Samsung Smart TVs run on the Tizen operating system, which uses its own architecture and does not support generic third-party applications. In simple terms, for an app to work on Tizen, it must be developed specifically for that platform.
Creating such an application requires familiarity with Tizen’s features and development tools. Samsung provides a Tizen OS emulator that allows developers to test and debug their apps. Once an application passes review, it can be published in the Samsung App Store, where users are able to install it on their TVs.
Android applications in APK format cannot be installed on Samsung Smart TVs, as these devices do not support Android or APK files in any form.
In practice, installing third-party applications on a TV is largely unnecessary. It is difficult to imagine a compelling use case beyond streaming, which Samsung’s native applications already handle very well. Installing Android games is also impractical, since most of them are designed for touch input that cannot be properly replicated on a television.
While Samsung did introduce the MovingStyle tablet TV in 2025, this appears to be more of an experimental product. Even in that case, its primary purpose remains video consumption, a task that standard Samsung applications already perform perfectly.
