Maximum PC - UK (2019-12)

Install Kodi on a

Fire TV Stick

1

HOOK IT UP

Start by getting your Fire TV Stick prepared. It’s remarkably

simple, and there’s no need to do any real hardware hacking

or rooting—like many Android phones, the required options are

in there already. Plug your TV Stick into your TV as normal, and

get your remote ready, as you need it to work through these steps.

Truth be told, there’s not really a lot you need to do with your PC

at this point—the entire install process can be done on-device,

on-couch, in about five minutes if you follow along quickly.

2

OPEN THE FLOODGATES

Using the remote, head to “Settings” in the bar at the top

of the main screen, then scroll across to “My Fire TV”

[Image A]. There’s a lot here, including the factory reset option

(which may come in handy later if something goes wrong), but

ignore it for now, and head to “Developer Options.” Thankfully,

there’s none of the standard Android septuple-tapping

shenanigans required to gain access here—Amazon has left

things rather open. Just enable “Apps from unknown sources,”

and you’ve told your Fire TV Stick that you’re cool with it running

whatever. There’s an obvious security risk here, particularly if

you tinker your way into installing an app you don’t trust, so we

urge you to be a little careful with this new-found power. Accept

the dire warning [Image B] and you can continue.

3

START DOWNLOADING

How do you install an unsigned app on a Fire TV Stick?

In one of two ways: Either use ADB over a network (see

“Easy as ADB,” opposite) or download the APK file to your stick

and run it from there. The non-stick version of the Fire TV, with

its USB port, offers another obvious route to installation, but

we’ll work with the TV Stick for now. Head to Amazon’s search

bar and find the app Downloader; ensure it’s the one published by

THIS WILL COME as no surprise: Amazon’s hardware line, ostensibly running its own OS,

borrows heavily from Android. As in, it’s basically a reskinned Android, with the Google apps

trashed in favor of ones that support Amazon’s ecosystem. This is true of the company’s Fire

tablets, it was true of its disastrous phone, and it’s also true of the Fire TV range—it’s all

Android underneath. This means it has, at least to some extent, the same extendable structure

as Android. We can take a Fire TV Stick or TV Cube beyond its standard lineup of channels and

apps—we’re not stuck with what Amazon offers on its tightly controlled store. Things like Plex

are already available there in a couple of clicks, but if you’re running a Kodi server at home, or

if you have a passing interest in the (sometimes questionably legal) successor to XBMC, you’ll

know how useful having access to the Kodi app is, particularly given the TV Stick’s convenient

remote. This isn’t only a way to run Kodi—it gets you access to a whole host of unsigned apps—

but that’s what we’ll focus on here. Feel free to do your own experimentation. –ALEX COX

YOU’LL NEED THIS

AN AMAZON FIRE

TV DEVICE

Any will do, from the

original to the 4K.

Troypoint.com. You can also do this on your PC, picking

up the app from the Amazon store, and sending it to your

device, but you might as well sit and use the remote.

4

FIND KODI

Run Downloader, accept its permissions (if you

don’t, you won’t be able to download anything),

then laboriously use Amazon’s infuriating alphabetical-

order keyboard (seriously, why?) to type in the address

of the site that hosts your desired file using the box on

Downloader’s “Home” screen [Image C]. In this case,

we’ll opt for the official Kodi download page at http://

kodi.tv/download. This opens the page in Downloader’s

built-in web browser. Use your remote to control the

red circle and scroll through until you find the “Android”

section, then select it.

5

INSTALL KODI

We’ve found the 32-bit ARM version, from the

more stable “Release” branch, works best. You’re

welcome to try any of the others—Google Play and X86

won’t work, as you’re not on a Google device and you’re

not using an X86 chip—but the nightlies, if you’re offered

any, may include new experimental features to go along

with the inherent instability of using bleeding-edge

software. Pick your poison, download it [Image D], and

you’re given the option to install. Go ahead and do it, then

select the option to remove the file you’ve downloaded.

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66 MAXIMUMPC DEC 2019 maximumpc.com

R&D