[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

[jaibubwan]

Hey guys, a few months ago "Wolf Launcher" was available on this thread. What happened to it? I can no longer see it in the attachments.

 

[Finnzz]

Hey guys, a few months ago "Wolf Launcher" was available on this thread. What happened to it? I can no longer see it in the attachments.

Someone complained that it was a modded version of ATV Launcher so it was removed.

Another user was nice enough to repost it here:

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+) STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER: 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your FireTV. (Latest: 1.1.6) 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager. 3. To Enable...

forum.xda-developers.com

 

[jaibubwan]

Someone complained that it was a modded version of ATV Launcher so it was removed.

Another user was nice enough to repost it here:

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+) STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER: 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your FireTV. (Latest: 1.1.6) 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager. 3. To Enable...

forum.xda-developers.com

Thank you man, I really needed this from a good source.

It's crazy that these untrustworthy YouTube guys are offering it up, without even giving SweenWolf credit.

 

[Finnzz]

Thank you man, I really needed this from a good source.

It's crazy that these untrustworthy YouTube guys are offering it up, without even giving SweenWolf credit.

I prefer to get the files from Wolf directly, but if that's not possible, you can ask people on this thread for the hash to confirm that any file from a secondary source is not altered.

Someone else had posted a link to the file on this thread that did not match the hash of the original file, and I'm not sure what the difference was, but the file was noticably bigger.

I can confirm that the MD5 Hash for Wolf Launcher 1.0.9

70597fb37712c7ea824adedb35f0a761

 

[barth2]

FS MAX running 7.2.5.5 LM FOS 1.1.3. Wolf launcher 1.0.9

When I change display mode in LM from 4k to 1080p, it works, but now I can no longer go back to 2160p. Only display modes listed are Auto and1080p and below. Selecting Auto does nothing.

(If I have a 4k TV, why would I set display mode to anything other than 4k, you may ask. Because most stuff I watch are 1080p and image quality is better if I let TV upscale to 4k rather than let the firestick do it. Of course when I do play 4k then I want firestick to output 4k)

Edit to add I am also seeing long boot time on fs MAX like several other users in this thread.

 

[Finnzz]

FS MAX running 7.2.5.5 LM FOS 1.1.3. Wolf launcher 1.0.9

When I change display mode in LM from 4k to 1080p, it works, but now I can no longer go back to 2160p. Only display modes listed are Auto and1080p and below. Selecting Auto does nothing.

(If I have a 4k TV, why would I set display mode to anything other than 4k, you may ask. Because most stuff I watch are 1080p and image quality is better if I let TV upscale to 4k rather than let the firestick do it. Of course when I do play 4k then I want firestick to output 4k)

Edit to add I am also seeing long boot time on fs MAX like several other users in this thread.

Have you tried temporarily disabling the custom launcher, going into the regular FireTV settings / display and switching the resolution back to 4k? This will give you an idea if the missing resolution is related to LM specifically, or a more general FireOS issue.

Right now only the 4k Max is on the newest FireOS7 version 7.2.5.5. Someone with a 4k Max will have to use something like Logcat to try to figure out what the OS is waiting on that is causing the boot delay. That would help in trying to find a fix.

I only have the 2nd gen Cube, and I don't think Wolf has the 4k Max.

 

[barth2]

Have you tried temporarily disabling the custom launcher, going into the regular FireTV settings / display and switching the resolution back to 4k? This will give you an idea if the missing resolution is related to LM specifically, or a more general FireOS issue.

Right now only the 4k Max is on the newest FireOS7 version 7.2.5.5. Someone with a 4k Max will have to use something like Logcat to try to figure out what the OS is waiting on that is causing the boot delay. That would help in trying to find a fix.

I only have the 2nd gen Cube, and I don't think Wolf has the 4k Max.

I enabled stock launcher and set res back to Auto. Then back in LM, I switched to 1080p and nothing happened. Verified from my TV's info that it was still 4k. Rebooted. Now res was 1080p, and all res above 1080p gone as option. Changing to Auto did nothing. Rebooted and now in 4k and all res available. So it appears reboot is required for display mode change to take effect, and when current mode is 1080p, [email protected] and [email protected] are not present as options, only Auto

Another oddity is when I try to search in appstore, I get dumped right back to where I launched appstore from. This isn't specific to LM. I got this when I was using adb shell pm disable-user com.amazon.tv.launcher --user 0

What logcat do you need? I have adb working.

 

[jaibubwan]

Hey guys, can the Launcher Manager make an app like Kodi the default launcher?

I have an Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The default launcher is ugly and infested with lame ads. Wolf Launcher only displays shortcuts without much content or widgets.

I've setup Kodi to have all Android app shortcuts and it lets you add lots of content widgets. I even tested it out a few months ago with some older tools & it worked perfectly as a launcher.

I like that the tools here are regularly updated, that's why I'm curious if they can work for this purpose.

 

[barth2]

Hey guys, can the Launcher Manager make an app like Kodi the default launcher?

I have an Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The default launcher is ugly and infested with lame ads. Wolf Launcher only displays shortcuts without much content or widgets.

I've setup Kodi to have all Android app shortcuts and it lets you add lots of content widgets. I even tested it out a few months ago with some older tools & it worked perfectly as a launcher.

I like that the tools here are regularly updated, that's why I'm curious if they can work for this purpose.

It does let you select any app as launcher. However, this feature doesn't seem to be working on the firestick max. But the max is new and several things aren't working. YMMV

 

[jaibubwan]

It does let you select any app as launcher. However, this feature doesn't seem to be working on the firestick max. But the max is new and several things aren't working. YMMV

Hmmm...for my Shield Pro, I was told only the older "ATV" version of Launcher Manager works. So I downloaded that from the attachments.

When I ran it, I got the default Android pop up asking to choose a launcher/home screen. There were only two options: Wolf Launcher & maybe the Androud default.

I'm trying to reproduce the pop now by disabling the Launcher Manager & re-enabling it. But it now just defaults to Wolf Launcher everytime.

 

[Finnzz]

I enabled stock launcher and set res back to Auto. Then back in LM, I switched to 1080p and nothing happened. Verified from my TV's info that it was still 4k. Rebooted. Now res was 1080p, and all res above 1080p gone as option. Changing to Auto did nothing. Rebooted and now in 4k and all res available. So it appears reboot is required for display mode change to take effect, and when current mode is 1080p, [email protected] and [email protected] are not present as options, only Auto

Another oddity is when I try to search in appstore, I get dumped right back to where I launched appstore from. This isn't specific to LM. I got this when I was using adb shell pm disable-user com.amazon.tv.launcher --user 0

What logcat do you need? I have adb working.

I'm not sure about the resolution switching. One thing that you might find more convenient is using the resolution switching shortcut on the remote. Press and hold [up] + [rewind] for 5-10sec.

All the Tips, Secrets, and Hidden Menus of the Fire TV & Firestick Remote

The remote used by Fire TVs, Fire TV Sticks, Fire TV Cubes, and Fire TV Smart TVs has several secrets and hidden menus that are accessible by pressing and holding special button combinations.

www.aftvnews.com

Do you have a high end Sony? Is the upscaling on your TV really better than the Fire stick? I can't tell the difference between my Cube and my TV in terms of upscaling, but I'm not sitting close enough probably.

Regarding logcat, you would have to run it during the bootup process to see if there is any indication of what the system is waiting on. You may need to connect via USB if network access is not available on the stick during bootup.

Hey guys, can the Launcher Manager make an app like Kodi the default launcher?

I have an Nvidia Shield TV Pro. The default launcher is ugly and infested with lame ads. Wolf Launcher only displays shortcuts without much content or widgets.

I've setup Kodi to have all Android app shortcuts and it lets you add lots of content widgets. I even tested it out a few months ago with some older tools & it worked perfectly as a launcher.

I like that the tools here are regularly updated, that's why I'm curious if they can work for this purpose.

If you disable wolf launcher, uninstall it, and try to enable launcher in the launcher manager, does it let you pick Kodi then?

 

[jaibubwan]

If you disable wolf launcher, uninstall it, and try to enable launcher in the launcher manager, does it let you pick Kodi then?

The Launcher Manager ATV version is very weird.

If you uninstall Wolf Launcher...then enable Launcher Manager ATV...you only get two options in the home screen selection pop-up:
- Arc Browser (game collection app)
- TVUsage (security app)

So Kodi is not available as an option. And there's no way to select it from a list.

I wish it had some option that let you select your own app as a home screen launcher.

 

[dikodahan]

I am also seeing some issues with the ATV version of the LM (using v1.0.3).
On a recent new Google TV interface (TCL TV with official Google TV v11) the LM is not "catching" the Enable Custom Launcher command. It looks like it is trying to do something but fails.

@SweenWolf any ideas?
Thank you!

 

[Finnzz]

The Launcher Manager ATV version is very weird.

If you uninstall Wolf Launcher...then enable Launcher Manager ATV...you only get two options in the home screen selection pop-up:
- Arc Browser (game collection app)
- TVUsage (security app)

So Kodi is not available as an option. And there's no way to select it from a list.

I wish it had some option that let you select your own app as a home screen launcher.

Looking back, it may be Launcher Manager Ultimate that let's you choose any app. Check out the second post on this thread, and see if that works for you:

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+) STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER: 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your FireTV. (Latest: 1.1.6) 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager. 3. To Enable...

forum.xda-developers.com

I am also seeing some issues with the ATV version of the LM (using v1.0.3).
On a recent new Google TV interface (TCL TV with official Google TV v11) the LM is not "catching" the Enable Custom Launcher command. It looks like it is trying to do something but fails.

You could try Launcher Manager Ultimate too to see if it works any better.

 

[jaibubwan]

Looking back, it may be Launcher Manager Ultimate that let's you choose any app. Check out the second post on this thread, and see if that works for you:

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+) STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER: 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your FireTV. (Latest: 1.1.6) 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager. 3. To Enable...

forum.xda-developers.com

You could try Launcher Manager Ultimate too to see if it works any better.

Thank you man, I just downloaded it and will try it tonight. Hopefully it works!

 

[jaibubwan]

Looking back, it may be Launcher Manager Ultimate that let's you choose any app. Check out the second post on this thread, and see if that works for you:

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+) STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER: 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and install on your FireTV. (Latest: 1.1.6) 2. Install a Custom Launcher and then open Launcher Manager. 3. To Enable...

forum.xda-developers.com

You could try Launcher Manager Ultimate too to see if it works any better.

Yes! Launcher Manager Ultimate is the best solution for my Nvidia Shield Pro. I was able to set Kodi as the launcher.

Even when launching other apps, pressing the remote's home button returned to Kodi (as the new home).

I even "stress tested" by opening the Shield's task manager and exiting Kodi. What happened was that when the home had to be accessed again, it simply re-started the Kodi app.

Furthermore, if you read the text on the Launcher Manager Ultimate page, it explains how the app uses a layered process to make sure users can easily recover if anything goes wrong.

This covers all scenarios. What a great solution!

Thanks again Finnzz for responding to my posts - and SweenWolf for designing such a great and up-to-date solution!

 

[Finnzz]

I enabled stock launcher and set res back to Auto. Then back in LM, I switched to 1080p and nothing happened. Verified from my TV's info that it was still 4k. Rebooted. Now res was 1080p, and all res above 1080p gone as option. Changing to Auto did nothing. Rebooted and now in 4k and all res available. So it appears reboot is required for display mode change to take effect, and when current mode is 1080p, [email protected] and [email protected] are not present as options, only Auto

Another oddity is when I try to search in appstore, I get dumped right back to where I launched appstore from. This isn't specific to LM. I got this when I was using adb shell pm disable-user com.amazon.tv.launcher --user 0

What logcat do you need? I have adb working.

Thinking about it, the Resolution menu in Launcher Manager is probably something written with ADB commands rather than by giving us a shortcut to the native menu. I just got a 4k capable TV and I was not right before. I see all the resolutions but as you said it doesn't trigger the TV to change when I select them. I'm also on FireOS7 like the Max. Requiring a reboot might be a difference between FireOS6 and FireOS7. Maybe there is a command to trigger a resolution switch without a reboot. Wolf may know.

You can use the remote shortcut to cycle resolutions ([up] + [reverse] for 5sec). It's a little bit of a hassle since you have to cycle through each resolution with a break in between.

I can say that the Amazon App Store search relies on the Amazon Launcher Manager, and won't work because it's disabled.

 

[barth2]

Thinking about it, the Resolution menu in Launcher Manager is probably something written with ADB commands rather than by giving us a shortcut to the native menu. I just got a 4k capable TV and I was not right before. I see all the resolutions but as you said it doesn't trigger the TV to change when I select them. I'm also on FireOS7 like the Max. Requiring a reboot might be a difference between FireOS6 and FireOS7. Maybe there is a command to trigger a resolution switch without a reboot. Wolf may know.

On FS MAX, SmartTubeNext stable will switch display mode to best match the resolution and refresh rate of whatever video you are playing. I verified this with system status monitor. So it IS possible, but perhaps with API calls, not adb.

 

[simonho1989]

any thoughts on open sourcing the app?
i am a hobbylist android dev too
i really would like to learn how do you do the adb commands on the app itself

 

[Finnzz]

any thoughts on open sourcing the app?
i am a hobbylist android dev too
i really would like to learn how do you do the adb commands on the app itself

I'm normally all for open source, but in the case of Launcher Manager, it's helping users avoid Amazon advertising, which I'm sure they are not positive about. Amazingly, Amazon hasn't patched FireOS to make LM unusable yet. They have killed older methods of enabling costum launchers in the past.

I don't doubt that the FireOS team is aware of LM and probably knows what loopholes it's exploiting to make it's magic happen. I'm assuming those loopholes haven't been closed because there is no easy way to close them without also restricting some of the capabilities that are important to regular FireTV users.

I worry that making LM open source will only help the FireOS team to bring an end to it faster.

There is another FireOS project here on XDA that leaves you with the Amazon Launcher but removes all the ads. That developer isn't even making his APK public because he's worried Amazon will patch against it immediately. It's just a very small closed beta.

It may be more reasonable to open source LM if FireOS does kill it in an update. At that point there is nothing to be lost to Amazon. And users will have to decide if they want to keep updates blocked to keep using LM, or update for whatever benefit it might bring and lose LM.