Gone are the days when the only thing you could do on your television was watch what the cable company and broadcasters wanted you to watch. Today, your TV can serve almost any purpose, just like your smartphone or tablet. But this is only true if the manufacturer equips your device with all the necessary tools for this or if you purchase a separate device to use it.
JVC solutions, for example, cannot be compared to those of some market leaders such as Samsung or Sony. When it comes to the “smart” aspect of things, there is a lot of confusion about how it all works. More specifically, there are no clear guidelines on how to manage apps on your JVC smart TV.
In this article, you’ll see what all the fuss is about and what you can do about it.
Determine if your JVC TV has Android or not
Not all JVC smart TVs ship with the Android operating system. Instead, they feature specific versions of the most popular apps like YouTube and Netflix. Now this is where things get pretty chaotic. Many users have complained that the apps do not work and there are no options to update. Even TVs that do support Android can have issues with Google Play services that can prevent you from updating apps.
In this case, a firmware update could solve the problem and fix the services that are not working. But the problem is that users who contacted JVC asking about updates received the response that there will not be any in the future. For this reason, it is not possible to update applications, as JVC also does not release separate application updates.
So how to get the most out of your smart TV despite these limitations? Let’s take a look at some options available to you for the various JVC TVs.
Updating Apps on JVC Roku TV
If you own a JVC Roku TV, here’s a quick guide to updating apps.
- Go to the home screen and select Broadcast channels.
- Now, go to the app you want to update.
- Then go to Search for updates.
Updating apps on JVC Android TV
As long as your JVC smart TV supports Android without issues, updating apps is a breeze. The process is practically the same as updating Android phone applications. This is what you have to do:
- Make sure your TV has a stable Internet connection and select Applications from the home page.
- Open Google Play Store from the menu.
- Now select My applications and click Updates.
- Then select Update all.
Updating Apps Inpidually on JVC Android TV
As long as your JVC smart TV supports Android without issues, updating apps is a breeze. The process is practically the same as updating Android phone applications. This is what you have to do:
- Make sure your TV has a stable Internet connection.
- Open Google Play Store from the menu.
- Find the app you want to update and click on it.
- Select Update beside Open.
Another thing you can do is download the .apk application file you want to update and install it manually. This is a great option for when Google Play is not working properly. This is what you have to do:
- Find the .apk file of the application you want to update and make sure it is the latest version available.
- Transfer the file to a USB flash drive and connect it to your TV.
- On your TV, go to Fountain > USB and install the latest version of the app.
You should see the updated version on your Application List menu.
Updating apps on non-Android JVC TVs
Unless JVC doesn’t release a firmware or software update, you’re pretty much stuck with what you have. Still, this doesn’t mean you can’t access the apps you need.
You can get an Android TV box that can give you all the features that Android-based smart TVs have. In this case, the application update process will be the same as that described in the previous section. Another option is to use a streaming device. We have helpful tutorials on Google Chromecast, Roku TV or Amazon FireStick TV. It allows you to project the screen of Cast-compatible devices onto your TV, allowing you to use your phone or tablet’s apps on a big screen.
Avoid outdated apps
As you can see, JVC doesn’t handle app updates that well. If you have an Android TV, you’re in luck as you should have no problem updating your apps. But if not, you may have to opt for an Android box or streaming devices to ensure you can use the latest versions available.
While these solutions don’t seem very convenient, they are the only way to work around the JVC limitation. The good news is that they are quite affordable, so in most cases you should get your money’s worth.
What are your experiences with JVC’s TV interface and apps? Share them with us in the comments below.
