The good news about Android TV is that, most of the time, it just runs a VPN like a phone does. Google TV is built on Android TV, so a Sony, Philips or TCL set, an Nvidia Shield or a Chromecast with Google TV can open the Google Play Store, install a proper VPN app and connect with the remote. Our top pick is NordVPN: a clean, remote-friendly app, and the fastest VPN in our 2026 tests — exactly what you want feeding 4K to a big panel.
The catch is that not every Android TV box plays along. Cheaper no-name boxes and some older sets hide the Play Store or simply do not list every provider’s app. When that happens you are not stuck — you sideload the app instead, usually with the Downloader app and an APK file, and we walk through it below.
After NordVPN, ExpressVPN is the smoothest app to drive from the sofa, with CyberGhost, Surfshark, Proton VPN and IPVanish completing a top six that all publish a dedicated Android TV app. One thing to settle early: an old cast-only Chromecast is not an Android TV device and needs a different approach entirely.
Does your Android TV run a VPN app — natively, or does it need a sideload?
This is the first thing to work out, because it decides whether setup is a two-minute job or a ten-minute one. Android TV and Google TV are the same platform, and the providers in our top six all publish a dedicated Android TV app — a leaner build than the phone version, with big d-pad-friendly tiles. A rule of thumb for which camp your device is in:
- It almost certainly runs apps natively if it is a branded Android TV / Google TV set (Sony, Philips, TCL, Hisense Google TV), an Nvidia Shield, an official Chromecast with Google TV, or a Google-certified box — these ship the full Play Store with the VPN apps listed.
- It may need a sideload if it is a cheap, unbranded “Android TV box”, an older set on an out-of-date Android version, or one where you search the Play Store and nothing comes up. The hardware runs Android TV, but the storefront is incomplete.
- It cannot run an app at all if it is an old cast-only Chromecast — no app store on it, so it needs the router.
The fast test: open the Play Store on the telly and search for the provider by name. If the app appears, you are on the native path; if not, the sideload path — same app, different door.
Installing a VPN from the Play Store
If your set runs apps natively, this is the easiest VPN install there is. From the Android TV home screen:
- Open the Play Store and search the VPN’s name — NordVPN, ExpressVPN and so on. The on-screen keyboard is fiddly with a remote; if yours has a mic button, voice search is quicker.
- Pick the official app and select Install. The Android TV build is small and downloads fast.
- Open it and sign in with your existing plan’s details. You buy the subscription once; this is just another device on it.
- Choose a server and connect. An Irish server for RTÉ, Virgin Media or TG4 abroad, or a UK one for BBC iPlayer and ITVX, then Connect.
- Launch your streaming app. If it was already open, force-close and reopen it so it re-checks your location.
One speed setting is worth changing before a 4K panel: in the app’s settings, choose a WireGuard-based protocol (NordVPN calls its NordLynx) and the nearest fast server to where you want to appear. All six are quick enough for 4K on a typical Irish fibre line — the difference is headroom, and NordVPN left the most in our testing.
Sideloading a VPN when the Play Store does not list it
If your box runs Android TV but the Play Store will not show the app, sideloading installs it manually from an APK file. It sounds intimidating; in practice it is a tidy routine. The cleanest method uses the free Downloader app, which most Android TV boxes do carry even when the VPN apps are missing — step by step:
- Install Downloader from the Play Store (or sideload it too, if even that is absent).
- Allow installs from Downloader. In Settings → Device Preferences → Security & restrictions → Unknown sources, toggle Downloader on — this lets it install outside the store.
- Get the APK link from the provider. Reputable VPNs publish a direct Android TV APK on their own website — use that official link, never a random mirror.
- Type the link into Downloader to fetch the file; double-check the address first.
- Install, then sign in exactly as you would a Play Store install, and delete the APK when offered.
If you have an Android phone there is a second route: install the provider’s phone app, then use a “send app” or APK-export tool to push it to the TV. The Downloader method is more universal, so it is the one we lead with.
The one rule that matters when sideloading: get the APK from the VPN provider’s own site. A VPN sees all your traffic, so a doctored build from a dodgy mirror is the worst possible app to install. Official link only — then sideloading is perfectly safe.
If your box needs sideloading for everything, it can be clunky — a cheap stick that runs proper Android TV apps out of the box (see our best VPN for Firestick guide) is often less hassle. But if you already own the box, sideloading gets you there.
Chromecast and Google TV: which runs apps, which needs the router
This trips people up constantly, because two very different products share the “Chromecast” name — and the distinction decides whether you install an app or go to the router.
Chromecast with Google TV — runs the app natively
The newer Chromecast with Google TV dongle is a full Android TV device with its own remote and the Play Store on board. It installs and runs a VPN app exactly like any other Android TV set — follow the Play Store steps above, or sideload if needed.
Older, cast-only Chromecast — needs the router
The original cast-only Chromecast (the puck with no remote) is a different animal. It has no app store and no interface — you cast to it from your phone or laptop. And here is the catch that surprises everyone: casting does not carry your phone’s VPN to the dongle. When you cast, the Chromecast fetches the stream itself, directly over your home connection — your phone’s VPN tunnel never touches it.
So for those dongles you put the VPN on your router instead, which covers the whole network. It is more involved to set up and you change country for the whole home at once, but it is the only way to route a cast-only Chromecast through a VPN.
Shorthand: Chromecast with Google TV = install the app on it. Cast-only Chromecast = no app possible, so put the VPN on the router. Casting from a VPN-protected phone will not help the dongle — the stream bypasses your phone entirely.
What you will actually watch on the big screen
The reason to bother with any of this is the telly itself, on a proper-sized screen. Two jobs cover most of it:
Irish and UK telly while you travel. The minute you leave Ireland, RTÉ Player, Virgin Media Play and TG4 stop working — free, but locked to an Irish connection. Connect to an Irish server and the match, the Late Late or a TG4 drama plays on the hotel telly as though you were home — the heart of our best VPN for Irish TV abroad guide. It works in reverse: a UK server opens BBC iPlayer and ITVX from your sofa in Ireland.
Bigger streaming libraries. From home, switching your Netflix region genuinely changes the catalogue — the US and other libraries carry titles Ireland does not. Our best VPN for Netflix guide covers which provider unblocks which library most reliably; the same trick helps with Disney+ and Prime Video. All six can do this on the Android TV app — consistency is what separates them.
How we ranked the Android TV apps
This is a watching-the-telly ranking, so it leans on what matters for streaming on a big screen rather than privacy features you would never touch from a remote:
- A real Android TV app. The hard requirement — all six publish a dedicated, remote-friendly build rather than forcing the phone layout onto the screen.
- 4K-ready speed. A stuttering 4K picture is useless, so we weight fast nearby servers and a WireGuard-based protocol heavily. NordVPN was fastest in our 2026 tests, which is why it tops the table.
- Unblocking reliability. Does the TV app actually get into RTÉ Player, Netflix and BBC iPlayer — and keep working when the platforms tighten up?
- Remote-friendliness and device count. Big tiles and a d-pad-scrollable server list (ExpressVPN’s app is the standout), plus the unlimited connections that suit a house full of tellies (Surfshark, IPVanish).
For the all-round picture — privacy and price weighted more heavily than streaming — our best VPN for Ireland ranking is the better starting point.
Our top picks for Android TV
NordVPN — fastest, best all-round Android TV app
Our number one. The Android TV app is clean and easy to drive with a remote, and NordVPN was the fastest VPN in our 2026 tests — the headroom you want when a 4K stream hits a large panel. It reliably unblocks RTÉ Player, Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and euro pricing is competitive. The full NordVPN review has the detail.
ExpressVPN — the smoothest app to drive from the sofa
A close second, and the pick if you value the interface above all. The Android TV app is the most polished and remote-friendly in the category, with reliable unblocking to match. It costs a little more, the only real reason it sits behind NordVPN — see the ExpressVPN review.
CyberGhost — streaming-focused, easy on the remote
Third. CyberGhost’s Android TV app is built around streaming, with a big server network and a friendly d-pad layout. Reliable on the major services and keenly priced on longer plans, it is a strong native pick for a mainstream Google TV set.
Surfshark — best for a house full of tellies
Fourth, and the household choice. A native Android TV app, a genuine Dublin server, dependable unblocking and — the deciding factor — unlimited simultaneous devices, so one plan covers every telly, box and phone at once. Just turn auto-renewal off after the intro term.
Proton VPN and IPVanish — the rest of the six
Proton VPN (fifth) brings a strong privacy pedigree and a working Android TV app; IPVanish (sixth) pairs its own app with unlimited devices. Both handle 4K — they sit lower only because the four above edge them on speed, polish or unblocking consistency.