Android TV App Launching Broken by Google's Play Store Update (August 2026)

Symptom

Previously-working app launch commands may stop working on Android TV-based devices. In AVA OS, this can affect:

Flow icons that launch TV apps
Apps on the default TV Apps slide
App launch buttons added to a Custom UI slide

Other control of the Android TV device is not affected.

Affected Devices

Not a complete list.

Sony BRAVIA TVs running Android TV / Google TV
NVIDIA Shield TV
Xiaomi Android TV / Google TV streamers
Google TV Streamer / Chromecast with Google TV
Midco / EVO cable boxes
Quickline TV boxes
EON TV boxes
COSMOTE TV boxes
Swisscom TV boxes
Bell Fibe TV boxes
EBOX TV boxes
SDMC-based Android TV boxes
vSeeBox

Quick Steps

Until Google or AVA has a solution, guide customers to launch affected apps using the Android TV device's navigation menus instead of app launch buttons in AVA OS.

Background

This is not an AVA-specific issue. The issue appears to be caused by an August 2026 update to Google's Play Store software on Android TV and Google TV devices.

The update changed a mechanism used to launch apps, breaking previously-working app launch commands used by AVA OS and other control systems.

Not all apps or app-launch methods are affected. Apps launched using deep links, such as Netflix, continue to work.

The issue is active and still being investigated. We have not found a public acknowledgement from Google, so it is not yet clear whether the change is intentional or a regression. A Google fix would provide the most direct resolution. AVA is also investigating whether we can work around the change.

Unaffected App Launches

Launching any of these apps should still work. These apps use a different launch mechanism and should continue to work.

ARD
Deezer
Disney+
Emby
FOX Sports
Google Play
ITVX
MLB.TV
My5
NBA
Netflix
Paramount+
Plex
Prime Video
SkyShowtime
Spotify
TBS
YouTube
YouTube TV
Zattoo