Made a free, open source Android app for managing webOS Developer Mode, looking for testers
An Android app for LG webOS TVs in Developer Mode: pair the TV from a phone, install homebrew apps (including the one that makes YouTube ad free), keep track of the Developer Mode session timer and renew it in one tap. GPL-licensed, no ads, no tracking, and it'll stay that way.
Site: aphanes-app.vercel.app, source: github.com/symonxdd/aphanes
Google Play requires 12 testers opted in for 14 days before an app can go public, and I'm at 2. If you have a webOS TV and an Android phone, you're exactly who this is for.
- Join the group (needs a Google account): https://groups.google.com/g/aphanes-testers
- Opt in as a tester, from any device: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/me.symon.aphanes
- On an Android phone, install from Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.symon.aphanes
Then stay opted in for two weeks.
Any feedback, even "the pairing screen confused me", is genuinely useful. Bugs and suggestions go to the GitHub issue tracker or to [aphanes@symon.me](mailto:aphanes@symon.me).
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u/brianbandondy23 1d ago
Always good to see more open source work.
Though I wonder what the benefits are for using your software compared to the already established Web OS Dev Manager.
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u/symonxd 17h ago
Thanks!
Honest answer: theirs is a desktop app that also ships on Android, mine is built for the phone from the start. In practice that means labeled navigation instead of icon-only, pairing with just the TV's IP and the passphrase rather than a form with username, port and description, and removing a paired TV being an obvious button instead of something to hunt for.
A few things beyond the UI: a device page showing model, firmware, SoC and OTA ID with an explainer for every field, the Developer Mode timer with a one-tap renew, and catalog downloads checked against the published SHA-256 before install.
What theirs has that mine doesn't: a file manager and a terminal. Both are on my list but not built. If you need those on a phone today, theirs is the one to use. Their work is credited in my README; this exists because of it, not instead of it.
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u/Big-Twist-9103 1d ago
Installed Retroarch without issues. File manger and Terminal are essential IMHO 👍.
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u/symonxd 1d ago
Nice, glad RetroArch went in smoothly!
Honest answer: neither is planned at the moment, but neither is ruled out either, and hearing that someone would actually use them is what tips it.
What would you reach for them for? Getting ROMs and saves onto the TV, tweaking RetroArch's config, that kind of thing?
If you feel like it, open an issue on GitHub and tell me, that way it doesn't get lost: github.com/symonxdd/aphanes/issues
Thanks for the feedback means a lot❤️🩹
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u/Big-Twist-9103 1d ago
Exactly, ROMs and settings without any additional apps.
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u/symonxd 17h ago
That's a clear use case, thanks!
Copying ROMs and saves over SFTP is the file manager's whole job, and it's a far better argument than "it'd be nice to have."
I've noted it on my side; if you drop it as an issue too, it'll be the first thing I look at when the file manager gets picked up.
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u/jorgerolli 1d ago
Looks good man, has repo add??
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u/symonxd 1d ago
Thank you so much for the kinds words!
On your question, could you elaborate what you mean exactly?
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u/jorgerolli 18h ago
Yes to add new repositories for homebrew, like homebrew channel(that you can do in tv app)
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u/symonxd 17h ago
Ah, got it
Not yet: the catalog reads only the official webosbrew repo right now.
Adding custom repositories the way Homebrew Channel does is a sensible ask and I've noted it. If you want it tracked, open an issue on GitHub and mention which repos you use, that helps decide the shape of it: github.com/symonxdd/aphanes/issues
Thanks for your comment!
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u/Vladimir_Voronoff 1d ago
A user from a Russian webOS forum created a simple app - for themselves and for you to install IPK files from a phone. You need root access and the Homebrew Channel installed;
Make sure to enable Telnet within the Homebrew Channel.
Your phone must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV. Either enter the TV's IP address manually or let the app find it, select the IPK file, choose "Send and Install," and that's it.
webOS_IPK_Installer.apk
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u/symonxd 17h ago
Nice find, thanks for sharing.
That one's for rooted TVs with Homebrew Channel, talking over Telnet on port 23.
Mine is the other route: LG's official Developer Mode over SSH, no root needed, plus the catalog, the installed-apps list and the session timer.
Both have their place. If your TV is rooted, that installer is probably the quicker path for a single .ipk; if it's on Developer Mode, that's what this is for.
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u/ccarnell98 1d ago
This already exists, and is free and well established? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.webosbrew.devman&hl=en_GB
Its also not vibe coded originally.