Is CleanYourTV safe?
Is CleanYourTV safe? What it changes on your TV, what it does not, the real risks, and how to close the debugging port when you are done.
What CleanYourTV changes
- Disables packages for the user profile. They stay on the TV and can be turned back on.
- Installs one small launcher that you build yourself, with no network permission.
- Does not root the TV, flash firmware, unlock the bootloader or uninstall anything.
- Keeps the Play Store, so streaming apps keep updating.
The real risks
- Disabling something the TV leans on. Lists are applied in small batches with a restore ready, and the scripts refuse to leave the TV without a Home app.
- Losing features you chose to lose: the mic button if you disable the assistant, phone casting on Google’s own devices if you disable setupwraith, updates if you disable the updater.
- An open debug port. Network ADB on port 5555 is unencrypted, and on some firmware any device on your network gets a shell. Close it when you finish.
How to close ADB when you are done
- On the TV, open Developer options and turn off USB debugging and Network/ADB debugging. Revoke the USB debugging authorisations.
- Restart the TV.
- From your computer, run
python3 tools/adb-closed.py <tv ip>in the repository; it must say the port is closed.
The launcher keeps working with debugging off.
The microphone question
People often ask which package is listening. There is no honest one-line answer: on many TVs dozens of system packages hold the microphone permission and never use it, and content-recognition (ACR) services identify what is on screen without any audio permission. The project’s tools/privacy.py reports voice, ACR and telemetry candidates with the evidence for each, and can turn them into a normal list you can apply and undo. It cannot prove what a TV does with what it records.
Blocking ads inside apps
CleanYourTV removes the ads around your apps, not inside them. On Android 9 and newer you can point the TV’s Private DNS at an ad-blocking resolver such as AdGuard DNS, which stops many ad and tracker domains system-wide. The trade-off is that the resolver sees every DNS query, and it does not remove YouTube ads. If apps stop playing, switch Private DNS back to automatic.
Safety questions
Can CleanYourTV brick my TV?
Nothing is flashed, rooted or deleted, so a permanent brick is very unlikely. The real risk is disabling something the TV needs, which a restore or the TV’s own Settings → Apps page can undo. One contributor reported a factory reset after rebooting on the setup wizard’s recovery screen, so follow the setupwraith notes.
Is it safe to let an AI assistant control my TV?
The assistant runs ADB commands on your computer and asks before anything that depends on your preferences. Watch what it does, keep the backup and list, and turn debugging off afterwards.
Does CleanYourTV collect data?
The launcher has no network permission and no background services. The project’s goal is to turn off the TV’s own telemetry.
Will it void my warranty?
Nothing is rooted or flashed, and a restore returns the TV to stock. Warranty terms differ by maker and country, so check yours if it matters.
Can it block ads in YouTube?
No. YouTube ads come from the same servers as the videos. Private DNS can block some ads in other apps.