In This Article
Whether you get the actual Play Store on your TV depends on which TV you bought. Google TV and Android TV models give you the full Play catalog out of the box. Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Roku TV, and Fire TV give you their own app stores with most of the major Android apps, but the path to anything outside that curated set is different on each.
This guide walks through the four real TV operating systems (Google TV, Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Roku) and explains which ones get genuine Play Store access, which use a different store with most of the same apps, and how to handle the apps that exist on phones but not on your TV’s app store.
Where sideloading is the only option, we walk through the safe path. Where a $30 streaming stick is the cleanest fix, we say so. Every step verified on TVs available at retail in May 2026.
TL;DR
Best fit: If you own a Google TV or Android TV model (Sony, TCL, Hisense, Chromecast with Google TV, Onn 4K Pro), the full Play Store is built in. Open the Apps row.
Good alternative: If you own Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, Roku TV, or Fire TV, use your TV’s native store. The major streaming apps are all there; for the gaps, a $30 Chromecast with Google TV stick adds the full Play Store.
Skip if: You want to sideload sketchy APKs onto a TV; almost always the wrong move since safe options like Aptoide TV are deprecated and the legitimate path is a $30 stick.
Identify your TV’s operating system first
Smart TVs run one of five major operating systems. Google TV (and the older Android TV) on Sony, TCL, Hisense, Philips, Onn, and the Chromecast with Google TV stick. Samsung Tizen on Samsung TVs from 2015 forward. LG webOS on LG TVs. Roku TV on TCL Roku Edition, Hisense Roku Edition, and the Roku stick. Fire TV on Amazon’s own hardware and a few Toshiba and Insignia models.
Press the Home button on your remote and look at the top-left logo. Google TV says ‘Google TV’. Tizen says ‘Samsung Smart Hub’. webOS shows the LG logo. Roku and Fire TV are obvious. If your TV is older than 2015, it probably does not run a smart OS at all, and a $30 streaming stick is the cleanest upgrade path.
Google TV and Android TV: the full Play Store
Google TV and Android TV models include the actual Google Play Store, the same catalog you get on an Android phone (filtered for TV-compatible apps). Open the Apps row from the home screen, scroll right to the Play Store icon, and search for any app. Apps like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, Spotify, Plex, Kodi, Steam Link, GeForce Now, Twitch, VLC, and most major streaming apps are all available.
Sign in with the same Google account you use on your phone for cross-device app history and a synced purchases library. The TV-side filtering removes phone-only apps (no Instagram for Phones, no Snapchat) but keeps every legitimate TV app.
Samsung Tizen: the Samsung App Store
Samsung TVs from 2015 forward use the Samsung App Store, which carries about 200 apps. The major streaming services are all there (Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Prime, Hulu, Apple TV+, Spotify, Plex, VRV, Tubi). The catalog is smaller than Google Play but covers ninety percent of typical TV use cases.
For apps that exist on Google Play but not the Samsung Store (Kodi, some smaller streaming services, niche apps), you have two options. Plug in a $30 Chromecast with Google TV stick into an HDMI port; you get the full Play Store on that input. Or use the SmartThings app on your phone to mirror Android content to the TV. Sideloading APKs onto Tizen is technically possible but Samsung locks down developer-mode access.
LG webOS: the LG Content Store
LG webOS uses the LG Content Store with about 250 apps. The major streaming services all support webOS. The gaps are similar to Tizen: no Kodi, no smaller niche apps, no Play Store access. Same fix: a $30 Google TV stick handles the gaps.
Quick take
Google TV gives you the full Play Store; Tizen, webOS, Roku, and Fire TV use their own stores with the major apps. The $30 Chromecast with Google TV is the cleanest path to add Play Store apps to a non-Google TV.
LG webOS 23 and webOS 24 (the to 2024 versions still rolling out to current models) added integrated support for AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit, which is the bigger ecosystem story than the app store comparison. For Android users, this matters less than the $30 stick fix.
Roku TV: the Roku Channel Store
Roku’s app store calls them ‘channels’ and carries about 300. Roku is the strongest of the non-Google smart TV platforms on streaming-app coverage, with every major service supported and a few private channels worth knowing about. The Roku Channel itself (Roku’s free ad-supported streaming service) is excellent.
The Play Store gap on Roku TV is the smallest, but a few specialty apps (Plex’s stronger client, the Kodi sideload-only client, GeForce Now) remain Google TV exclusives. Same fix applies if any of those matter to you.
Fire TV: Amazon Appstore
Amazon’s Fire TV runs a forked version of Android that uses the Amazon Appstore instead of Google Play. The catalog is the largest among non-Google smart TV platforms (about 1,000 apps) and includes most major services. The fork lets users sideload Android apps from outside the Appstore (the only TV OS that allows this officially), though Amazon’s signing-key requirement means the install is more involved than a phone.
For most Fire TV users, the Appstore covers ninety-five percent of needs. For the rest, the official sideload path through the Downloader app is documented and reliable. Search for ‘Fire TV sideload Downloader’ for the current method.
Sideloading: when and how
Sideloading APKs onto a Smart TV is technically possible on Google TV and Fire TV (with developer options enabled) and impossible on Tizen, webOS, and Roku without warranty-voiding mods. the only legitimate sideloading scenarios are: a specific app that is not in the TV store but you trust the source (your own work app, a regional streaming service, Kodi from the official site). Sideloading random APKs from outside the Play Store is exactly the path that leads to TV-side malware.
If you genuinely need an app outside your TV’s store, evaluate two options. First, the $30 Chromecast with Google TV gets you the full Play Store on an HDMI input, with Google’s malware screening intact. Second, casting from your phone (Chromecast built-in is on every Google TV and many Tizen and webOS models) lets you run any app on your phone and project it to the TV.
At a glance
| TV OS | Native store | Play Store access | Sideload path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google TV / Android TV | Google Play Store | Yes, full | Yes, developer mode |
| Samsung Tizen | Samsung App Store | No, add stick | Effectively no |
| LG webOS | LG Content Store | No, add stick | Effectively no |
| Roku TV | Roku Channel Store | No, add stick | Effectively no |
| Fire TV | Amazon Appstore | No, but official sideload path | Yes, Downloader |
The setup, step by step
Step 1: Identify your TV OS
Press Home and check the top-left branding. Google TV, Tizen (Samsung), webOS (LG), Roku, or Fire TV.
Step 2: Open the native store
On Google TV, that is the Play Store. Search for the app you want.
Step 3: If the app is missing, decide on the stick
A $30 Chromecast with Google TV (or the $40 Onn 4K Pro) gives you full Play Store on any TV with an HDMI port.
Step 4: Cast as the fallback
Chromecast built-in (every Google TV and many Tizen and webOS models) lets you mirror your phone to the TV when the app is phone-only.
FAQ
Can I install the Google Play Store on a Samsung TV?
No. Tizen does not allow third-party app stores, and developer-mode sideloading is locked models. The path is a $30 Chromecast with Google TV stick on an HDMI port.
What about Aptoide TV?
Aptoide TV was deprecated and is no longer maintained. The legitimate alternatives are the Google Play Store (Google TV), the Amazon Appstore (Fire TV), the official TV store on your platform, or a Chromecast with Google TV stick to add Play Store.
Is sideloading APKs onto Android TV safe?
Only if the APK comes from a source you trust (your own developer build, the Kodi official site, F-Droid). Random APKs from forums or torrent sites are exactly the malware vector to avoid. Google Play Protect runs on Android TV but does not catch everything.
Will a Chromecast with Google TV replace my smart TV’s apps entirely?
Practically yes. Plug it into HDMI, switch the input, and the TV becomes a Google TV. Most users find they almost never go back to the native smart TV interface once the stick is in place.
What is the difference between Android TV and Google TV?
Google TV is the newer user interface layered on top of Android TV. Underneath, the operating system is the same, the app catalog is the same, and apps written for one run on the other. From a user perspective, Google TV has a more content-recommendation-driven home screen; Android TV has a more app-row-driven home screen.
Can I watch Netflix and Disney+ on every smart TV platform?
Yes. The major streaming services (Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, Hulu, Apple TV+, Max, Paramount+, Peacock, Spotify, Tubi) are on every TV OS. The differences are with smaller niche apps and Plex-style power-user tools. Other Android TV apps we cover separately.
The verdict
Google TV gives you everything out of the box. Samsung Tizen, LG webOS, and Roku TV cover ninety percent of streaming use cases with their native stores. Fire TV sits between the two with official sideloading available. For the apps that fall outside your TV’s native store, the $30 Chromecast with Google TV stick is the right answer ninety-nine times out of a hundred.
Sideloading is a 2018 problem. the reality is that the major streaming and AV apps are everywhere, the stick fix is cheap, and the safe sideload paths are documented for the few cases where they matter. Skip the dodgy APK forums.
How we put this guide together
Tested in May 2026 on a 2025 Sony Bravia Google TV, a 2024 Samsung S95D OLED (Tizen), an LG C4 OLED (webOS 24), a TCL Roku TV, and an Amazon Fire TV 4-Series. Each platform’s app catalog was sampled against the top 50 most-installed phone-side apps. Sideload paths verified against current OEM developer documentation and Google’s Android TV Compatibility Definition.
