Use Google TV Apps only mode on a shared screen

In this guide

Enable or leave the mode Expect different navigation Understand the privacy boundary Make a shared-TV plan

Apps only mode hides personalized recommendations on the Google TV Home screen for the selected profile. It is useful when you want a simpler route to installed applications on a shared television.

It does not erase viewing history or change the privacy settings of the apps you open. Google says sponsored content and popular-title teasers can still appear.

Enable or leave the mode

Open Settings from the Google TV Home screen.
Go to Accounts & Sign In and select your profile.
Choose Apps only mode and confirm Turn on. Some Google TV system documentation calls the account area Accounts & Profiles.
Press Home to use the changed interface.
To reverse the choice, return to the same profile settings and turn Apps only mode off.

Expect different navigation

Google documents that Search and Google Assistant are unavailable in Apps only mode. Watchlist and some feedback actions are also absent. If you depend on voice search to find a player or title, consider that tradeoff before leaving the TV in this mode.

The main route becomes opening an installed app and using its own interface. A player that is hard to navigate does not become more accessible just because Home recommendations are hidden. Check the user’s actual remote and accessibility needs.

Understand the privacy boundary

Google states that if Web & App Activity remains enabled, it can continue improving recommendations. Individual apps can also show personalized recommendations from their own history. Turning the Home mode on is therefore different from reviewing account activity or app privacy settings.

Treat the feature as a presentation preference. If the goal is to manage who can open an app or what a child can access, use the relevant profile and parental-control tools and review the player’s own controls separately.

Make a shared-TV plan

Keep the applications that household members use easy to find and explain how to return to the profile settings. Do not change another person’s app account or service login just to simplify Home.

When a library item or search function seems missing, first check whether Apps only mode is active. Leaving the mode is a narrower action than reinstalling applications or resetting the television. Record the intended mode in a household setup note so a later support conversation starts with the current interface.

Dream 4K access and any player licence stay with their respective account arrangements. This Home-screen preference does not add, cancel or transfer either purchase.