For your preinstalled custom box
Your box.
Your way in.
This guide is for a custom box supplied with TVApplaunchЯ already installed and a permanent Pro licence included in the order. Keep the welcome message or code card supplied by your seller. Do not buy Pro again to redeem that included licence.
The instructions target factory sideload APK 1.3.42. Other editions may have different menus. Factory Home-button and boot configuration is the manufacturer’s responsibility; this guide is not proof that a particular firmware has passed those checks.
Use the remote for everyday viewing and Studio on a phone, tablet or computer for detailed customisation. You can also customise directly on the TV.
Start your box and use the remote
The launcher is your home screen for opening apps; it is not a subscription to films, channels or streaming services.
- 01
Connect and get online
Connect the box to the TV by HDMI, connect its supplied power adapter and choose the matching HDMI input. Follow the seller’s instructions for remote pairing, Wi-Fi or Ethernet and system updates.
Internet is needed to activate Pro and use Studio. Third-party streaming apps may need their own account or subscription.
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Open and leave an app
Use the direction buttons to move the highlighted selection. Press OK to open an app or confirm a button. Use Back to return from a screen or dismiss a dialog.
Use Home to return to the box’s home screen. If Home opens the manufacturer’s launcher instead of TVApplaunchЯ, report the firmware behaviour to the seller; do not factory-reset the box or follow Fire TV Home instructions for this Android box.
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Find launcher settings
Open the launcher’s Settings control. Help and customisation shortcuts may also appear on Home, depending on the selected theme.
You do not need to reinstall the launcher that came with your box. Record the launcher version and box model before requesting setup help.
You can navigate the launcher, open an installed app and return to Home.
No picture or an unpaired remote is usually a connection/hardware issue. Check the TV input and seller’s setup instructions before changing launcher settings.
Activate the permanent Pro included with your order
Your private activation code is also your Studio sign-in credential. Treat it like a password.
- 01
Find the code supplied with the purchase
Look in your seller’s welcome email or the private code card supplied with the box. Each purchase should receive its own code; do not use a code posted publicly or shared by another owner.
If your code has not arrived, contact the seller with your order reference. This guide does not issue a code or automatically activate a box.
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Redeem on the TV
With the box online, open Settings → UPGRADE TO PRO. On the sideload edition, choose ENTER ACTIVATION CODE, press OK to type the supplied code, then select ACTIVATE WITH OK.
Do not follow the purchase link or pay again when you already have an included code. Wait for the activation result and check for PRO IS ACTIVE before leaving the screen.
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Keep access safe
Store the welcome message or code card privately. Permanent means the included licence has no scheduled expiry; it does not include unlimited AI-image generation, third-party streaming subscriptions or an unlimited number of paired devices.
Normal same-certificate updates retain app data and activation. Uninstalling or factory-resetting can remove local data and require the original code again. Do not publish your code in screenshots or support messages.
The TV shows Pro as active without another purchase.
If a code is rejected, check the characters and connection, then contact support. For a device-limit message, ask for recovery/help rather than buying another code.
Enter Studio and set up recovery
Studio makes detailed editing easier on a larger screen. It is not designed for the TV’s browser.
- 01
Open Studio with your account
On your phone, tablet or computer, open tvapplaunchr.com/studio. Sign in or create a customer account, link the Pro code you already use on the TV, and choose whether you want general product updates and marketing.
Both email choices provide the same Studio access. The code remains sufficient to activate the app on your TV; keep it private.
- 02
Add a recovery email
Use the recovery-email option in Studio to add an address you control, then complete the verification email. A typed address is not verified until the confirmation step finishes.
Keep your original purchase reference as well. A seller’s order email is not automatically a verified Studio recovery address.
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Select the correct paired TV
In Layout, use Selected TV · app list, backup and wallpaper-update target. If you have several paired TVs, choose the box you intend to edit.
A TV becomes associated with the licence through TV activation/sync. Selecting a different TV does not automatically load its layout or apply anything to it.
You are in Studio under your own licence and know which box you are working with.
If the box is not listed, confirm Pro is active on the TV using the same code, then follow the next chapter to send its data. Do not switch to somebody else’s code.
Start with the apps and layout already on your box
Do this before a major redesign. It helps prevent an unrelated website draft from replacing a setup you already like.
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Send the current TV layout
On the intended box, open Settings → DEVICE SYNC → WEBSITE SYNC & BACKUP. Choose SEND THIS TV LAYOUT TO STUDIO and read the confirmation.
This sends a snapshot of that TV’s layout and its app list. It does not immediately replace the website layout or change the running TV setup.
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Send just the list or artwork when needed
SEND APP LIST TO STUDIO updates the reported installed-app list without replacing a layout snapshot. After installing or removing apps, send the list again.
SEND TV APP BANNERS TO STUDIO uploads available TV artwork for editing. Sending banners is separate from saving your layout. Keep the box online while an upload runs.
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Load the snapshot into the editor
In Studio, select that same TV. Check the app-list and layout timestamps. Choose Start from this TV’s layout backup to load the sent layout into the editor.
The editor is a website draft, not a live view of the box. A last-sent app list is not a live inventory. Refreshing a saved list does not make an offline TV send new data.
Your Studio draft starts from the intended box’s reported setup.
If apps or artwork are missing, send a fresh app list or banners from the box. Check the selected TV and timestamps before assuming an app has been removed.
Arrange apps, rows and favourites
Make one small change first, then save and apply it before building a larger design.
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Choose a starting point
Open Layout and browse the theme choices. Use a ready-made theme for a quicker start, or customise the current layout. Preview changes before saving.
Changing a theme can change the draft’s presentation. Preserve a named copy of a layout you want to keep before trying a different design.
- 02
Add and move apps
In Your app library, search for an app, choose Add to row, then add it to the selected row. Where offered, drag an app into the visual preview.
Select an app box to move it earlier/later, move it to another row or remove it from that row. Removing a launcher placement does not uninstall the app from Android.
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Make labels and boxes easy to recognise
Use the selected box’s editing controls to choose artwork, change its launcher display name and adjust its style. Check the preview after each edit.
A launcher name change does not rename or replace the installed Android package. Row-wide styles and individual app-box overrides are separate; an individual override can keep a box different from its row.
The preview has your preferred app order, labels and row arrangement.
If you cannot add an app, refresh the correct TV’s reported app list. Do not add an unrelated package ID just because it has a similar name.
Customise colours, text and app-box appearance
Keep the home screen readable from your usual viewing distance, not just on your computer monitor.
- 01
Change colours deliberately
Use Studio’s appearance and colour controls to adjust backgrounds, text and app-box colours. Try a few contrasting colours rather than making every element different.
Contrast feedback is advisory. A valid colour can still be hard to read on a TV; check the result on the actual screen before keeping it.
- 02
Adjust text and artwork
Use the font and app-artwork controls available in the editor. Prefer recognisable TV banners where available, and keep names short enough to read.
The TV may use installed artwork or a fallback when no banner has been supplied. Check any custom upload in the asset library before applying it.
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Check remote focus and viewing distance
Once the layout is applied, move around with the remote and check that the selected box is obvious. Make sure small text and controls remain comfortable to use.
You can also use the TV’s Appearance settings for local adjustments. Do not assume a change made locally on the TV has automatically updated the Studio draft.
The screen is recognisable and readable on the TV, including the remote’s highlighted selection.
If a colour looks different on the TV, check the TV picture settings and actual viewing distance. Keep a previous layout version before extensive styling.
Choose wallpapers, animated loops or a slideshow
Included artwork, your own uploads and paid AI generation are different options.
- 01
Use included artwork or upload your own
Open Wallpaper. Browse Still images or Animated loops; Add & use free copies included artwork to your asset library without an AI-generation charge.
Upload your own accepts PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF and MP4. Stills may be up to 50 MiB, GIF up to 10 MiB, and MP4 up to 20 MiB. Keep Studio open while processing finishes. GIFs are converted into video loops.
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Choose whether to replace the TV wallpaper
Selecting a wallpaper changes the draft. Keep TV wallpaper leaves the current TV wallpaper alone when a full layout is applied.
Use a full saved-layout review for your first change. Wallpaper-only delivery, when available for the selected box, has separate controls and confirmation; it does not save unrelated layout edits.
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Build a still-image slideshow
Choose Slideshow → Set up slideshow. Add still images from your library, reorder them and choose the interval, Cut/Fade transition and Shuffle option.
A slideshow supports 1–30 JPEG, PNG or WebP images, not GIF/video slides. Studio shows the first image; the TV runs the slideshow after saving and applying. Keep TV slideshow setting and Stop slideshow on TV have different effects.
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Understand AI charges
Check the displayed credit requirement before generating an AI image. Permanent Pro is not unlimited free AI generation.
Included wallpaper reuse is free. Generating a new image uses billed AI credits; upload or generation success does not automatically apply it to your box.
You know which wallpaper/slideshow changes are in the draft and which should remain unchanged on the TV.
A browser video preview may differ from TV playback. Try a still image if a loop does not play on your box and report the file type/version to support.
Save in Studio, then review and apply on the TV
These are two separate actions. Saving a website draft never means that the TV has already changed.
- 01
Save the website layout
Check the selected TV and the preview, then choose Save website layout in the save bar. Read the save confirmation and wait until the page reports that changes are saved.
If a save is blocked or an error appears, resolve it before returning to the TV. Do not assume closing the browser saves unsaved edits.
- 02
Check from the box
On the intended, online box, open Settings → DEVICE SYNC → WEBSITE SYNC & BACKUP and choose CHECK FOR WEBSITE CHANGES. This is the action in factory sideload 1.3.42; other releases may use a different label.
Read the pending-change information. A wallpaper-only command may be offered separately from a full layout; do not confirm the wrong kind of update.
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Apply only after reviewing
Review what the pending layout will replace. Select APPLY TO THIS TV only when it is the setup you intended.
Return Home and check app order, appearance and wallpaper. If you have several TVs, do not assume this action updated them all.
The chosen TV—not just the Studio preview—shows the new layout.
If nothing changed, check that the Studio save succeeded, the box is online, the same licence is in use and you confirmed the TV apply step.
Save favourite looks and protect your setup
A named Studio version, a website layout and a TV backup are not interchangeable.
- 01
Keep a named design
In Studio, expand Saved layouts, name the current draft and choose Save a copy. Use a useful name such as “Simple dark home”.
Load into editor loads a saved version into the draft only. It does not apply it to the TV. Save website layout and review/apply again when you want that version on the box.
- 02
Back up before major changes
Use the available TV/Studio backup controls before a major redesign, reinstall or reset. Check the source and timestamp so you know what you have saved.
Keep any exported backup file privately. Media or account-bound assets may need additional recovery steps; do not assume a backup file contains your licence or all cloud assets.
- 03
Restore carefully
Read restore/import warnings and the replacement summary before confirming. Loading a backup into Studio changes the draft; applying it is still a separate choice.
If your current setup is valuable, preserve a fresh copy before loading an older version. Avoid changing the TV and importing a different Studio draft at the same time.
You have a named design or backup you recognise and know how to review it before restoring.
If a restored draft looks wrong, stop before applying it. Check its source, selected TV, timestamp and available media.
Update without losing settings, and recover after a reset
Use the seller’s approved update route and the original TVApplaunchЯ package and signature.
- 01
Install a normal launcher update
Use the launcher’s update prompt or an official signed sideload APK approved for your box. Android will ask you to confirm the installation.
Install over the existing app; do not uninstall first. The factory build and later updates must use the original signing certificate. A normal in-place update should retain settings and activation.
- 02
Stop if Android refuses the update
An incompatible-signature message is not fixed by clearing app data. Stop and contact the seller or launcher support, especially if the factory may have re-signed the app.
Do not mix sideload and Google Play update routes or replace firmware to solve a launcher-icon problem. Google Play installations should use their Play update route.
- 03
Treat a reset as destructive
A factory reset erases local settings and may require app-account sign-ins and Pro redemption again. Back up first and follow the seller’s instructions; it is not a routine troubleshooting step.
Whether the preinstalled launcher returns after reset depends on the seller’s firmware. Keep your original Pro code and order reference. Ask support for device recovery if a reset causes a pairing-limit issue.
You understand safe in-place updates and have a recovery plan before any destructive reset.
Older debug-signed builds are an exception to same-certificate updating. Do not uninstall them until local settings are preserved or you have agreed to lose them.
Get the right support
Launcher/Studio help and hardware/firmware support have different owners.
- 01
Contact launcher and Studio support
Open tvapplaunchr.com/support for activation, Studio, customisation, licence recovery and launcher issues. Use the official support form so the request reaches the right support route.
Include the box model, launcher version, what you were doing, the exact error and a screenshot with private codes hidden. Use your order reference if help with an included box licence is needed.
- 02
Contact the seller for hardware and firmware
Power, HDMI, remote pairing, hardware faults, system firmware and factory Home/boot configuration should go to the box seller. Warranty terms come from your seller, not this guide.
Do not send passwords, your full Pro code, Wi-Fi credentials or payment-card details in an ordinary support message.
- 03
Recover access without paying twice
Use tvapplaunchr.com/recover if you have an eligible verified recovery route. If a seller-supplied code is not recoverable there, contact support/seller with your order reference.
A support form submission does not mean an immediate fix. No 24/7 service or response-time guarantee is promised in this pack.
You know where to ask for help and what safe diagnostic information to provide.
For activation/setup problems, avoid reinstalling or resetting before contacting support. Those actions can remove useful settings and evidence.
Ready for the next step?
Use Studio for detailed customisation, or contact the right team if you need help.