The Nvidia Shield TV is arguably the most powerful streaming box on the market, but the Play Store can feel a bit limited. The good news is that, as an Android TV device, it can run most Android apps. You just have to know how to get them on your Shield. That’s where sideloading comes in.
Sideloading is a common practice in the Android world, and it’s not limited to phones. It’s the process of installing an app from outside the official Play Store. The Shield TV can handle most Android apps and games, regardless of whether they were designed for TVs. Let’s get started.
Getting the APK to your Shield
This is the hard part—but it’s not that bad
Sideloading begins with an APK—this is the filename extension for Android apps. The trickiest part of this process is actually getting an APK onto your Shield to sideload it. You can save yourself a lot of hassle by finding the APK on your phone and transferring it to the Shield TV.
We recommend using a trusted, non-piracy source like APK Mirror or F-Droid to download your APK file. APK Mirror a huge repository for official APKs with multiple variants for every app. You’ll find that there are two types of files on APK Mirror—APKs and bundles. Installing an app bundle isn’t difficult on a phone, but to keep things simple on your TV, stick with APKs.
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Once you’ve downloaded the APK on your phone, you can move it to your Shield TV. The best way to do this is with the Send Files to TV app. It’s far easier than dealing with cloud storage apps and file managers on your TV. After you install it on your phone, install it from the Play Store on your Shield as well.
First, open the Send Files to TV app on your Shield, grant it media permissions, and select “Receive.”
Next, open the same app on your phone, grant it media permissions, and select “Send.” This will open a file manager, from which you can find the APK file you downloaded earlier. After you select the file, you’ll be taken to a device picker screen—tap the Shield TV.
If you don’t see the APK file where it should be, open the Send Files to TV settings and select “Allow access to all files.” Follow the instructions to make sure the app can see APK files.
Once the transfer says “Succeeded” on your phone, you’re ready to move back to the Shield TV.
Sideload the app on your Shield
This is the easy part
In the TV app, click the file that you transferred. Choose “Open” from the pop-up menu, and then select “Install.”
You may be asked to toggle a setting to allow installations from unknown sources during this last step, but once that is done, repeat the previous step.
It’s really as simple as that. Send Files to TV works with photos and videos as well, by the way. The one thing to keep in mind is that many Android apps will install just fine on the Shield TV, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be fully functional. Some apps that weren’t designed for a TV screen can be used with a remote control, but others are useless without a touchscreen. You just have to try and find out.
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