GetPassive SDK for Android TV apps — passive bandwidth revenue

If you publish an Android TV app and want to monetize without ads, the GetPassive SDK lets eligible devices contribute spare background bandwidth and pays you 80% of the revenue.

Why Android TV apps are a good fit

Android TV devices sit in living rooms and run for hours at a time. They stay on a stable home network, they rarely move location, and they spend most of their evening idle on a home screen or paused player. That combination of long uptime and predictable connection is exactly the profile background bandwidth contribution depends on.

Most Android TV apps already struggle with traditional monetization. Big-screen interstitials feel intrusive, video pre-rolls are competing with the content the user came to watch, and many ad networks restrict TV form factors anyway. A quiet background revenue layer fits the device better than another ad placement.

Performance pressure on Android TV apps is also lower than on phones. CPU and RAM headroom on idle Android TV hardware is usually generous, so a lightweight background process is unlikely to be noticed by the user during normal viewing.

How GetPassive works on Android TV

The flow is the same for every platform. You apply for access, we review your app and audience, and approved developers get an SDK key. You add the SDK to your Android TV build, start in test mode to confirm the integration reports correctly, then promote the app to live mode once you are ready.

On Android TV the SDK runs as a lightweight background contributor. It is battery-aware on devices that report battery state, network-aware so it backs off when the user is actively streaming, and pauses when the device reports low resources. There is nothing on-screen for the end user, and there is no separate consumer login.

Most teams ship the SDK behind an existing settings toggle or onboarding screen so users can see and revisit the choice. Full integration details are in our integration docs.

What you keep

Developers receive 80% of net revenue generated by participating devices. GetPassive keeps 20% to operate the platform. There is no per-GB bounty, no hidden campaign rates, no opaque pricing tier. The split is the same whether your audience is small or large.

Payouts run monthly through Stripe Connect. You connect a Stripe account during onboarding, and earnings clear once the monthly cycle settles. There is no minimum install base to start a conversation; revenue scales with the number of active participating devices, the regions they sit in, and how much spare bandwidth is available. Earnings are estimates and depend on real-world demand, uptime, and geography.

Consent model

Consent is handled inside your existing Terms and Conditions. You include a plain-language clause that explains the app may use a limited amount of idle bandwidth in the background and that this helps support the app, and your users accept it the same way they accept the rest of your terms.

No personal data is collected from end users by GetPassive. The SDK does not need accounts, email addresses, or device identifiers for advertising. The full disclosure text and example T&C wording is on our consent page.

FAQ

Does the SDK affect Android TV playback?

No. The SDK is network-aware and backs off when the device is actively streaming, so it should not affect playback quality on a healthy connection.

What Android TV versions are supported?

The SDK supports modern Android TV builds running Android 7.0 and later. Supported architectures include arm64-v8a, armeabi-v7a, and x86_64.

Will ad networks consider this a policy conflict?

Background bandwidth contribution is unrelated to ad inventory, so it does not directly conflict with ad network policies. Always check the specific terms of any third-party SDK you ship alongside it.

Can I run the SDK in test mode first?

Yes. Every approved developer starts in test mode. You can confirm that integration is reporting correctly before promoting your app to live.