When setting up a new smart TV, ignoring the clutter of pre-installed apps you didn’t ask for is hard. These apps clutter your screen, eat up storage, and even slow things down, which is why I always remove a few key ones to improve my experience.

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Manufacturer Smart Home Apps

The first app I delete is the TV brand’s proprietary smart home dashboard, like the TCL Home app or its equivalents. These apps promise centralized control over your TV and other devices, but they’re usually clunky, limited, and unnecessary.

If you already use Google Home, Alexa, or Apple HomeKit, your TV likely integrates just fine. The manufacturer’s version rarely adds anything useful beyond what the settings menu or remote already handles. Worse, they often require a separate account, demand sketchy permissions, and quietly collect data in the background.

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Manufacturer Channel Apps

Next, I ditch the pre-installed channel apps: TCL Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, and similar. These apps look like free TV platforms, but most of their content is filler: reruns, web rejects, and low-budget films you’ve never heard of.

Some launch automatically, while others hog space on the home screen, and most exist purely to push ad-supported content. These apps are more about monetizing your attention than offering real value, especially if you already subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, or similar.

If you like channel surfing, maybe you’ll keep them. But for me, removing them speeds up boot time, clears the home screen, and brings more peace to my viewing experience.

5

Proprietary App Stores

Most smart TVs already run Google TV, Fire TV, or Roku, but manufacturers still include their app stores. These tend to offer a much smaller, more curated selection of apps, often filled with sponsored content and shovelware. Some even auto-install apps you didn’t ask for, pushing ads and autoplay clips to your home screen.

I remove the app entirely and stick to the primary app store built into the platform. If the store can’t be uninstalled, I at least turn off auto-updates and remove its shortcut from the home screen.

Yes, you can technically run Facebook or TikTok on some smart TVs. But navigating social media on television is an awful experience. These apps aren’t optimized for TVs and often feel like afterthoughts.

You can’t post efficiently, typing is a chore, and viewing photos or videos feels clunky. Plus, these apps are often background-heavy—they ping servers, track engagement, and pull in fresh content even when you’re not actively using them.

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I always remove these apps because they’re not practical. Let’s not forget the security angle. A smart TV isn’t the safest place to enter your social login credentials. So, unless you plan to turn your living room into a giant Instagram viewer (and hey, no judgment if you are), it’s better to skip these apps and use your phone or tablet instead.

If you’ve ever noticed an app like Amazon, Walmart, or even random regional shopping platforms pre-installed on your smart TV, you’re not alone—and yes, I delete those too. Shopping from a TV sounds futuristic, but the execution is usually a letdown. The interfaces are slow, clunky, and designed more to promote deals than to offer a functional shopping experience.

Beyond usability, there’s also the issue of relevance. Do I need a full online store one remote-click away from my Netflix queue? For most people, the answer is no. These apps take up space, run background processes, and occasionally push unsolicited notifications or banners into your viewing experience.

Removing them not only cleans up my app list but also prevents annoying pop-ups and frees my system from apps trying to do too much with too little hardware.

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Generic Games

Whether it’s a puzzle game, a racing clone, or an ad-packed solitaire app, generic pre-installed games are always among the first things I remove. Most of them are riddled with ads, laggy controls, and, in some cases, in-app purchases aimed at kids. They’re also known to stay active in the background or auto-update themselves, which eats up bandwidth and storage.

If I want to play games on my TV, I use a dedicated console or stream games from the cloud.

1

News or Sports Apps I Don’t Watch

It’s common to find pre-installed apps for CNN, Bloomberg, ESPN, or regional news channels. These apps often require a cable login to unlock content and run background updates for headlines or scores you may not care about. I always remove the ones I know I’ll never use.

Removing these apps not only declutters my TV but also ensures I’m not distracted by notifications or pushed to access content I have no interest in. If I want sports scores or breaking news, I’ll find them when I’m ready, not when my TV tells me to.

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Your smart TV should serve your needs, run smoothly, and stay clutter-free. Removing unnecessary pre-installed apps helps you reclaim valuable space, improve performance, and tailor your TV experience to exactly what you want.