Android TV boxes are the way to go IMO. Lots of replacement launchers and ways to remove all the baked-in ads and the like, even if you can’t root the device.
If you’re stateside, Walmart’s ONN brand devices are the absolute best bang for your buck you can find. They’re not locked down, so you’re able to get into the proper Android system menu and disable apps and so on (including telemetry). You can even activate ADB and tinker that way, though you don’t need to if you just want to install a more simple (read: ad-free) home screen and turn off all the tracking garbage.
Yeah, fair. That’s how I feel about most of my devices. If I don’t have root access at a minimum I don’t feel comfortable.
Even for the units you can’t install a CFW on though you can still get in via ADB and exercise a lot of control. You can’t run apps as root but you can disable and purge any of the even remotely undesirable apps and block any of the paths used for forced updates and the like.
Android TV boxes are the way to go IMO. Lots of replacement launchers and ways to remove all the baked-in ads and the like, even if you can’t root the device.
If you’re stateside, Walmart’s ONN brand devices are the absolute best bang for your buck you can find. They’re not locked down, so you’re able to get into the proper Android system menu and disable apps and so on (including telemetry). You can even activate ADB and tinker that way, though you don’t need to if you just want to install a more simple (read: ad-free) home screen and turn off all the tracking garbage.
https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/dopinder/
It supports LineageOS too, if you find the right one.
This is what I was looking in the thread for.
A simple launcher replacement and debloat is not enough for me to feel like I actually own a device, I still wouldn’t trust it.
Yeah, fair. That’s how I feel about most of my devices. If I don’t have root access at a minimum I don’t feel comfortable.
Even for the units you can’t install a CFW on though you can still get in via ADB and exercise a lot of control. You can’t run apps as root but you can disable and purge any of the even remotely undesirable apps and block any of the paths used for forced updates and the like.
I am incredibly annoyed that I tried to get one of those and actually ended up with a patched YOC (2411A).
I don’t suppose anybody (or any clanker) has figured out a root exploit for those yet?
Seconded. Rocking an Onn 4K TV box that used to cost $20 when it was manufactured.
https://redlib.catsarch.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/12rya0t/change_launcher_debloat_the_new_onn_4k_streaming/