboard, & mouse support at all and it will be just redundant to mod them...
(Tried playing cod zombies on NSTV...I tried all key mapping apps and nothing worked.)
THIS MODULE WILL PROBABLY REPLACE THAT **SIDELOAD LAUNCHER**
From the way I wrote this you should have already guessed that the module has NOT been made yet, since more research is needed to be done in order to progress any further than an idea, but I'm posting it now for anyone that's wants to tackle this project or help me make it(new to xposed module developing.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can't wait for this I hate HAL, costomizing the stock launcher is the way, best of both worlds: original features AND customizations:good:
A little update:
I did some initial research into this, and found the method we need to hook in order to make this happen.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/development/hooking-protected-list-inner-class-odd-t3306186
I haven't had more time to dive into this further, but I do have the initial framework started for a module. No idea when I will be able to tackle it more, but at least we have an idea of what needs to be done for anybody else who may be interested in this and know Xposed.
i do like the stock launcher,but needs more cosmetic,but i did found that the apk call OmniSwicth is wonderfull,the only thing is not fully working if somebody make work that would be remarkable,i do like the interface and using my fire tablet 7 inches with a combination the droidmote apk is the best so far for my shield tv if someone try this would know what i am talking, i am not a developer but i will be happy is somebody from XDA make this app OmniSwicth works
Anyone remember GEL Xposed before it became GNL? Thats what we need for this. I actually like the way leanback works, I just want it to load all of my apps.
Yea that's the thing that kills me about AndroidTV, its so crippled in terms of apps. I love the interface but the lack of apps sucks, it would be amazing if someone could figure out a hack that would allow the play store to show all apps.
Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk
digitalhigh said:
This is funny. I enjoy how the discussion is on modifying Leanback Launcher, but all the suggestions are "Don't use Leanback Launcher".
I for one actually like Leanback and the way it works on my TV with a remote. Like it was designed for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ME TO, if it weren't for the crap play store and the lacking all the installed apps.
I installed this ROM http://forum.xda-developers.com/shield-tv/development/rom-t3321787 last night and I already miss the Leanback Launcher and how it "just worked" with the remote, the stock interface (and Nova for that matter) just don't navigate well with the remote.
honestly my dream setup would be the factory OS with the Leanback Launcher, but rooted with the FULL play Store and all the installed apps shown in the Launcher.
daniel644 said:
ME TO, if it weren't for the crap play store and the lacking all the installed apps.
I installed this ROM http://forum.xda-developers.com/shield-tv/development/rom-t3321787 last night and I already miss the Leanback Launcher and how it "just worked" with the remote, the stock interface (and Nova for that matter) just don't navigate well with the remote.
honestly my dream setup would be the factory OS with the Leanback Launcher, but rooted with the FULL play Store and all the installed apps shown in the Launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed the leanback launcher and it works well on restyle
pspbyer said:
I installed the leanback launcher and it works well on restyle
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you manage this. I tried and it would not let me install leanback launcher
Hi! I have a LG Exalt 4 (LGVN220), It's a 4G Flip phone running off of android. Officially it doesn't allow you to install apps unless it's signed by LG, but if you rename the package to com.android.cts."packagename" it allows it to install. The problem is when you try to use the app it doesn't either detect or allow you to use the regular physical keyboard, does anyone know how you can change the code (maybe in the android manifest...) so that it uses the physical keypad and not touchscreen (since the flip phone doesntn't have a touchscreen, only a keypad)?
hi i was thinking about buying this phone for my dad and would like to install apps. did you have any success with this?
Not going to work.
notice not all apps have this prob. mostly apps built on cross platform engine like xamarin etc have this prob, but if app was developed in android studio it definitely works . unfortunately, your only way around this is to rewrite the app in android specific ide... good luck