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So just got an Android TV box and I realized that I have to sign in. Was just wondering if it's a good idea to sign in using my regular google account which contains all my files in Google Drive, my emails in Gmail, my location history in Maps and basically all my online data.

My main concern is that a TV isn't like a phone. It's supposed to be used by not just me. There's no passcode or security.

I know there's no Gmail or Google Drive app. Does that mean that this data is not available on Android TV? Is it possible for someone to create an email client app that can connect to the gmail of the currently logged in user?

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  • I wondered the same and I'm coming to the conclusion that it's probably a bad idea. It depends somewhat on where your TV is and how much you want to protect that account. However, Chromecast seems to have a much better security model - you only put specific things you want to share on the TV (disclaimer: I've not used Chromecast much)
    – paj28
    Commented Dec 27, 2017 at 11:40
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    It literally blows my mind that both a) virtually nobody seems to be concerned about having their TV - a device they share with their whole family and all of their guests - logged into their personal Google account - and b) Google themselves don't seem to give you any information about the privacy/ security implications of this and just expects that you do it.
    – thomasrutter
    Commented Oct 4, 2020 at 13:09

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The Google Slides app is compatible with my Android TV - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs.editors.slides&hl=en_GB

From memory I believe I can install apps without a password. I believe even changing Google Play to require authentication for purchases will not enforce this for free applications.

So yes - it is possible to access google data via applications.

If this is not desirable then you either need to use a different Google account or use something like AppLock to restrict access to Google Play and any other applications with permissions you aren't happy sharing with other TV users.

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  • Hector, what is you AndroidTV model? I can't seem to find that Google Sheets/Slides be compatible with any of my Android TVs. I am looking for a solution to link our corporate Google Sheets to display data on Android TV, but can't figure a solution as none of TVs seem to be compatible with Google Sheets/Slides.
    – Paktas
    Commented Dec 19, 2018 at 9:07

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