I have an ematic Jetstream from Walmart. My father has an Nvidia shield pro. We like to tell each other about different apps we have found for movies and such. I have started to notice that some apps that my father can install I can't. Also I have found some apps online that say Android TV and it says not available on my device. Has anyone else noticed this?
Aurora Store. Should find what you need. https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.aurora.store/
What apps do you refer?, some apps are marked on the Play Store console by their developers to be installed on selected ATV devices due to technical reasons such as limited processor support or that a given processor is not powerful enough to run the app or because the developer and the manufacturer have an agreement to be installed only on the devices they built.
Android is an operating system. Android TV is a customized version of Android. Not all apps for Android will work properly or be displayed properly on Android TV. Apps have to be certified for Android TV to appear in the PlayStore for Android TV devices. You can download them directly or sideload them.
Direct download via browser like Chrome or Puffin. Download from company site, troypoint, or apkpure, etc...
Use a file explorer to find and install the program. I like FX.
Use Sideload Launcher to see all the apps installed.
Instead of a direct download, download to another device. Send to tv via Send Files To TV or use Google Drive.
I couldn't get Amazon prime to work on my Jetstream, tried a bunch of different versions and not even when I got the box to update to Android 9. I didn't really care much because their content its not that great anyways. I just have it for the free 2 shipping.
I have found the same thing -- frustratingly, my Android 7/8/9 boxes can install almost any app (except those marked as 'Not Compatible' in the Play Store) but my with new Foxtel Technicolor Skipper (Android TV 9) the Play Store shows numerous apps which download, get 99% through installing and then just return an error.
This turns out to be a common issue discussed on other forums.
The other post about devices not being certified by apps applies especially for shield.
Not all apps can run on all hardware. There is also different software support for apps. And then there are apps that require certification.
Also, the developer chooses which devices the app is available on. This can be because of one of the above or simply because they haven't tested it on that device and don't want a bunch of bad reviews if it doesn't work.