AMK / AMK Launcher

Free · lightweight · malware-free

The home screen your TV box should have shipped with.

The launcher on generic Android boxes is usually packed with ads and "recommended apps" — and on many BADBOX boxes it's the component that installs the malware. AMK Launcher replaces it with something simple: free, under 9 MB, zero permissions.

Standalone app. Works with or without the AMK app, with no account and no connection to any server of ours.

$0 Free, with no paid tier and no locked features
0 Ads, sponsored rows and "recommended apps"
0 Permission dialogs, accounts and calls to AMK servers
<9 MB APK size — built for low-memory boxes
The problem

The stock launcher on a generic box is not neutral.

On cheap Android boxes, the home screen is one more piece of the maker's business: space to sell. And on boxes hit by BADBOX, it's often the malware's entry point.

Ads on your own home screen

Banners, full-screen takeovers on boot and "recommended" rows that are really paid placements. They burn bandwidth and make you wait before you reach your apps.

Source: user reports, trade press

On BADBOX boxes, the launcher is the dropper

On many affected boxes the stock launcher (com.droidlogic.mboxlauncher) is both the home screen and the component that downloads and installs the rest of the malware. Removing it blindly leaves the box with no home screen — so it needs a replacement.

Source: AMK field research

Heavy and slow on low-memory devices

Animations, background images that download themselves and services running all the time. On a box with 1 or 2 GB of RAM, that's the difference between responsive and frozen.

Source: user reports

Not built for the remote

Focus that gets lost, buttons the "OK" key won't trigger, lists you can't move through with the arrows. A TV launcher has to work perfectly with a D-pad and nothing else.

Source: AMK real-hardware testing

It tracks you "to improve your experience"

Telemetry, advertising IDs and, on several models, a dependency on services many of these boxes don't even have legitimately installed.

Source: field research, EFF

Bloatware you can't hide

Odd app stores, "cleaners", preinstalled games. They're on the main screen whether you like it or not, with no way to tuck them away.

Source: user reports
The difference

Everything a launcher does, without everything that doesn't belong.

Stock launcher

  • Ads and sponsored rows on the main screen.
  • On BADBOX boxes, it can be the malware dropper itself.
  • Heavy, with telemetry and advertising IDs.
  • Awkward or broken remote-control navigation.
  • Fixed bloatware that can't be hidden.

AMK Launcher

  • Zero ads, zero "recommendations", zero waiting screens.
  • No permission dialogs, no account, no Google Play Services.
  • Under 9 MB, built for boxes with little memory.
  • Designed for the D-pad: large, clear, always-visible focus.
  • Feature your IPTV apps and hide bloatware from view.
What's inside

Everything you need from a home screen. Nothing more.

A clear grid, built for the remote

All your apps in a grid that adapts to the screen size. The focused icon grows, gets highlighted and always shows its name — no guessing which one it is.

Feature up to 4 apps

A carousel above the grid, with larger icons, for the apps you open every day. Perfect if you run several IPTV apps side by side.

Hide the bloatware

Mark the apps you don't want to see and they leave the grid — without uninstalling anything, without root. Your home screen shows only what you use.

A useful status bar

Clock, the device's local IP, Wi-Fi name and your city's weather, at a glance. Having the IP handy helps when setting up apps or checking the network.

Your own wallpaper

Pick one of your images or a solid color. It doesn't rely on the system wallpaper picker, which is simply missing on many stripped-down ROMs.

It won't crash with the box

Audited so a broken icon, an app that disappears or a dropped network never take down the home screen. Worst case it shows an empty grid — it never leaves the box unusable.

How to install it

Three steps. From the box itself, no PC.

01 · FREE

Download the APK

Open the box's browser and go to androidmalwarekiller.com/launcher-release.apk. It's under 9 MB.

02 · ONE TAP

Pick it as your home screen

Install the APK and, when you press the remote's home button, Android asks which launcher to use. Choose "Inicio" and you're done. No root.

03 · OPTIONAL

Disable the launcher-dropper

If you also have the AMK app and your box is infected, once AMK Launcher is the default, AMK can disable the malicious stock launcher.

Privacy

What it doesn't do.

The fastest way to understand a lightweight launcher is by what it deliberately leaves out.

  • 01No location. Weather is resolved from the IP, at city-level accuracy, with no GPS permission.
  • 02No file access. The wallpaper picker uses the Android mechanism that requires no storage permission.
  • 03No Google Play Services. Many BADBOX boxes don't have it legitimately — the launcher works fine without it.
  • 04No talking to any AMK server. Zero telemetry, zero account, zero advertising ID. The only internet call is a weather lookup.

Signs your current launcher is the problem

  • Ads or "recommended games" show up the moment you turn the box on.
  • There are rows of apps you never installed and can't remove.
  • The home screen is slow to respond or freezes when you open it.
  • The remote's "OK" doesn't always work and focus gets lost.
  • The box was sold as "unlocked" or with unlimited free streaming.
Frequently asked

What people usually ask

Is AMK Launcher really free?

Yes. It's free, with no paid version, no locked features and no ads. You download it as an APK and install it like any app.

Do I need the AMK app or an account to use the launcher?

No. AMK Launcher is a standalone app: it installs with or without the AMK app, never asks you to sign in, and doesn't talk to any AMK server.

What permissions does it ask for?

None that show a dialog. It only uses normal-level permissions to read the clock, the local IP and the Wi-Fi name, and to set a wallpaper. It doesn't ask for location or file access, and it doesn't use Google Play Services.

Do I need root to install it?

No. You install the APK and pick it as your home screen from Android's settings, like any other launcher. Root is only needed if you also want to disable the malicious stock launcher, and that's done by the AMK app, not the launcher.

What happens to the apps I already have installed?

They all stay. The launcher only changes the home screen: it shows your apps in a grid, lets you feature the ones you use most and hide bloatware from view, without uninstalling anything.

Can I switch back to my previous launcher?

Yes, any time, from Android's app settings. On BADBOX boxes keep in mind that the stock launcher can be the malware dropper itself — which is why going back to it is a bad idea.

Does it work on an Android phone or tablet?

Yes. It's designed and tested for TV boxes with a remote, but you can install it as the launcher on any Android device. The D-pad navigation doesn't get in the way on a touch device.

Direct download

Replace the stock launcher today. It's free.

Under 9 MB. No ads, no permissions, no account. Download it straight from the box.

Download AMK Launcher (APK)

Installing it straight from the TV box? Open the Downloader app (find it in your device's store) and enter code 8818296, or type aftv.news/8818296 into any browser on the device — no USB drive, no PC. Then press the remote's home button and choose "Inicio" as your launcher.