How to Add Apps to Samsung Smart TV [Download Third Party Apps]

Samsung Electronics has been manufacturing TV sets for quite a long time. From the big old CRTs to LCDs to LEDs and now OLEDs and QLEDs. Samsung’s TVs have always been popular for two main reasons. The range of TVs and the quality of their TVs.

Samsung Smart TVs run on TizenOS which is different than Android TV. And so, everyone has the same query about whether it allows downloading apps or not. Yes, you can download apps on Samsung TV. Read along to know how to add Apps to Samsung Smart TV.

Apps do play an important role in our day-to-day life. Anything you wish to do, there is an app for that. For sending texts, watching movies, listening to songs, checking the weather, or looking for directions, there are apps for everything. And since Samsung TVs are getting smarter every day, it would be a disappointment to not be able to install apps on Samsung TV. There are a few ways that you can follow to download apps on Samsung smart TV, and we will be covering those methods in this guide.

How to Add Apps to Samsung Smart TV

TizenOS is an exclusive Samsung operating system for Samsung watches and Samsung TVs. The OS was also introduced on Smartphones, but it can’t be compared with Android OS. Samsung TV OS lacks Play Store support which means you will find it difficult to Install apps on Samsung Smart TV. But the Samsung smart TV OS has improved a lot and it now even allows installing 3rd party apps on Samsung Smart TV. So now let’s start with the first method to download apps on Samsung smart TV.

Method 1: Install Apps on Samsung TV using built-in App Store

Samsung TVs like their mobile devices have their own app store. While on mobile devices it’s known as the Galaxy Store, on TVs it’s just called Apps. You can directly install apps on your Samsung smart TV from the Apps Store. Check out the steps to find out how to add apps to Samsung TVs.

1. Power your Samsung TV on and ensure that it’s connected to a Wi-Fi connection.
2. On your Samsung TV remote, press the Home Button.
   
3. It will now bring up a menu, simply navigate to APPS.
   
4. Once you’ve entered the APPS section, select the search bar.
5. Search for the app you wish to install and select the install button to get the download started.
6. Once the app has been downloaded, simply press the home button and navigate to the app to begin using it on Samsung TV.

And this is one method of how to add apps to your Samsung smart TV. Now in case, an App is not available on the Samsung tv apps store, you check out other methods to install third party apps.

Method 2: Download 3rd party Apps on Samsung Smart TV via Windows PC

To get this method working perfectly you will need to have a Windows PC and have developer options enabled on your Samsung smart TV. The steps are super easy to follow and work when you want to install apps that aren’t available in the built-in apps store on your Samsung smart TV.

Enable Developer Mode on Samsung TV

1. Open the settings menu on your TV and navigate to the Samsung SmartHub.
2. Once in the SmartHub, navigate to Apps.
3. Now on the Apps page enter PIN 12345.
   
4. The developer options window will now open and all you have to do is enter your Windows PCs IP address from where you will be installing the third part Tv apps.

Enable Installation from Unknown Sources

Just like how you would want to install third-party apps on your Samsung phone from other websites, Installing third party apps on Samsung TV requires unknown sources to be enabled.

1. Open up the Settings menu on your TV and navigate to the Personal Tab.
   
2. Select the Security option.
3. Now look for the Enable installation from unknown sources option.
4. Select it to make the option active which will now let you download and install third-party apps on your Samsung smart TV.

Download 3rd party apps on Samsung smart TV from your Windows PC

1. First of all, make sure that your PC and smart TV are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Now, from the Settings menu of your TV note down its IP address which you will need later on.
3. Look for reputed third-party websites that distribute apps made clearly to work on TV.
4. Head over to your Windows PC, and bring up the command prompt window. Make sure to run it as an administrator. 
5. Run the following command adb connect IPaddress (eg. adb connect 192.168.2.18). If adb doesn’t work then try with sdb.
6. This command is used to connect your Windows PC to the Samsung smart TV.
7. Download the TV apps that you wish to install from the third-party source.
8. In the command prompt enter, this command install C\appname.apk (C\ refer to the location where the apk is located).
9. The downloaded app will now be installed over to your Samsung smart TV right away.
10. To disconnect from your TV simply run adb disconnect IPaddress.

So this is an easy method to install 3rd party apps on Samsung smart TV. You can also make use of Android phones if you have access to the terminal which is possible after root.

Method 3: Download Apps to Samsung Smart TV via USB

This is a simple and super easy method. Simply download the required TV android apps from the third-party website and copy them to your USB drive. Plug the USB drive into your Samsung TV and access it through the SmartHub. Simply navigate to the app file you wish to install and select it. It will now install the apps right away onto your Samsung Smart TV. Make sure that you download apps designed to work for TV. This is all possible as the Tizen OS support apk or tpk apps the same as Android.

Method 4: Download Apps from Samsung’s built-in internet browser

If your Samsung smart TV has a Samsung browser pre-installed, then simply open it, visit the third-party source and download the apps as how you would normally do on a phone or your Windows PC. And then install the downloaded app to your Samsung Smart TV.

Method 5: Stream apps via Amazon FireStick

Now if you just want to make use of a streaming device stick like the Amazon FireStick, you can always use it to install or rather stream apps right away from the FireStick.

1. Connect the FireStick to the HDMI port of your Samsung TV.
2. Make sure to power on your TV as well as the FireStick.
3. Most importantly, ensure that your TV is connected to the internet.
4. On the TV, switch to the input channel to which the FireStick has been connected.
5. Now, log in with your Amazon account to gain access to the features of the FireStick.
6. Browse through the various apps available in the Store and use them right away.
7. You won’t be able to download the app, but rather stream its content right away.

Conclusion

These are the 5 methods that you can use to add apps to Samsung Smart TV from Store as well as third-party apps. Always ensure you are downloading apps that have support for TVs and make sure you download them from reputable sources that do not contain viruses or malware that might infect and affect your Samsung smart TV.

Also Check:

• How to Update Samsung Smart TV Firmware in Two Easy Ways
• How to turn off Closed Caption on Roku TV [2 Easy Ways]
• Here’s the list of Google TV Streaming Channels (Continuously Updating)