The best web browsers for Android TV

If you need a web browser for your Android TV, and you don’t know which one to choose, we offer you the best options: both from the Google Play Store and installed in apk format. You can navigate from the sofa with the remote control.

It’s not that browsing the web is the most comfortable on a television, but you’ve surely had to do it more than once. To see a specific page, search directly on Google or because you didn’t feel like getting up from your chair to look for your phone, the reasons can be many. Although yes, Android TV has a problem with this type of app: It doesn’t come standard with any browser; though there are options in the Google Play Store on TV (and beyond).

Android TV is not designed to use browsers

It’s surprising that Google hasn’t included an Android TV-friendly version of its ubiquitous Chrome, although there’s a reason for that: Using the TV’s remote control to browse the Internet isn’t comfortable at all. This does not imply that the experience has to be bad, at least if you do not browse for a long time.

Despite this undeniable inconvenience, TV navigation can be useful for more than one use. Therefore, it is convenient to have the best options at hand.

Puffin TV – Fast web browser

This is one of the best web browsers that you can find by searching the Android TV Google Play Store. It is perfectly adapted to use with the remote control of the TV, it has favorites, the content loads normally and most of the elements are correctly displayed on the screen. Puffin is based on Chromium (like almost all the browsers on this list) and has the problem that the version it is based on is not the most recent; therefore it sometimes gives incompatibility with depending on which websites.

Puffin TV – Fast web browser TV brother

Another web browser for Android TV that can be downloaded from Google Play, but not compatible with all televisions and players. It offers a use that is perfectly adapted to the remote control of the TV and does not have too many disadvantages other than being somewhat fair in options. Even so, it has bookmarks, voice control and even allows the choice of the ‘user agent’ to spoof web pages by pretending to be a different browser. It’s not a bad app.

TV brother Google Chrome

Use Google Chrome on the Nvidia Shield TV thanks to the game controller

How is it possible that Google doesn’t include Chrome as a recommended app on Android TV? Kind of strange, but it’s like that: It doesn’t come pre-installed and can’t be downloaded from the Google Play store. Fortunately, it’s possible to install Google Chrome on Android TV, just follow the process below.

Google Chrome is not completely adapted to use with the TV remote control, since many websites require the cursor to be activated (with a mouse or through a physical game controller), but it is not too inconvenient either . In addition, Chrome works very well on Android TV: it correctly adapts the content to the screen and runs the latest versions of the mobile browser, thus avoiding incompatibility with the pages. It also allows the activation of the desktop mode.

Firefox for FireTV

There is no mistake: we have highlighted a web browser for Amazon Fire TV. And the fact is that the modified version of Firefox works perfectly: just install the APK on the TV or the player and navigate. Its use is perfectly adapted to the remote control of the TV and offers an experience as complete as it is simple. In our opinion, this is the best app for what we’re looking for: browsing the web from TV.

To install Firefox on your Android TV, you need to do the same as with Google Chrome: download the APK file and run it on the TV or the player.

install File Commander on your Android TV and Sideload Launcher. Download the latest version of Firefox TV from the web APK Mirror. Upload the APK to your Google Drive, in the root folder. Open File Commander on your Android TV and sign in to Drive from the file manager. In File Commander, navigate to the folder where you uploaded the Google Chrome APK and install it. You will need to accept permission to install apps from outside Google Play.

Firefox is very well adapted to use from the remote control, it renders pages quickly, offers excellent web compatibility, allows you to synchronize Firefox bookmarks and even send pages from another Firefox browser. It is extremely functional.

Vita browser

This is one of our top recommendations on Google Chrome and co. Vita Browser relies on web view for a basic and very comfortable experience. You don’t have too many options beyond browsing the web, and that can be an advantage in a system as poorly adapted to using pointers as Android TV is. Of course you have to install it as an APK: follow the steps above and, instead of sending the Firefox browser to the TV, send Vita Browser apk file. Install it on TV with File Commander and enjoy.