A VPN on a TCL or Haier TV: how to install it on Google TV and Android TV

The TCL and Haier TVs sold in Russia run Google TV or Android TV — and Mayak installs on them. Below: how to check your TV and install Mayak in five minutes.

Which system TCL and Haier TVs run

On 28 September 2026 we opened the catalogues of both brands and read the Operating system line of every model.

• TCL. The Russian TCL catalogue lists 55 series, and all of them run Google TV, except two on Android TV.
• Haier. The catalogue of the official Haier shop lists 67 models: 28 on Google TV and 39 on Android TV (versions 11 and 14).

There are no TVs on Yandex TV (YaOS) in either catalogue.

For Mayak there is no difference between Google TV and Android TV. Google TV is a shell on top of Android: TCL itself labels such models “Google TV (Android)”. We have one app, for Android 7.0 and newer, and it installs on both. Only the place where you look for the store on the screen differs — more on that below.

How to install Mayak on TCL and Haier

1. Create an account on your phone or in your account page. Signing up on a TV is awkward: the “not a robot” check may not open there.
2. Find Mayak on the TV. Google TV may have no separate store icon: press the Assistant button on the remote or pick Search on the home screen, type “Mayak” and press Install; apps are also listed on the Apps tab at the top of the home screen (Google TV help). On Android TV, open Google Play and look for “Mayak — private network”.
3. Sign in with the code on the screen. Mayak on the TV shows a QR code and an eight-character code. On the phone: Mayak → Settings → “Sign in a TV” → “Scan QR” → “Confirm sign-in”. No app on the phone? Confirm the code in your account page from any browser, Devices section.
4. Connect. Pick a country and press the connect button. The first time, the TV asks for permission — press OK. “Protected” on the screen means you are done.

In detail, with how sign-in by code works and why it is safe — in the TV article. The TV takes a plan slot as one more device; the trial has two slots — a phone and a TV both fit.

If Mayak is not in search: installing from a file

What the store shows your TV is decided by Google. If Mayak is not there, install it as an APK file from our site:

1. open a browser on the TV; if there is none, install any from the store;
2. type mayaknetworks.com/dl/app — the Mayak file downloads, about 18 MB;
3. open the downloaded file; the TV asks whether apps from this source may be installed — allow it and press Install.

The Google Play and site versions do not install over each other: to switch, remove the first one. The file will not download or install — step by step in a separate article.

If the connection drops after the TV is switched off

Switch the TV off — the connection closes; switch it on — it has to be brought up again. To avoid doing that by hand, turn on auto-connect in Mayak: Settings → the Protection section → Auto-connect. Connect by hand once, and after the TV is switched on Mayak brings the last working connection up by itself. We tested this on an Android TV emulator after a normal restart. How the standby mode of TCL and Haier TVs behaves we did not test: if the TV is on and there is no “Protected”, open Mayak and press the connect button.

If your TV has Alice and YaOS

Some TVs of other brands run Yandex's system — YaOS, formerly Yandex TV. There is no Google Play there, and the path is different: the file is installed from a USB stick. How to do it and what we tested — in the Yandex TV article.

What we tested

• The brands' catalogues, 28 September 2026: all 55 series on tcl.com/ru and 67 models in the Haier shop, the Operating system line of each.
• Mayak works for people on TCL and Haier: according to our data on account devices as of 28 September 2026, it was installed both from Google Play and from a file, on TVs with Android 9 to 14, and their connection to our lines was there.
• The app on Android TV — on an emulator: install, sign-in with a code from the phone, a connection up to “Protected” and auto-connect after a restart.

What we do not know

• Whether Mayak shows up in the store on your particular model. People have installed it from there on TVs of both brands, but what to show is decided by Google. Not there — from a file.
• The standby mode of specific models. We own no TCL or Haier TV.
• TVs brought from other countries. We looked only at the Russian catalogues. Checking yours is simple: if it has Google Play or the Google TV Apps tab, Mayak will install.
• Video speed on a TV. There were no TVs in our line measurements, so we have no answer about 4K through the tunnel — more.

Short answers

Can I install a VPN on a TCL or Haier TV? Yes: both brands sell TVs in Russia on Google TV or Android TV, and Mayak installs on them.

How do I download a VPN to a TCL TV? Through Search or the Apps tab on Google TV, in Google Play on Android TV, and if it is not there — from a file at mayaknetworks.com/dl/app.

Do I need to type a password with the remote? No: the TV shows a code, and you confirm it on your phone or in your account page.

Why does the VPN switch off on the TV? Switching the TV off closes the connection. Turn on auto-connect in Mayak: Settings → Protection → Auto-connect.

Do I pay separately for the TV? No, it is a device of the same account; it takes a plan slot like a phone.