People are using AI to strip ads and tracking from their smart TVs
Developers and enthusiasts are using AI coding agents to remove ads, bloatware and tracking features from smart TVs. The methods are widely accessible but still unfinished, and some users report failures.
Over the past few days, methods for freeing smart TVs from ads, unwanted apps and data collection have been spreading on social media and the code-hosting site GitHub. They rely on AI coding agents such as Anthropic's Claude Code, and the so-called "vibe coding" approach lets people with little programming experience rework their TV's interface. The trend comes as many viewers grow frustrated with forced ads and the tracking of their viewing habits.
Available solutions
One project, "dumbtv", promises to leave a TV with only the owner's apps and HDMI inputs, with no ads from the TV itself, no watch tracking and no unrequested updates. It has been tested on a Fire TV Edition set and on Android/Google TV platform devices from Sony, TCL, Philips, Hisense, Xiaomi and Shield. Users point their preferred AI agent at the project's GitHub repository.
Another, "cleanyourtv", strips unneeded software from Android TV or Google TV sets over Wi-Fi and replaces the launcher with one resembling Apple TV. Its creator, Gathin T., says the idea came when he grew tired of ads on his parents' TV. According to him, Claude Code found the TV on the network, removed 25 Xiaomi packages and wrote a new home screen. The solution needs no root access, and the TV can be returned to factory state. The author says a few thousand people applied it to their own TVs within two days, across several brands.
Ryan Doyle wrote on X that he sent Claude Code his TV's listing and asked whether it could be hacked. The agent walked him through removing ads and bloatware, speeding up the interface and customizing the screensaver.
Why it matters
Modern smart TVs include Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), which identifies what is on screen using screenshots, audio clips or other digital fingerprinting. If these hacks become popular among ordinary consumers, they could disrupt the smart TV advertising industry, which profits from selling viewing data to advertisers or using it to show personalized ads.
Risks
Results are mixed. Some users found Claude would not respond to a simple request to "hack my TV" and needed more detailed prompts. Others warn that agents can make mistakes and disable important packages. One person said they bricked their Android TV, and another got stuck partway through hacking a Fire TV. More cautious users can turn to existing launcher replacement apps such as ATV Launcher, Projectivity Launcher and FLauncher.
