Samsung TV Plus is a free streaming service that comes pre-installed on many Samsung smart TVs. It provides access to over 100 channels of news, sports, movies, shows, and more. While it can be convenient to have this content available with no subscriptions required, the automatic playing feature of TV Plus when you turn on your TV can be annoying. Fortunately, a few ways exist to disable this auto-play and stop Samsung TV Plus from launching as soon as your TV powers on.
How to Stop Samsung TV Plus Auto-Play
When you first set up your Samsung smart TV, one of the prompts during setup is to enable or disable TV Plus auto-play. If you enabled it at that time, you allowed your TV to automatically open the TV Plus app and start playing a channel every time you turn on your TV. This feature is designed for convenience so users can quickly view content instead of manually opening an app.
However, many users find it disruptive or irritating to have a random channel or video playing right away before deciding what they want to watch. It also means you have to take the extra step of exiting TV Plus each time you power on your TV before accessing other apps or sources. Fortunately, there are settings available to disable this auto-play.
1. Disabling Auto-Play in TV Plus Settings
The easiest way to stop TV Plus from automatically launching is to turn off auto-play in the TV Plus settings menu. Here is how to do it:
1. From your Samsung TV’s home screen, select the TV Plus app icon.
2. go to the “Settings” menu in the TV Plus app.
3. Select “Autorun” and set it to Off.
4. Exit the TV Plus app.
With autorun disabled, your TV will no longer automatically open TV Plus each time you turn it on. The app itself will remain installed on your Samsung TV, but it won’t launch unexpectedly.
You can always open TV Plus manually if you want to browse or watch the free channels. But this simple settings tweak prevents the annoyance of channels automatically playing every time you power on your TV. It’s an easy way to stop unwanted auto-play.
2. Removing TV Plus from Your Home Screen
In addition to disabling autorun in the TV Plus settings, you can also remove the TV Plus app tile from your Samsung TV’s home screen. This makes it even less likely you’ll accidentally open the app and have to deal with automatic playing.
To remove the TV Plus shortcut:
1. Using your remote to highlight the TV Plus app icon from the home screen.
2. Press and hold the Select button on your remote. This will bring up an options menu.
3. Choose “Remove from Home.”
4. Select “Yes” to confirm removing the app from the home screen.
The TV Plus app will still be installed on your TV, but the shortcut will no longer occupy your home screen space. With autorun disabled and no icon visible, the chances of TV Plus ever automatically launching drop dramatically.
3. Disabling Automatic Updates
One other setting that can impact TV Plus auto-play is disabling automatic updates for your apps. With automatic updates enabled, the TV Plus app may occasionally receive updates from Samsung that could modify settings like autorun.
To prevent any unwanted changes:
1. Go to Settings > Support > Software Update > Auto update apps.
2. Set Auto-update apps to Off.
Now your apps will remain at their current versions and won’t automatically install updates that could alter your preferences. This provides extra protection against TV Plus auto-play unexpectedly starting again against your wishes.
4. Excluding TV Plus from Universal Guide
The Universal Guide on Samsung TVs pulls in content from various apps and channels into one consolidated program guide. It’s meant for convenience but has the downside of sometimes surfacing TV Plus content even if you don’t want to access the app.
Luckily, you can customize your Universal Guide settings to exclude TV Plus:
1. Go to Settings > General > Universal Guide.
2. Select the option to turn off TV Plus within Universal Guide.
With this adjustment, TV Plus channels will no longer populate your Universal Guide listings. One less way for the app to impose its content when not desired.
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5. Using a Different Default App
If all else fails, you can set a different video streaming app to open by default when you turn on your Samsung TV. For example, if you primarily use Netflix, you can set it as the default app instead of TV Plus.
Here’s how to change the default app:
1. Go to Settings > General > System Manager.
2. Select Default app settings.
3. Choose Launch app and select the app you want to set as the default.
When you power your TV, your selected app will launch automatically rather than TV Plus. This workaround prevents TV Plus from auto-play as another app will open instead.
6. Using Your HDMI Device as Default
Similarly, you can set your TV to default to a connected HDMI device when powered on rather than any smart TV app.
For example, you can prioritize those inputs if you have a cable box, Blu-ray player, or game console hooked up through HDMI. Here’s how:
1. Go to Settings > General > External Device Manager.
2. Under Input Manager, select Auto Device Connect.
3. Choose the HDMI port with your desired default device.
Now when turning on your TV, it will go straight to that HDMI input rather than TV Plus or other smart apps. This, again, avoids any unwanted auto-play.
7. Factory Reset as a Last Resort
If all else fails and you absolutely want to wipe any trace of TV Plus from your Samsung TV, you can perform a factory reset. This will erase all apps and settings, including TV Plus, and allow you to start fresh.
Just be aware that a factory reset will remove ALL other apps and customized settings as well. You’ll have to reinstall and set up everything on your TV from scratch outside of the initial installation menus. Only use this option as a last resort if the above methods don’t work.
Go to Settings > General > Reset and select Reset Smart Hub to factory reset. Again, reset cautiously, as you’ll be deleting everything on your TV!
Prefer Watching TV Plus? Enable Auto-Play
While this guide focused on disabling TV Plus auto-play, there are also options to re-enable it if you prefer to launch it automatically.
You can toggle autorun back on in the TV Plus settings. Or if you deleted the home screen shortcut, just re-add the TV Plus app icon so it’s readily accessible.
If you use TV Plus frequently, having it pop up as soon as you power on your TV can be convenient. Just know the settings are there to disable auto-play if it becomes a nuisance.
Get More from Your Samsung TV
Hopefully, this guide gave you all the steps necessary to prevent Samsung TV Plus from automatically launching whenever you turn on your Samsung smart TV. While the free channels are nice, the auto-play can quickly become bothersome.
Disabling autorun, removing home screen shortcuts, stopping updates, and setting new default apps or inputs can all help curtail unwanted TV Plus auto-play. For total removal, a full factory reset is the nuclear option. These tips allow you to regain full control over your Samsung viewing experience.
Your Samsung TV has a lot of great features beyond just TV Plus. Be sure to explore all the smart apps, streaming services, and customization options available. There are so many ways to get more out of your TV and tailor it to your needs and preferences. Stopping automatic TV Plus playback is just one of many optimizations you can make.
Enjoy having complete choice over when and how you use TV Plus. And relish the peace of mind of no longer having random channels popping up unexpectedly when powering on your TV. The ability to disable auto-play means your Samsung Smart TV always abides by your rules.
