Android TV and Google TV

The Torsher app for Android TV is a small launcher with a native video player: it remembers your server's address and opens the showcase from the server itself. The interface updates with the server; the app itself is updated from a new release.

What you'll get

Torsher on the TV home screen, connected to your server and controlled with the remote. Video plays with the device's own decoders; what the device can't play, the server converts.

Before you start

• An Android TV or Google TV device: a TV, a set-top box or a stick. The app is tested in the Google TV emulator (Android 16). Real devices from Android 7.0 onwards are targeted, but not tested yet.
• The device and the server on the same network, and the server's address, for example 192.168.1.10:8080.
• A computer with Android platform tools (adb) to install the app.

No install? Use the TV browser

If the device has a web browser, open http://<server-address>:8080/ in it and go to Connect a device. The app is still worth it: it opens Torsher from the home screen, plays more formats directly and remembers the server.

1. Turn on debugging on the device

The app isn't in Google Play yet, so it's installed from a computer with adb. Menu names differ between devices; on Google TV:

1. Open Settings → System → About and select Android TV OS build seven times. Developer options appear.
2. In Settings → System → Developer options, turn on USB debugging or Wireless debugging, whichever the device has.
3. Note the device's IP address in Settings → Network & Internet.

2. Connect the computer to the device

adb connect <tv-ip>

The TV asks whether to allow debugging from this computer: allow it.

If the device shows Wireless debugging with a pairing code, pair first with the address and code from its Pair device with pairing code screen, then connect to the address shown on the Wireless debugging screen:

adb pair <tv-ip>:<pairing-port>

adb connect <tv-ip>:<port>

3. Install Torsher

Download app.torsher.androidtv_<version>.apk from the latest release and install it:

adb install app.torsher.androidtv_<version>.apk

Torsher appears among the device's apps. You can turn debugging off afterwards.

Build the app from source instead

With JDK 17, the Android SDK, Node.js 24 and the repository cloned, from the repository folder:

corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm --filter @torsher/tv-shell-android build:apk
pnpm --filter @torsher/tv-shell-android install:tv

A debug build is signed with a different key, so it doesn't install over the release app: remove one before installing the other.

4. Point it at your server

Open Torsher on the device. The Server address screen asks where your server is:

1. Type the address where the control panel opens, without /panel/, for example 192.168.1.10:8080.
2. Select Connect.

The app remembers the address and opens the showcase. To change it later, use Change address while the app connects, or Change server in the showcase.

5. Connect with a code

The showcase shows a six-character code. Enter it in the panel under Profiles & devices → Connect a device. Details: Connect a device.

Update

When a new version is out, download its APK from the release and install it over the old one:

adb install -r app.torsher.androidtv_<version>.apk

If something went wrong

• adb connect fails or the device stays unauthorized. Check that debugging is on, the IP address is current, and that you allowed debugging on the TV.
• The app doesn't connect to the server. It shows the reason under the address:
  • didn't respond within 5 seconds: the server is off or the device is on another network;
  • couldn't reach the address: check the address and the port;
  • responded, but it isn't a Torsher server: the port belongs to another app.
• The app says Android System WebView is too old. Update Android System WebView in Google Play and open Torsher again.

Next

Connect a device, then Watching.