How to Install PikaShow on Android TV

Watching PikaShow on a television is a different experience from watching on a phone. The picture is larger, the sound fills the room, and the remote becomes the main control. Getting the app onto an Android TV takes a little more preparation than installing it on a phone, because televisions do not always handle downloaded files in the same way. This guide explains the process in plain terms, including the two practical ways to get the file onto the television, the permission that must be switched on, and the settings that make the app easier to use from a sofa. The steps suit most Android TV sets and boxes, although menu names differ between brands.

The starting point is the same file used for Android phones. Go to the PikaShow download page on a phone or computer first, so you know which version the site states as latest. The site states that v94 is its latest version. Do not download a television file from an unrelated site that promises a special TV edition, because those files are a frequent source of old or altered copies. A television that runs Android TV can use the standard Android file, but it needs a way to receive that file and a way to open it once it arrives. That is the part this guide spends most time on.

Check your television before you begin

First, confirm that your television or box really runs Android TV or Google TV. The name on the box, the settings menu or the home screen will usually say so. A smart television with a different operating system, such as a Samsung Tizen set or an LG webOS set, will not install an Android APK in the same way, and the steps below will not apply. If you are unsure, open Settings, look for Device Preferences or About, and read the operating system details. A set-top box or stick that runs Android TV, including common boxes from Xiaomi, Nvidia and other makers, should be suitable, provided it has enough free storage.

Next, check storage and the remote. Televisions often have far less free storage than phones, and a nearly full television can refuse an installation without a clear reason. Open Settings, look at storage, and remove apps you no longer use if space is tight. Make sure the remote has working batteries, because you will need to move through several menus and type a short web address or file name. If your remote has a microphone button, voice search can save typing. A wireless keyboard, a phone remote app or a USB mouse can also help, but they are not essential. A steady Wi-Fi connection matters too, because a download that drops on a television is harder to notice than one on a phone.

Finally, decide how you will get the file onto the television. The simplest route for many people is a downloader app that can fetch a file from a web address. Another route is to download the file on a computer, copy it to a USB stick, and plug that stick into the television. The USB route avoids typing a long address on a television, but it needs a file manager app on the television to open the stick. Whichever route you choose, use only the file from this site, keep the television connected to power during the installation, and do not switch the set off halfway through. An interrupted installation on a television can leave the app partly installed and harder to remove.

Method 1: Use a downloader app on the television

Open the Google Play Store on your Android TV and search for a downloader app. These apps are designed to fetch files from the web on a television, and they include a browser and a file list in one place. Install one with good reviews from a maker you recognise, then open it. In its address bar, type the address of the download page, or the direct file address if the page gives you one to copy. Take care with every character, because a single mistake will take you to the wrong page. If typing is awkward, use voice input or a connected keyboard for this step.

When the download page loads, look for the Android download control and select it. The downloader should start fetching the APK file and show its progress. Wait until the download is fully complete. Televisions sometimes hide the progress behind another screen, so return to the downloader file list and check that the file is marked as finished before you try to open it. Opening a partly downloaded file will produce an error that looks like a fault with the app, when the real problem is simply that the file has not finished arriving.

Select the finished file in the downloader. The television may ask you to allow that app to install unknown apps. This is the television version of the permission phones ask for, and it applies to the app that is doing the installing, not to every app on the television. Allow it for the downloader only, then go back and select the file again. The installer should show the app name and an Install option. Choose Install, wait for the process to finish, and then choose Done or Open. If you choose Done, the app icon should appear in the apps row on the home screen.

Method 2: Transfer the file with a USB stick

For the USB method, download the APK on a computer or phone from the download page, then copy it to a USB stick formatted in a format your television can read, usually FAT32 or exFAT. Plug the stick into a USB port on the television. Open a file manager app on the television; if none is installed, install one from the Play Store first. Use the file manager to browse to the USB stick, find the APK file, and select it. The television should offer to install it, after asking for the unknown apps permission for the file manager.

The USB method has one clear advantage: you can check the file on a computer before you move it, and you do not need to type an address with a television remote. It has one drawback as well, because some televisions hide USB contents behind a media player that only shows photos and videos. If that happens, use a proper file manager rather than the built-in media browser. Once the file is visible in the file manager, the rest of the process is the same as the downloader method. Allow the permission, install the app, and then remove the USB stick safely if the television offers that option.

After installation by either method, you can switch the unknown apps permission off again for the downloader or file manager. The app will keep working, and the television will be a little safer, because no other app will be able to install software through that route without your say-so. Keep the USB stick or the downloaded file in a safe place until you have tested the app, in case you need to install it again. Do not keep copies of the file in messaging apps or shared folders, where they could be confused with other files later.

Opening the app and learning the remote controls

Open PikaShow from the apps row and give it a moment on the first launch. The home screen is designed for a remote, so use the direction pad to move between rows and titles, and press the centre button to select. The back button returns you to the previous screen, and holding it or using the home button leaves the app. If the app asks for a permission, read it and grant only what is needed for playback. Try opening a title, starting playback and pausing it, so you learn the controls before you settle down to watch something properly. The on-screen player usually shows progress, volume and subtitle controls when you press a direction or the centre button during playback.

Some viewers find that the remote feels slow at first, especially if the television is running several apps in the background. Close apps you are not using, and avoid pressing buttons repeatedly while the television is loading a screen. Repeated presses can queue up and send the app several screens ahead, which feels like a fault when it is really just a backlog of commands. If the app is slow to respond, restart the television once and try again with a single, clear press at a time. A television remote app on a phone can also help, because it often includes a touchpad and a keyboard for searching.

Playback, subtitles and picture settings for a television

Television viewing benefits from a quick look at playback quality. If your connection is strong and your television supports it, a higher quality setting will look better on a large screen. If playback stalls, lower the quality one step and see whether it steadies. Small stalls on a phone are easy to ignore, but on a television they break the flow of a film. Subtitles matter more on a television too, because you may sit further from the screen. Switch subtitles on, choose a size that is easy to read from your seat, and test them on a title with dialogue before a family viewing. Audio settings are worth a check as well, especially if sound goes through a soundbar or a home cinema system, because the television may need to be set to pass the sound through in the right format.

Think about who else uses the television. If children watch on the same set, use the television own controls alongside any settings in the app, and agree which profiles or apps they may open. Keep the remote somewhere adults can reach it easily, and show other household members how to return to the home screen. A television is a shared device, so a few minutes of explanation saves repeated questions later. If you use the app late at night, check the volume and subtitle settings in advance, so you do not need to fumble with menus in the dark.

When the television installation will not work

If the television refuses to install the file, work through the usual causes in order. Check that the download finished, check free storage, and check that the unknown apps permission is on for the app doing the installing. If the file was transferred by USB, check that the file manager can see the stick and that the file is not in a folder the television hides. Restart the television and try once more with a fresh download. If the app installs but will not open, restart the television, clear the app cache in Settings under Apps, and try again. Only remove and reinstall the app if those steps fail, because reinstalling may clear local settings.

For more detail on the phone version, see PikaShow for Android, and for computers, see PikaShow for PC, where the emulator route is explained. The PikaShow for iOS page is the honest guide for Apple devices, which do not have an official app. Keeping the television file from the same trusted source as the phone file, and noting the version you installed, will make future updates much easier to manage.

Ready to watch on the big screen? Go to the Download PikaShow page, get the Android file, and follow the television steps above.

Frequently asked questions