Sharp has been through several brand and product changes over the years. At some point, it went from being one of the leading TV manufacturers (even producing the world’s first 8k TV) to being an afterthought in TV making. At some point, Sharp even suffered a reputation blow after Hisense (who operate under the Sharp licence) were accused of intentionally making substandard television products.
However, Sharp started to make a comeback in 2019 after it re-acquired its brand from the new parent company, Foxconn. They then started the Sharp Smart Aquos, Sharp Android, and Sharp Roku brands.
Sharp TV comes preinstalled with several popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Opera browser, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora, Facebook to mention a few. And, it is unlike other smart TVs when it comes to downloading and installing apps. Running on either Linux, Roku or Android TV operating system, it provides several ways to add apps to the TV.
If you want to download and install new apps on your Sharp TV, the method you use depends on the operating system of your Sharp smart TV. In this article, we are going to detail all the methods for adding apps to your normal Sharp Aquos TV, Sharp Roku TV, and Sharp Android TV.
The latest Sharp smart TVs come with either Android or Roku TV OS. However, if you own an older Sharp smart TV or the Aquos model, there are still a couple of easy ways to add new apps to your TV.
How to Download Apps on Sharp TV
1. Using AppsNow App for Sharp Smart TV
The AppsNow app allows you to download applications and install them onto your TV. It is like the app store on your mobile phone. To add apps to your Sharp TV using AppsNow, please follow the steps below:
1. Press the Apps button on your Sharp TV remote control
2. Select Apps Now
3. At the top left of the screen that opens, you will see the filter icon. This allows you to sort apps list into categories like Movies and TV Shows, Music, Games, Lifestyle, Technology, and so on.
4. Use the filter to select the category of app you want to add
5. Select the app you want to install and press OK.
6. When the installation is complete, a tick appears at the top left corner of the TV.
Using this method, you can get access to popular, free apps like Pluto TV for free movies and shows, and Locast to watch your local TV stations without subscription or TV antenna
2. Using the VEWD App System for Sharp Aquos and Older TVs
Unlike AppsNow, VEWD App Store does not allow you to download and install apps on the Sharp smart TV. VEWD app store is best for Sharp Aquos smart TVs because they run on Linux operating system and do not allow direct downloading and installing of apps on the TV.
VEWD app is more like a gateway to let you access apps on the cloud. When you select an app on VEWD, it launches the app directly on the cloud without installing it onto your TV.
This is a great option because it allows you to enjoy your favourite programmes without taking up any space on the TV storage.
Another great thing about VEWD is that the apps on the store are updated automatically, so you never have to worry about updating the apps or about bugs associated with running out of date apps on your Sharp smart TV.
To find and launch apps using VEWD, please use the steps below:
1. Press the Apps button on your Sharp TV remote control
2. Select VEWD Apps Store
3. At the top left of the screen that opens, you will see the filter icon. This allows you to sort apps list into categories like News, Kids, Weather, Popular, Sports, Movies, and TV Shows, Music, Games, Lifestyle, Technology, and so on.
4. There is no option to search for an app on VEWD, so you would need to scroll until you find the app you want to launch
5. Select the app and click OK to launch it
Sharp smart TV realises that it can be hard to always have to come back to search for an app on VEWD app store every time you want to launch it.
Because of this, they have included the Favourites feature which allows you to mark apps on VEWD as favourite so you can access them faster in the Favourites folder.
3. Using Google Play Store for Sharp Android TV
If you are using a Sharp Android OS smart TV, then the easiest way to download an app to your TV is through the Google Play Store. Google Play Store on your Sharp TV is exactly like the Play Store on android phone.
It hosts numerous free and paid apps which you can access only after signing in to your Google account. If you do not already have a Google account, please follow the steps below to create one:
1. Open a browser on your phone or PC and go to google.com
2. Select Sign In at the top right of the screen
3. Select Create Account on the window that opens
4. You will be asked whether you want to create the account for Myself, My Child, or My Business
5. Select Myself
6. Enter your first name and last name, then select a unique username
7. Select your password and confirm it
8. Next, you will be asked to enter your phone number to receive a verification code
9. Enter the code that you receive on your phone and click Verify
10. On the next page, enter a recovery email if you wish to
11. Then enter your birthday information and gender and click Next
12. On the next page you get to choose whether or not to use your phone number across Google services
13. You can either click Skip or Yes, I’m In
14. Next, agree to Google terms and your account is set up.
After creating your account, then head over to the Google Play Store on your Sharp Smart TV to download apps using the steps below:
1. Press the Home button and then select Apps, or press the Apps button on your remote control
2. Scroll to Google Play Store and select it
3. You can use the search function to search for the app you want to download
4. Select the app and select install
5. If prompted to grant system permissions, review and then accept accordingly
4. Using Roku Channel Store for Sharp Roku TV
Roku TV operating system is one of the bestselling TVs right now; certainly, the bestselling in the US. With a new partnership with Sharp, users are now able to take advantage of the quality of Sharp smart TVs and the extensive features of the Roku TV operating system to enjoy a great TV experience.
Sharp Roku TV already comes preinstalled with cable TV and streaming features from most of the popular providers. And if you want to install more apps on the TV, the process is very simple. You only need to use the Roku Channel Store following the steps below:
1. Press the Home button on your Sharp Roku TV
2. Select Streaming Channels if you want a streaming app
3. Or, select Search if you want to install an app
4. Enter the app you want to download and search for it
5. Select it from the search results and click Add Channel if it is free, or Buy if it is paid
6. Select OK
7. If you want to open the app immediately, select Go to Channel
4. Using the Roku Website
If you are using a Sharp Roku TV, you can also add applications to your TV using the Roku Website. This is handy when you are away from your TV or just wish to install an app remotely using your phone or PC.
To do this, you need to have a Roku account to which you will sign in on your TV and on the website. Follow the steps below to install app on your Sharp Roku Tv using the Roku website:
1. Go to channelstore.roku.com
2. Select Sign In
3. Sign in with your email and password. If you don’t have one already, then select to create a Roku account instead
4. Then select a channel (app) you want to add and click Add Channel
5. Again, you can browse through categories to find apps that may appeal to you. If you have a specific app in mind, just use the search button instead
6. Once the channel is added, it will also appear as an app on your Sharp Roku TV if you are signed in using the same account.
When you add a channel using the Roku website, it may take a few minutes to appear on your Sharp Roku TV. It may also take up to 24 hours, depending on when the Roku update runs.
If you want to push the channel you just added immediately to your Sharp Roku TV, then follow the steps below:
1. Wait 10 minutes after adding the channel
2. Press the Menu button on your remote control
3. Select Settings
4. Select System
5. Select System Update
6. Select Check Now
7. Select Update to proceed
OR
1. Press the Menu button
2. Scroll to Settings and select it
3. Select Setup
4. Select Software update (NET)
5. Select Update
OR
1. Press the Menu button
2. Scroll to Settings and select it
3. Scroll down to Support and select it
4. Select Software Update
5. Select Update Now
6. Select Yes to confirm update
5. Using the Roku Mobile App
An alternative to using the Roku website is to use the Roku mobile app. This applies only to Android and iOS mobile devices. Apart from adding channels to your Roku devices, the mobile app also allows you to control your TV, search and issue voice commands, cast files (photos and videos) on your TV, and listen with your headphones.
To add apps to Sharp Roku TV using Roku mobile app:
1. Download and install the Roku Mobile app from your Play Store or App Store
2. Launch the app and select Channel Store
3. Sign in using your Roku email and password
4. Then scroll through to browse the apps, or use the search feature to search for a specific app
5. When you find your app, select it and click Add Channel
6. Sideload third-party apps Using Send Files to TV App
Before proceeding, please note that this method works only on Sharp Android TV.
If you use an android phone, you may already know that Android apps can be downloaded outside of the Google Play Store in a format called APK. APK files come in handy when you want to download an older version of an app or you want to download an app that is no longer available on Google Play Store.
This process of downloading an app in APK format outside of Play Store is called Sideloading. Sideloading is useful on your Sharp Android TV when you want to download an app that is not available on the Android TV Play Store, or when the application is not available in your region.
For example, HBO Max is only available in the US, some US territories, and some countries in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. If HBO Max is not available in your country, it will not be available on your Google Play Store. However, with sideloading you can download the HBO Max APK and then stream using a VPN.
One of the ways to sideload apps to your Sharp TV is using the Send Files to TV application. Thankfully, this app is available on the Google Play Store in any location. To use Send Files to TV to sideload apps to your Sharp smart TV, please follow the steps below carefully:
1. Press the Home button and then select Apps, or press the Apps button on your remote control
2. Scroll to Google Play Store and select it
3. Search for Send Files to TV and install it
4. Also, use an Android phone to download Send Files to TV
5. Also on your Android phone, download and install the APK of the file you want to sideload to your Sharp TV
6. You can use sites like APKMirror to search for the APK you want to download
7. Use a Google search to check whether the file is compatible with your Sharp TV (or any smart TV)
8. After downloading the APK file to your phone, open the Send Files to TV app on your phone
9. Then open the Send Files to TV app on your Sharp TV. That is, the Send Files to TV app should be open at this point on your phone and on your TV
10. Also at this point, make sure that your phone and your TV are connected to the same WIFI network so that they can discover each other
11. On the Send Files to TV app on your phone, select Send
12. Then select the APK file that you downloaded and want to sideload to your Sharp TV
13. On your TV, select Receive
14. Your phone will then search and find your TV from the network
15. Select your Sharp smart TV from the list and the file will be sent to the TV
16. When the file is successfully sent, go to your TV and click on the file, then select Open to install it
Note: You need to ensure that you have Install From Unknown Sources turned on in your Sharp smart TV. To do this:
1. Press the Menu button on your remote control
2. Select Settings
3. Select Security or Security and Restrictions
4. At Unknown Sources, toggle to turn it on
5. If you are presented with option for specific apps, toggle to allow Send Files to TV
7. Sideload Apps Using Google Drive (And Other Cloud Services)
If you do not want to use an app to transfer applications to your Sharp smart TV, you could use cloud storage services like Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, iDrive, Amazon Cloud Drive, and so on. This is actually a more convenient method if you have an account with any of these services.
To sideload an app to Sharp Smart TV using a cloud storage service, all you need to do is upload the file APK to your storage account. Then, log in on your Sharp smart TV and download the file. In the example below, we are going to use Google Drive to sideload onto Sharp TV.
1. Go to drive.google.com and sign into your Google account. You only need your existing Google account to sign in to Google Drive
2. On the page that opens, click New at the top left of the screen
3. Select File Upload from the dropdown
4. Locate the APK file on your PC or phone and select Ok to upload it
5. On your TV, go to Google Play store and download and install File Commander
6. Press the Menu button on your remote control
7. Select Settings
8. Select Security or Security and Restrictions
9. At Unknown Sources, toggle to allow File Commander
10. Now, open File Commander from your apps
11. You will be presented with cloud storage account options to sign in to. Select Google Drive and sign in
12. Your Google Drive files will be listed on your TV. Select the APK file that you want to sideload to your Sharp smart TV
13. Select to install the app. When complete, you can open the app to start using it.
8. Sideload Apps Over ADB
ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge. It is a command line interface tool that allows you to communicate with a device or application. Typically, programmers use it to debug applications or understand how they work. But it is also used for installing application remotely on devices that run Android OS.
To install apps on your Sharp Android TV using ADB, you can either use a wired or wireless connection. In this example, we are going to use a wireless connection. You only need to ensure that your PC and the TV are connected to the same WIFI network.
Please follow the steps below with care to sideload apps to your Sharp smart TV using ADB:
Install ADB to your PC:
If you do not know how to go about installing ADB please follow the steps below:
On Windows 10:
1. Go to this link to download the Android SDK Platform tools
2. Extract all the files to an empty folder
3. Open the folder where the files are extracted to
4. Hold the Shift key and then right-click in the folder window
5. Select Open Command Window Here or Open PowerShell Here
6. Connect your smartphone to your PC using a USB cable. If prompted, change USB Mode to File Transfer MTP
7. On the command window that opened on your PC, enter adb devices
8. On your phone, there will be a prompt to Allow or Deny USB Debugging, select Allow and Always Allow from this computer
9. Then enter adb devices again in the command window
10. Your phone’s serial number should show
On Mac:
1. Go to this link to get ADB for Mac
2. Extract the Zip to your Desktop folder
3. Open Terminal
4. Enter the path to your Desktop
5. Connect your smartphone to your PC using a USB cable. If prompted, change USB Mode to File Transfer MTP
6. Run ./adb devices on Terminal
7. Allow Debugging on your phone
8. Run ./adb devices again to reveal your device serial
After doing this, you are sure that your ADB is properly set up.
Then, make sure that your PC and your Sharp TV are connected to the same WIFI. After that,
1. Open Command Prompt or Terminal on your PC depending on your OS
2. Run adb –help
3. Press the Menu button on your TV remote and select Settings
4. Select Device Preferences
5. Select About
6. Click on Build severally until you get a prompt saying that you are a Developer
7. Go back to Settings
8. Select Network and Internet
9. Select the WIFI you are connected to, to reveal the IP address. Note it
10. Back on your PC, run adb connect with your TV IP address. For example, adb connect 192.168.30.5
11. Accept the connection prompt on your TV to complete the setup.
Now, to install an app on the Sharp TV using ADB:
1. Type adb install then drag the file you want to sideload into the command window
2. The command will show the path of the file rather than the file itself. Click Enter
3. This will add the app to your Sharp TV