How To Watch TV On Peloton: Escape your Peloton Instructors!

A couple of weeks ago, I bought myself a brand new Peloton bike.

The exercise bike came with a screen right on the front, and I figured I could catch up on some TV shows while I burned off the extra calories.

But when I turned it on, all I could access were Peloton’s exercise videos.

The instructors seemed chill, but I’d wanted to use the screen to casually unwind without turning into a couch potato.

Looking it up online, I learned that you could use the in-built WebView Browser to head over to streaming platforms like Netflix.

But I wasn’t able to get this to work, and this wouldn’t save any of my information anyway.

I’d have to log in again each time.

To watch TV on Peloton, download the APK of your preferred streaming platform on your computer, along with a homescreen replacement app. Sideload the apps to your Peloton tablet using a USB cable to gain access to various streaming services.

Can I Watch TV on Peloton?

There were two ways of watching TV on your Peloton tablet.

The easier way of doing this was by simply using the in-built WebView browser.

However, Peloton has since updated their firmware to disallow the use of streaming websites on their test browser.

That’s why I wasn’t able to get it to work.

As Peloton screens were never customized to play videos on streaming sites, this method could also lead to software glitches.

Peloton discourages its customers from using other applications on their tablets, and wants them to only stream content via the Peloton app and subscription.

Currently, the only way available to watch TV on Peloton tablets is to sideload applications via USB.

However, this is directly against their ‘user agreement’ and falls under the category of improper use.

Hence, watching TV on Peloton tablets via this method may end up voiding your product warranty.

Of course, if the 12-month warranty period of your Peloton bike is already over, there is nothing stopping you from watching TV on the bike while working out!

Watching TV on Peloton Tablet

As Peloton only wants its customers to watch their official content, they have not given any native compatibility with various streaming apps.

The first thing you need to do is turn on USB debugging, which can only be done once the Developer options are enabled.

Then, you need to download the relevant apps on your computer and then sideload them onto the Peloton tablet.

This can be done easily by using a USB cable.

It is also recommended that you sideload a launcher app that will replace the default home screen of your Peloton tablet.

This will ensure that no software glitches or issues interfere with your enjoyment of OTT content on your Peloton bike.

Connecting Peloton to a Computer

In order to turn on USB debugging, you will first need to enable Developer options on your Peloton tablet.

You can follow the steps below:

Tap on ‘Device Settings’ under the main Setting.
Under ‘System’ select the ‘About Tablet’ option.
Click on the ‘Build Number’ option 7 times in order to enable the Developer mode.
On the previous screen, select Developer options and turn on ‘USB Debugging.’

Moving on, you can connect your computer to Peloton by following these steps:

Connect your Peloton to your computer using a USB cable
A pop-up will show on the Peloton screen asking you to ‘Allow USB Debugging?’. Check ‘Always allow from this computer’ and click ‘OK’.
Download Android SDK Platform Tools on your computer, depending on your operating system.
Launch ‘Terminal’ on your Mac or ‘Command Prompt’ on your Windows.
Type ‘cd ’ in Terminal/Command Prompt and drop the downloaded ‘Platform Tools’ there.
Press ‘Return’ or ‘Enter’. This will change the directory to Platform tools.
Now, type ‘./adb devices’ in Terminal or ‘adb devices’ in Command Prompt.
Press ‘Return’ or ‘Enter’. This will verify if your Peloton and computer are connected.

Sideloading Apps on Your Peloton

Once you have connected your Peloton to your computer, the apps are ready to be sideloaded onto your bike.

It is recommended that you first sideload a home screen replacement app so that the default home screen does not cause issues when you download the streaming app(s).

Various such home screen apps like the Nova Launcher, KISS Launcher and Lawnchair can be used to solve this purpose.

Download and Install APK versions

The following steps need to be followed in order to sideload individual apps on your Peloton:

Download your app from an APK website such as APKMirror or APKPure.
Type ‘./adb install ’ in Terminal or ‘adb install ’ in Command Prompt.
Now, drag and drop the APK there.
Press ‘Return’ or ‘Enter’ ro install the app on your Peloton.

Once the external launcher has been installed, you will need to follow the steps below each time you wish to access it:

Go to the main screen on your Peloton and open ‘Settings’.
Click on ‘Device Settings’ and tap on the ‘Peloton’ logo at the bottom of the screen.
Select the ‘launcher’ and choose ‘Always’.

Watch TV on Peloton seamlessly

Once you have sideloaded all the streaming apps that you wish to use, open the launcher by following the steps above.

You will be able to see and access the list of apps that you have sideloaded.

You can log in to your streaming account on any one of the apps to check whether streaming is possible.

If you only wish to use one streaming app on your Peloton, you do not need to sideload a launcher.

Instead, you will have to follow the same steps you used to access the launcher, in order to use the third-party application of your choice..

An external launcher is extremely useful when you wish to access multiple third-party applications on your Peloton.

Once you have opened the launcher app, you easily access all of the apps that you have sideloaded.

Risks associated with watching TV on Peloton

There is a chance that you experience various errors or glitches while watching TV on your Peloton tablet.

Peloton has not customized their tablets to work with third party applications.

Sideloading them can cause screen malfunctions, and may even cause your Peloton tablet to crash.

Screen malfunctions that occur due to streaming on third-party apps will also void the warranty and you will have to take up the entire cost of potential repairs.

Factory Reset can fix screen glitches

In case you encounter glitches or your Peloton tablet crashes, the following steps can be followed to perform a factory reset:

Ensure that your tablet is shut down. This can be done by holding the power button and pressing the “Shut down” button when the prompt pops up.
Once the tablet switches off, initiate the recovery mode by pressing the ‘power button’ and then immediately pressing the ‘volume up’ button.
Using the volume buttons to toggle and the power button to select, press the ‘Wide data/Factory’ reset option.
Press on the confirm button and wait for the factory reset to complete.

Once the factory reset is done, reboot your Peloton tablet to check if it is working normally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Peloton not allow users to download third party apps?

Peloton offers a monthly subscription worth $12.99 per month.

Their tablets are only created to stream this subscribed content and downloading third party apps is not possible directly.

Is it possible to use a Peloton bike without membership?

Yes, the membership is merely an additional feature for your Peloton workout device.

There are two pre-recorded classes, and you can also use the “Just Ride” feature to use the bike without taking any classes.

Is it possible to stream Peloton content on a TV?

Yes, you can download the Peloton app on your Smart TV and log in to your membership account.

You will then be able to access the content as well as check your progress on your TV app.