Advice on improving Oreo homescreen

by Greylights888

I really, really have tried to get used to the Oreo layout, but it still appears ugly to me and I find it less functional than the previous iteration of the Android TV homescreen. My family also dislikes it. I got a new Firestick4k for the remote, but dammit I actually prefer using the stick to an Oreo upgraded shield - madness.

Is there a straightforward method to install a launcher that will get back at least the old layout, if not solve the bugs that Oreo introduced to my previously flawless shield?

Many thanks.

[The following is just a rant, please feel free to ignore.]

Oreo is bland and cluttered at the same time. Count how many different shapes, sizes and aspect ratios the icons have on the screen at any one time - total mess! I forget which apps I have installed as only a few can be placed front and centre, "play next" just has bombsquad in it (is ANYTHING compatible with that functionality?!) and whichever channels I add below just have the usual unwanted recommendations.

Coupled to this, occasional random freezes and Chromecast sometimes chooses not to work, even after a factory reset since I updated earlier this year.

My ideal world would be one where the voice assistant would piss off and just revert to in-app voice search like it was originally, the launcher reverted to the clean, elegant and useful Marshmallow/Nougat version, and the Firestick4k remote would pick up voice.

[Apologies, but I feel better now]

NedSc

The Oreo home screen really has some bizarre quirks. Like you said, the strange sizes of icons, the inconstant scrolling behavior, etc. I think they could fix most of this easily, but it's just... fucking weird. More so than most Android weird UI decisions (of which Google has plenty of sins, in an otherwise excellent UI).

I've removed all of the channels/notifications/play next stuff. The favorites row is for the most common streaming services, then I used Sideload Channel ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dxidev.sideload.channel.launcher ) for games and "category" specific rows. It's not perfect, but it's better than the default.

bobniborg1

Androids advantage over apple has always been customization. Why android tv doesn't allow custom launchers and stuff is beyond me. I hates it, you hear me, Smeagol HATES it.

mosley93

Kodi 18 channels are great, but most od apps are not living up to potential. I can't believe how YouTube don't let to create channel for specific subscribed channels.

Jasong222

I can't stand the oreo layout. Why can't we ever just leave well enough alone?

Tired8281

Ignore it. The homescreen only exists to get you to your apps. Put the apps you use most at the top, and you hardly have to even see the homescreen.

pawdog

It's only cluttered if you clutter it. Everything except the top favorites bar can be removed. Not sure what is wrong with so called bland. It's just a place to access your apps. I can't see where the previous home screen was so great. This is a good improvement for customization and ease of access. These complaints are nonsensical to me.