In Windows, the ads can be easily disabled. I still don’t like it, but it only adds about 5 minutes to the setup process and then it doesn’t bother me again.
Android TV’s entire interface is ads, it gets worse with every forced update and there is basically nothing that you can do about. I’m looking for an alternative to my ancient ad-filled Nvidia Shield (which didn’t have any ads day 1…), but I don’t think anything else with a controller based interface can easily run Steam Link, Kodi, Retroarch, and still pass the DRM checks for 4k Netflix and Disney+.
Can you point me in the direction of how disable truly all of it? I don’t want news/ads/recommendations in the start button, bottom bar, icon tray, search results etc.
Not entirely. There are many, many hidden telemetry settings that normal users can’t access. It’s why stuff like WPD (windows privacy dashboard) exist. Windows doesn’t let you uninstall most of that stuff either.
Tbf you can disable all of that so there is barely (if any) difference to win10 in regards to this.
It’s weird that people don’t get more upset about ads in an OS they paid for.
Who said I paid for it?
I didn’t mean you specifically. It was more in general.
In Windows, the ads can be easily disabled. I still don’t like it, but it only adds about 5 minutes to the setup process and then it doesn’t bother me again.
Android TV’s entire interface is ads, it gets worse with every forced update and there is basically nothing that you can do about. I’m looking for an alternative to my ancient ad-filled Nvidia Shield (which didn’t have any ads day 1…), but I don’t think anything else with a controller based interface can easily run Steam Link, Kodi, Retroarch, and still pass the DRM checks for 4k Netflix and Disney+.
When they added the first banner ad, I sideloaded Aptoide TV and installed F-Launcher. I never looked back.
Can you point me in the direction of how disable truly all of it? I don’t want news/ads/recommendations in the start button, bottom bar, icon tray, search results etc.
Disabling all of those are standard settings in Windows 10 and 11.
Most are just right click on the icon/taskbar, opening settings and finding the setting that disables it.
Not entirely. There are many, many hidden telemetry settings that normal users can’t access. It’s why stuff like WPD (windows privacy dashboard) exist. Windows doesn’t let you uninstall most of that stuff either.
WinAeroTweaker will let you decide what junk you want to disable.