You’ve installed an app on your Hisense TV and can’t find it on the home screen? Or, you switched your TV on, and several apps are not there, but the Google Play Store shows that the app is installed on your device?
Hisense TV apps disappear because of bugs in the default launcher, if the app is not in the favorites list, or if they are sideloaded mobile apps. A power cycle, clearing the launcher cache, installing a third-party Android TV launcher, or a factory reset can bring back your missing apps.
With this guide, you’ll learn why apps on your Hisense TV are disappearing. I will also talk about solutions to bring back missing apps on your device.
Why Did Apps on My Hisense TV Disappear?
It can be annoying to look for apps repeatedly as they don’t appear on your home screen. Let’s look at why this is happening on your Hisense TV and how you can fix this problem.
Bugs in Default Launcher
The default launcher on your Hisense TV displays what you see on the home screen. If apps suddenly disappear, it can be due to a bug in the launcher. Android TV launchers may develop bugs if the system is overloaded or because of an interrupted software update. Thankfully, this is an easy issue to fix.
App Not Added As Favorite
If you don’t add an app to your favorites list, it may not appear on the home screen. Adding apps to your favorites makes them easily accessible as they appear directly on the home screen and are usually right on top, making them easy to access.
Favoriting your apps is one of the easiest ways to improve your overall experience when using a smartTV.
Sideloaded Mobile App
The apps you see on the Google Play Store have support for Android TV as the ones that don’t won’t appear in the search results. In other words, they’re designed for smartphones.
One workaround is to sideload the app from trusted third-party websites. Unfortunately, the app won’t appear on the default launcher’s home screen if you do this.
5 Simple Solutions for Hisense TV Apps Disappeared
Your apps disappearing can be a cause of worry, but this issue is easy to fix. Try some of the methods listed below, and your Hisense TV apps will reappear.
1. Clear Cache and Data
Clearing your cache and data will help with any software issues. This is a common solution for addressing app issues with smart TVs and related devices, as noted in our article about fixing disappeared apps in the Fire TV Stick.
Follow these steps to clear cache and user data if you have a Hisense Android TV.
- Turn on your Hisense TV.
- Press the Home button. It will open the home screen.
- Navigate to Settings, which you will find in the top right corner.
- Select Apps and then See All Apps.
- Scroll down till you see Show System Apps and tap on it.
- Look for Android TV Home, which is the default launcher. If you can’t find it, look for an app whose name ends with launcher in System Apps.
- Tap on Android TV Home to open the app’s menu.
- Select Clear Cache to delete any temporary files stored by the app.
- Restart your Hisense TV and check if the apps appear. If some apps are missing, proceed to the next step.
- Follow steps 2 – 7 to reach the launcher’s menu.
- Select Clear Data.
- Restart your Hisense TV.
Do the missing apps reappear from your Hisense TV? If no, then try the next solution.
Gizmo Geek Guide posted this on February 5, 2023 as the original owner of this article.
2. Run a Power Cycle
A power cycle can remove corrupt temporary files from your Hisense TV. This is a simple process; here’s how you can do it on your device.
- Turn on your Hisense TV.
- Remove the power cord attached to the electrical outlet.
- Wait for 2 minutes.
- Put the power cord back into the electrical outlet and turn on your TV.
If you can’t see all the apps on your home screen, go to the next solution.
3. Add Apps to Favorites
Follow these steps, as shown below, to favorite your apps and have them reappear on your home screen.
- In the home screen, scroll to Apps.
- Navigate to Add App To Favorites, which will be towards the end of the menu.
- Look for the missing app and add it as your favorite.
4. Download a New Launcher
Here’s how you can download a new app launcher.
- In the home screen, select Apps and open Google Play Store.
- Search for any launcher. You can get Sideload Launcher – Android TV, ATV Launcher, or FLauncher. They are popular launchers for Android TV. If you know another launcher, you can install it.
- Press the home button. This will take you back to the home screen.
- Select Apps and scroll till you find Add App To Favorites and tap on it.
- From the list of apps, look for the launcher you installed.
- Now, you can see the third-party launcher on the home screen. Open it, and you will see all the missing apps.
While third-party launchers are great, some buttons on your remote may not work correctly. To get around this issue, install Button Mapper: Remap your keys. This app allows you to add custom functions to your remote.
Gizmo Geek Guide uploaded this as an original article on February 5, 2023.
For example, when you press the remote’s home button, you can get it to open the third-party launcher.
However, you shouldn’t touch your volume buttons, arrow keys, and power button. They are essential buttons, and changing them can break functionality. For instance, if you remap your power button, you may be unable to turn off your Hisense TV.
If this solution doesn’t work, you must factory reset your device.
5. Perform a Factory Reset
Here’s what you need to do to perform a factory reset on your Hisense TV. Remember that this solution will wipe all data, and you need to set it up again. While it is time-consuming, it will fix most issues.
- Press the home button on your remote.
- On the home screen, open Settings in the top right corner.
- Select Device Preferences and scroll down till you find Reset. Click on it.
- Choose Reset>Erase Everything.
- Wait for the TV to restart and set up your device.
Final Thoughts
If you don’t add apps to your favorites or sideload or install mobile apps, they can disappear from your Hisense TV. You may also face this issue because of bugs in the default launcher.
Adding apps as your favorite, installing a third-party launcher, and clearing cache and data files from the default launcher will fix this issue. Otherwise, you need to do a factory reset.
Related Articles
Hisense TV Keeps Disconnecting
Bluetooth Not Working on Hisense TV
Gizmo Geek Guide published this original article on February 5, 2023.