Sideloading on Fire TV: Install apps from the Play Store - how it works
If you don't just want to install the limited selection of apps on your Fire TV, you can sideload almost any other Android app from the Play Store. We'll show you how it's done.
Fire TV (Stick): Install Android apps via sideload
The Fire OS operating system, a modified version of Android, runs on the Fire TV. For this reason, almost all Android apps run on the Fire TV, as long as you sideload the app to the device. There can only be problems with the operation, since the apps are not adapted for the Fire TV.
- First open the "Settings" on your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.
- In the "Device" category you will find the "Developer options".
- Set both the "ADB debugging" and the "Apps of unknown origin" from "On".
- Find the "Downloader" app on your Fire TV and install it.
- In the meantime, you can search for the desired app for the sideload on the PC in parallel. A safe source is the APK-Mirror website.
- Select the desired app and right-click on the "Download APK" button.
- Select the "Copy link address" option. You will then save yourself a lot of time if you shorten the URL.
- Enter the shortened URL in the Downloader app on the Fire TV and confirm with "OK".
- The app is now downloaded and installed via sideload. This process can take several minutes.
In the next practical tip, we will show you the 5 best apps for the Amazon Fire TV.