I upgraded my Google TV Streamer for free with 4 simple tweaks ‣ Diverse Daily

I’ll never forget getting my first Google Chromecast in 2015 and being amazed that something so small could completely transform my TV into a streaming powerhouse. So when Google announced in 2024 that it was retiring the Chromecast brand, I couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. It was disappointing to see that era come to an end, but that feeling didn’t last long once I saw what Google had planned next: the Google TV Streamer.

When it launched in 2024, the Google TV Streamer quickly established itself as one of the best streaming devices you could buy, giving other set-top boxes like the Roku Ultra and Apple TV 4K some serious competition. For starters, it runs Google TV, giving you all the flexibility that comes with Android, including support for custom launchers and sideloading apps. On top of that, the hardware leaves very little to be desired, with 32GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, and support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos.

So when I picked up a Google TV Streamer to see how it stacked up against my Roku Ultra, I came away extremely impressed. The hardware is excellent, Google TV is a joy to use, and the overall experience exceeded my expectations.

But like any new gadget I get my hands on, I couldn’t resist tweaking a few settings to get the best experience possible. While the Google TV Streamer works great right out of the box, a quick dive into the settings menu reveals plenty of ways to make it even better, from cleaning up the interface to improving the audio experience and boosting performance. With that in mind, here are four ways I upgraded my Google TV Streamer for free.

Connect Bluetooth headphones

Enjoy a more private, immersive listening experience

One of my favorite features on my Roku Ultra is Headphone Mode, so when I switched to the Google TV Streamer, one of the first things I wanted to do was recreate that experience. In other words, I wanted to pair my Bluetooth headphones directly with the streamer so I could listen to shows and movies through them rather than relying on my TV’s speakers.

While the Google TV Streamer doesn’t have a feature quite like Roku’s Headphone Mode — which routes your TV’s audio through the Roku app on your phone or tablet — it does let you pair Bluetooth headphones or speakers directly to the streamer. So if you’re a night owl like me who likes to watch TV without disturbing anyone else, or you simply prefer a more immersive listening experience, connecting a Bluetooth audio device to the Google TV Streamer is quick and easy. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings > Remotes & Accessories.

2. Select Pair remote or accessory.

3. Put your headphones or speaker into pairing mode.

4. Select the device when it appears on your screen to pair it.

Once your Bluetooth audio device is paired, it’ll appear under Accessories, where you can select it as your audio output, rename it, or disconnect it whenever you want.

Apps Only mode

Simplify your Google TV Streamer’s home screen

One thing that’s always bothered me about streaming platforms, whether it’s Fire TV, Roku, or even webOS on my LG TV, is how many ads and recommendations get crammed onto the home screen. On my LG TV, I turned off ads immediately, and on my Roku Ultra, I’ve done everything I can to make the interface less cluttered. At the end of the day, when I turn on my TV, I just want to get to my apps. I don’t want to scroll through a wall of recommendations first. So naturally, when I started using the Google TV Streamer, one of the first things I wanted to do was clean up the home screen.

While you can install custom launchers that remove ads altogether — like Arc Launcher, which gives the Google TV Streamer an Apple TV-style interface — I opted for a much simpler solution that anyone can use without sideloading apps: Apps Only mode.

As the name suggests, Apps Only mode strips the interface back, so your home screen is almost entirely focused on your installed apps. There’s still a single row of recommendations, but beyond that, the experience is much cleaner and makes it much quicker to jump into whatever you want to watch.

Here’s how to enable Apps Only mode:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts & Profiles.

2. Select your profile.

3. Scroll down and turn on Apps Only mode.

Additionally, one thing to keep in mind is that you can’t install new apps while Apps Only mode is enabled. If you need to download something, you’ll have to disable Apps Only mode first, install the app, then turn it back on.

Speed up your Google TV Streamer

Sluggish performance can be fixed

If you’ve been using your Google TV Streamer for a while, you may have noticed it isn’t quite as snappy as it was when you first took it out of the box. Like phones, tablets, and laptops, streaming devices can slow down over time for a variety of reasons, whether it’s cached data piling up, too many apps running in the background, or simply running low on storage space.

Fortunately, if your Google TV Streamer is starting to feel sluggish, one of the easiest ways to improve performance is by clearing its cache.

If you’re unfamiliar with cache data, it’s made up of temporary files that apps store to speed things up, such as image thumbnails and other frequently accessed data. Most of the time, that’s a good thing because it helps apps load faster. But as that cache builds up over time, it can sometimes have the opposite effect, leading to lag or apps that freeze unexpectedly. Clearing the cache every once in a while gives your Google TV Streamer a fresh start and can help keep everything running smoothly.

Here’s how to clear the cache:

1. Go to Settings > System > Storage.

2. Select Free up storage.

3. Choose Clear cache.

If your Google TV Streamer is still experiencing performance issues after clearing the cache, it’s worth checking for a software update, as there’s always a possibility it could resolve the issue. To do that, go to Settings > About > System Update.

Another simple trick is to restart your device. It only takes a few seconds and can often clear up glitches or performance hiccups. You can restart it by going to Settings > System > Restart.

Use the Google TV Streamer’s Gigabit Ethernet port

Unlock an extremely fast wired connection

Ethernet cable plugged into Google TV Streamer.

While most smart TVs and streaming devices include an Ethernet port, there’s one big catch: many are still limited to 10/100 Ethernet, also known as Fast Ethernet, which tops out at 100 Mbps. That means you get the reliability and stability of a wired connection, but you aren’t necessarily getting the fastest speeds possible. In fact, if you have a fast Wi-Fi connection, it can often outperform a 10/100 Ethernet port. Thankfully, the Google TV Streamer is an exception, as it comes equipped with a Gigabit Ethernet port.

Gigabit Ethernet is significantly faster than the 10/100 ports found on many smart TVs and streaming devices, supporting speeds of up to 1 Gbps — 10 times faster than the 100 Mbps maximum of Fast Ethernet. So if you have a high-speed internet plan, your Google TV Streamer can actually take full advantage of those speeds.

With that in mind, I’d highly recommend connecting your Google TV Streamer via Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi for the fastest, most reliable connection. I’ve done it with mine, and not only is the connection more stable than Wi-Fi, but I’ve consistently seen speeds of up to 800 Mbps. It also makes everything feel much snappier, whether I’m downloading apps, loading content, streaming 4K movies from my Plex media server, or even cloud gaming with GeForce Now.