5 Essential Apps For Your New TCL TV

TCL has made a name for itself as a budget TV brand, and over the last few years it’s started to make headway as an up-and-coming mid-tier and even premium option. It has a wide range of TV sizes available across its models, as well as different picture technologies to choose from based on what you hope to get out of your viewing experience. Because it’s one of the most popular budget TV brands on the market, those shopping for a new TV regularly bump into TCL.

If you’ve decided to place a TCL smart TV at the center of your viewing setup, now’s the time to start loading it with apps. Both Google TV and Roku platforms are available with TCL TVs, and while not all essentials are available across both platforms, there are still a lot of smart TV apps out there that can improve upon the stock experience. Apps for finding new movies and shows are among them, as are apps to do away with pesky smart platform ads, to utilize a fitness companion, and to stream your own media.

We’re no strangers to TCL TVs, nor to smart TVs in general. We’ve come across a number of apps that integrate well with both Google TV and Roku platforms. In addition to our own favorites, we’ve scoured the Google Play Store and the Roku Channel Store for some additional apps that we feel are essential for your new TV.

One thing a lot of people look forward to when purchasing a TCL TV is access to free streaming services. Platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV are there for such viewers, as are plenty of other free streaming options. Also available with a TCL smart TV is access to paid streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, all of which can be installed through the Google Play Store or Roku Channel Store.

But even with all of that access, some viewers may find the programming lacking. Whether you’ve purchased one of the best TCL TVs or a model with more modest features, the viewing experience can be improved by ensuring you have access to all of the content that’s right for you. A service like YouTube TV doesn’t just provide access to on-demand movies and TV shows, but also to live TV, including local stations like Fox, CBS, and NBC.

YouTube TV does require a monthly subscription, and it’s regularly priced at $83 per month. That’s certainly not cheap, especially compared to services like Netflix. But YouTube TV closely resembles cable or satellite in terms of programming and interface, and it comes with access to hundreds of TV channels, including TBS, TNT, USA, and the ESPN networks. YouTube TV is also the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket. For those looking for an alternative, Hulu with Live TV and Sling TV are similar options.

For those who want to stay away from expensive streaming services entirely, there are still a lot of ways to watch content on your new TV. The aforementioned free streaming services are still available on your TCL TV, as are subscription platforms like Netflix, Peacock, and Disney+. This is a lot to sort through, and it can be difficult to track down specific movies and TV shows you may have an impulse to watch.

That’s where JustWatch comes in. The app can work as both a search engine for content and a hub for everything you want to watch. If you are looking for a specific movie or TV show, you can search for it in the JustWatch app, and you’ll instantly be provided with all of the streaming services that currently host it. This way, you can decide what streaming services you want to pay for. Alternatively, you can tell the app which services you already have and filter content native to those specific platforms.

One downside for TCL TV users when it comes to JustWatch is that it’s not available on the Roku platform. If your TV comes with Google TV as its smart platform, you can find JustWatch in the Google Play Store. Those who have TCL TVs with Roku can still utilize JustWatch by installing it on a phone or tablet. You won’t get the perks of having it right on your TV, but the mobile app can still give you all of the information you need to track down movies and TV shows you want to binge.

If your TCL smart TV comes with Google TV, you may quickly grow tired of its advertisement-heavy interface.  A TV launcher is a smart way to work around the ads, and Projectivy Launcher is one of the best options.

It has amassed more than a million downloads in the Google Play Store and is very well regarded, with an overall rating of 4.4-out-of-5 stars. The app’s popularity is largely because it’s capable of completely replacing the Google TV interface, eliminating banners and other ads you would otherwise see. But there are plenty of other reasons it’s essential for TCL TV users, including features like numerous app layouts and input shortcuts for accessing peripheral TV equipment.

This is another app that isn’t available to TCL TV owners tapping into the Roku smart platform. Roku is a proprietary OS and doesn’t support custom launchers like Projectivy Launcher. But if you have a TCL TV with Google TV at its core and you’d like to create an interface that’s tailored more to your liking, the core functionality of Projectivy Launcher is completely free. The launcher also has an optional one-time fee that unlocks additional features like custom wallpapers, advanced font options, and parental control.

For TCL TV owners who’d like to opt out of streaming services, or who’d like to supplement them with a media library of their own, Jellyfin is one of the best personal media server platforms you can try. It allows you to utilize a central storage device within your home as a server. This can be a computer or an external hard drive where you house all of your independently owned movies, TV shows, music, and photos.

Jellyfin is available in both the Google Play Store and the Roku Channel Store. Installing the app essentially turns your TV into a potential home theater hub even with no peripheral equipment or streaming subscriptions. One drawback is the setup, as it might need some work to turn your physical media into your own personal streaming service. Another drawback is that you will, of course, need to have your own library of media files.

If you’ve spent years collecting DRM-free media, whether through ripping DVDs and CDs or through licensed digital media, you likely will have plenty of good reason to add Jellyfin to your TCL TV setup. It also works with your own personal media files, so you can watch home videos and look at photos on your TV.

While displaying content is the primary job of a TV, it shouldn’t be the only thing you use it for. With the right apps, a TCL TV can also become far more interactive than movies and TV shows allow for. One such app is FitOn, which is available in both the Google Play Store and the Roku Channel Store.

The fitness app market is incredibly crowded, but what sets FitOn apart is how generous its free tier is. Access to unlimited workouts is available for free, and that includes workouts led by well-known trainers and celebrities. Nutrition, motivational exercises, and guided courses are also available without having to spend a dime. And FitOn isn’t just for fitness enthusiasts, as it includes meditation and mindfulness practices among its video content.

The only real drawback to the free version of FitOn is that it comes with ads and upgrade prompts, but the sheer amount of access that’s available for free can make that more tolerable. For those who want to eliminate ads entirely, a FitOn Pro subscription is available for $30 per year, and this includes access to fitness features like meal plans and convenience features like offline downloads. Installing FitOn on your TCL TV immediately turns your living room into a gym or yoga studio.

There’s a lot of crossover between TCL TVs and other smart TVs, as much of the viewing experience revolves around the smart TV platform in use. Since TCL TVs utilize the Google TV and Roku TV platforms, some of our selections here were based on hands-on experience. Others were made through our knowledge of TCL TVs in general, as well as through research done across both the Google Play Store and Roku Channel Store. We know not many people will want to invest heavily in apps after forking out for a new TV. With the exception of YouTube TV — or any other live TV service of choice — we stuck to app options that offer a generous free tier.