Amazon Fire TV devices , likeAmazon Fire pad , do n’t have approach to the standard Google Play Store , so you ca n’t get at as many audio , video and other apps as you could on , say , an Android TV . You do n’t have to settle for this state of occasion though — you could sideload just about any app you want on to a Fire TV gimmick by parachute through a few hoops .
It opens your Fire idiot box stick or box seat up to Kodi , various VPN apps , a broad option of games and more , though unless you ’re installing an app that ’s been specifically designed for a big filmdom ( an Android TV or Fire TV app ) , you might find it runs into problem — it might be too buggy or it might not show up correctly .
As with any variety of hacker of this case , some test and error is required . If at first you do n’t come through , try again … and by attempt again , we mean go a prompt web search to see if anyone else has undertake to install a special app — there might be one or two excess little tweaks you need to make to get it running the right way .
Photo: Adam Clark Estes (Gizmodo)
Open up the preferences page on your Amazon Fire TV machine , and find My Fire TV and then Developer Options : verify that both ADB Debugging and Apps from unnamed rootage are enabled . This fundamentally give your gimmick permission to install whatever you want , beyond the usual categories and listing of apps that Amazon gives you .
One of the dangers of grant any app at all on to your Fire television receiver gadget is that you could install something severe — something that has n’t been vetted by Amazon and marked as good . It ’s therefore crucial that you only install apps from sources that you commit , andAPKMirroris one of the most reputable app directories around , so it ’s the one we ’re making role of here .
Next , you need to get APK files from APKMirror on your streaming machine . There are a few way to do it , but the easiest we ’ve come across is this : Find ES File Explorer in the Amazon App Store , and install it ( draw a lookup for the app using the main selection on your Fire TV gimmick if you ca n’t find it in the Apps department ) .
You can transfer files to your Fire TV device via FTP.Screenshot: Gizmodo
give ES File Explorer , then choose web , View on PC , and Turn on . This grant you an FTP address that you may apply from a Mac or PC on the same web — just type it into Finder or File Explorer — to open up your Fire TV twist on your reckoner .
you could then download file from APK Mirror to your computer ( which is much easier than essay to do it on a streaming stick ) , and trail them across to your Fire TV gimmick . The Download folder is as good a lieu as any to put them , and they ’ll then be seeable in the Local and Download pill of ES File Explorer .
Now to in reality set up APKs you ’ll ask to sign up for ES Premium : It ’ll be you $ 10 a month but you’re able to get a week ’s innocent test inside the app . That then allows you to pick out APK files and install them on your Fire TV marijuana cigarette or boxwood . We ’d still recommend give ES File Explorer at least a month ’s payment for the services it provides .
The install routine is similar to Android TV.Photo: Gizmodo
If you do n’t want to spend any money at all , you may expend an app call Downloader to install your files ( again , look for it in the Amazon App Store or search for it ) . If you use this app though , you need to move APKs into the Downloader brochure on your Fire TV machine in the FTP step .
We establish the most reliable method for set up apps was to download them on a computer , reassign them via FTP and ES File Explorer , and instal them with Downloader , but Downloader can install apps directly too — check outthis guidefor install Kodi , for instance . If you ’ve set out a trustworthy verbatim connection to an APK , just apply Downloader on its own .
And that ’s just about all there is to it : Your apps seem as normal in the apps list , though as we mentioned at the top , you might occur across some hemipterous insect and some weird functionality for apps that have n’t been specifically design for TVs .
Unfortunately , it ’s not potential to get the Google Play Store up and running , even via APKs ( at least as far as our testing goes)—Google wo n’t recognize your twist as a licit Android one . There are some third - party app store clients that will give you access to a panoptic choice of apps , but you use them at your own risk .
Amazon Fire TVmedia cyclosis
Daily Newsletter
Get the good technical school , scientific discipline , and culture news in your inbox daily .
News from the future , delivered to your nowadays .
You May Also Like
