Web Apps and Browsers

Web Apps and Browsers

Add a web browser

The download has no web browser of its own, so it stays small. You pick one and it installs from the internet (the box needs a network connection):

• in the Setup Wizard's WEB BROWSER step, or
• any time later in Settings > APPLICATIONS > ADD A WEB BROWSER.

Choice	What it is
FIREFOX	Firefox ESR: open-source browser for everyday browsing. Full screen, keeps its profile, bookmarks and logins.
GOOGLE CHROME	Official Google Chrome Stable: best for streaming sites and web apps. Keeps its profile.
NOT NOW	Add one later in Settings > APPLICATIONS

You can add both. The browser appears in TV & VIDEO on the home screen. A box updated from 0.2.x keeps the browsers it had.

On a live USB stick, an added browser is gone after a restart, even with storage on the stick; add it again, or install CouchLiteOS to the disk. On a live USB that keeps nothing, browser logins are forgotten at power-off too.

Using the browser

Browsers use the controller mouse by default: left stick points, A clicks, right stick scrolls, B goes back, X / Triangle opens the on-screen keyboard. Tap Guide for the quick menu, or hold the Home shortcut to get back to CouchLiteOS; close the browser in ACTIVE APPLICATIONS with Y / Square.

Add a web app

Settings > APPLICATIONS > ADD WEB APPLICATION: type a NAME and an http:// or https:// address (or type it on your phone). The web app gets its own tile and opens full screen, with the controller mouse on. It opens in Google Chrome, or in Firefox if that is the browser you have. Add a web browser first.

Video and music sites (Netflix, YouTube, Twitch, Spotify and so on) go into TV & VIDEO, cloud gaming sites (Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce NOW) into GAMES, and other sites into APPS.

LO-FI RADIO

LO-FI RADIO in APPS plays relaxed lo-fi beats from radio.dudiebug.net, full screen. It opens in the web browser, so it needs Firefox or Google Chrome and an internet connection. Without a browser, its tile says ADD A WEB BROWSER TO PLAY and opens ADD A WEB BROWSER.

Add a command app

Settings > APPLICATIONS > ADD COMMAND APPLICATION: NAME, ABSOLUTE COMMAND, optional ARGUMENTS, RUN IN TERMINAL? and optional environment values (KEY=value;OTHER=value). The program must already be installed on the box; to install one, see Installing Your Own Programs.

Manage apps

In Settings > APPLICATIONS, pick an app to ENABLE, DISABLE or DELETE it (the built-in apps cannot be deleted), or press Left/Right on it to move it.

Streaming services

• Firefox has DRM playback (Encrypted Media Extensions) turned on; like any Firefox, it downloads the Widevine module the first time a site needs it.
• Some services, Disney+ for example, do not officially support Linux, so playback is not guaranteed in either browser.
• Protected video always shows black inside a Moonlight stream; play it in a browser on CouchLiteOS instead.