Does ElephTV Work on Samsung Smart TVs?
ElephTV South Africa Support Team — our local support team helps South African customers install the app, redeem activation codes and choose supported devices. More about us
Samsung TVs are excellent hardware, but they run Tizen OS instead of Android. That means no Play Store, no APK sideload — and no direct ElephTV app. The good news: two cheap workarounds turn any Samsung TV into a full ElephTV experience.
Let's start with the honest bit: ElephTV cannot install natively on a Samsung Smart TV. Every Samsung TV since 2015 runs Tizen OS, Samsung's own operating system. Tizen has its own App Store, which does not carry any Streaming TV players — this is a Samsung decision, not an ElephTV one, and it applies to every Streaming TV service in South Africa.
The two clean solutions below cost between R700 and R1,200 once, work perfectly, and are what our support team recommends every day.
Solution 1: Add an Android TV box (recommended)
An Android TV box plugs into an HDMI port on your Samsung, connects to Wi-Fi and runs the ElephTV app natively. Because it's Android with Google Play, the setup is a two-minute Play Store install.
- Cost: R700–R1,200 (X96, T95, MECOOL, or Formuler at higher end)
- Where to buy: Takealot, Game, Makro
- Setup: plug in, connect Wi-Fi, install ElephTV from Play Store, enter code
- Bonus: also runs Netflix, YouTube, Showmax, DStv Now — better than the built-in Samsung apps in most cases
Solution 2: Amazon Firestick
Firestick works the same way — plug into HDMI, sideload ElephTV via the Downloader app. Slightly cheaper than a mid-range Android box but requires the sideload step. See our dedicated Firestick guide.
Solution 3 (not recommended): screen-mirroring from a phone
Ready to watch? Try the app free for 4 days, then buy your activation code on elephtv.store from R120/month — it is auto-dispatched to WhatsApp or email after payment.
Technically you can install ElephTV on an Android phone and cast to a Samsung TV. In practice, this drains your phone battery, ties up the phone, and the picture quality is limited by the phone's video decoder. Fine as a stopgap, not a long-term setup.
Why not just release a Tizen version?
Publishing to Samsung's Tizen store requires a business partnership Samsung reserves for very large streamers (Netflix, Disney+, Showmax). Independent Streaming TV services worldwide use the Android-box workaround. Whether that changes is a Samsung decision.
The good news
Once you have an Android TV box or Firestick attached, your Samsung TV becomes one of the best ElephTV experiences you can get — the Samsung panel handles the picture, the box handles the app. Everyone we've helped down this path has ended up happier than with the built-in Samsung apps.
Frequently asked questions
- Will ElephTV ever release a Samsung Tizen app?
- There is no announced Tizen app. Samsung restricts third-party streaming app publishing to major partners.
- Does the Android TV box workaround affect picture quality?
- No — the Samsung TV panel handles the picture. Full HD and 4K both work correctly through HDMI.
- Do I need to replace my Samsung TV?
- No. A R700–R1,200 Android box plugged into HDMI turns any Samsung Smart TV into a full ElephTV device.