ABOUT RANDOM TV TIME

Chance, curiosity and seventeen channels—with no recommendation feed deciding what you see next.

Random TV Time is a free channel-surfing app for Android and the web. Instead of asking you to search a catalog or train a recommendation algorithm, it starts with a television set and a simple invitation: switch it on and see whatever comes on.

17 CHANNELSFrom cartoons and film noir to newsreels, game shows and home movies.

FREENo account, subscription, advertising or in-app purchase.

PRIVATENo analytics. Settings and viewing history stay on the device.

What you can watch

The lineup includes Default, Cartoons, Silent Pictures, Classic Films, Film Noir and Cable TV; separate television sets for the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s; and channels for Commercials, News and Newsreels, Old Sports, Game Shows, Public Access and Home Movies, and Late Night.

Every selection is recorded video hosted by the Internet Archive. The app streams it from there and links each program back to its source page. Random TV Time is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Internet Archive or by the people, programs and organizations appearing in archived material.

Designed like a television

Each channel changes the set around the picture as well as the programming. You can move forward or back, save channels, review the lineup, open the source page, set a sleep timer and adjust the picture, static, sound and screen fit. The Android edition also supports picture in picture and television remotes.

Privacy and content controls

The app does not require an account and does not contain advertising or analytics. Preferences, saved channels, hidden items and the viewing record remain on the device. A title-and-tag safety filter is on by default, and any individual item can be hidden. Because archival descriptions can be incomplete, the filter cannot guarantee that every selection will suit every viewer. Random TV Time is intended for adults age 18 and older. Read the full privacy policy and terms of use.

The creator

Random TV Time was created independently by Elliott Owen Lipinsky, who also publishes as Elliott Lipinsky. He is an Alabama attorney and independent software creator. His legal practice is separate from this project and has its own website at eollaw.com.

For app questions or media requests, email elliottlipinsky@gmail.com.