How to Install Kodi on FireStick

Last Updated on January 15, 2023

This tutorial will help you install Kodi on FireStick. You can also get Kodi working on a Gen 3 Fire TV, Fire TV Cube, as well as all the existing lineup of Fire TV Editon Smart TVs and soundbars.

One of the best media management software for a proper streaming setup is Kodi. This open-source, cross-platform media player has existed since the days of XBMC on the first-gen Xbox console. The developers at XBMC Foundation and the public Kodi community are actively refining the code and adding new features to Kodi, making it more useful for local and remote media consumption.

As of now, the Kodi app supports Windows, macOS, Linux, as well as Android and iOS devices. Kodi’s Android compatibility also extends to Android TV and additional Android-powered platforms, including Amazon’s Fire TV. Kodi is designed to scale on big screens, and its 10-foot user interface is adaptive.

Since many home streaming enthusiasts use Kodi on Fire TV devices to stream ripped content over the local network, the popularity of Kodi has rapidly spread across the Fire TV userbase in recent years.

It is possible to install Kodi even on the cheapest Fire TV device, the Firestick. It is also the best-selling Fire TV device across the globe, and the chances of you owning one are pretty high.

In this guide, you will find extensive details on Kodi and learn about its features, along with detailed instructions on installing the latest version of Kodi on Firestick.

What Can you do with Kodi on FireStick?

First, let us briefly introduce you to Kodi. Although Kodi is designated to be a media and entertainment hub for a home theatre setup, it often resembles a full-fledged operating system instead.

The default 10-foot Kodi GUI offers unlimited customizations, in terms of both color schemes and the functionality of the interface. There are thousands of homebrew developers that have built skins for Kodi, which entirely overhaul Kodi’s default user interface. So, you can personalize your Kodi experience as per your preferences.

The best thing about Kodi is not its ability to playback local content from a network-attached file server, but the inclusion of add-ons.

Add-ons are the heart and soul of Kodi’s user experience, as they offer extra functionalities to Kodi. Service add-ons that provide media content are most popular among Kodi users, and you can enjoy both premium and free streaming content.

The official add-on repository offers 950+ add-ons, and dozens of them can help you fetch streaming materials from major streaming services (if only you sign up for the service).

Alongside the official repository, there are hundreds of third-party repositories that host homebrew video and utility add-ons. Some of them even offer to watch movies and watch TV shows for free, albeit from unverified sources. Still, you can stream a wide variety of media content over the network using add-ons on Kodi.

There are emulator add-ons available as well, and you can have a taste of retro gaming with various Atari, Doom, Commodore, Nintendo, SEGA, and Sony PlayStation emulators, as long as you have the game ROMs.

In addition, you can playback up to 4K Ultra HD content over the network via Kodi, assuming that you have high-speed internet connectivity, a web browser, and supported media devices. When installed on a Firestick 4K, Kodi can handle HLG, HDR10, and Dolby Vision video enhancements, as well as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus audio channels with ease.

As you may already guess, the Kodi player supports all video and audio codecs. Subtitle support is also available, and you can also customize the size, adjust the position, and set delays.

Kodi also works as a PVR client. You can install the PVR IPTV Simple Client from the official add-on repository, load your M3U playlist, and stream local television channels on your Firestick. Thanks to Kodi’s EPG support, you can even import an XMLTV EPG file to get a working TV guide.

Kodi does support HTTP Live Streaming, which is often known as HLS. It is the industry standard among most IPTV providers.

There are dozens of additional features, and it’s not possible to cover all of them. However, you can check out the Features section below to have an idea.

Features of Kodi

• Kodi can playback media files from both local and remote servers. Thanks to native IPTV support, it can also handle continuous channel streams.
• You can adjust your display refresh rate from Kodi to eliminate judders on 24FPS content.
• Kodi offers advanced parental controls and accessibility options.
• It is simple to change and customize Kodi’s skins, color profiles, fonts, etc. It even features an optional screensaver mode.
• Kodi works flawlessly with the Fire TV Remote. You can also use a wireless keyboard and mouse for navigation.
• You can enable UPnP and DLNA for local network content discovery. It makes direct content casting simpler from PCs and mobile devices.

How to Install Kodi on FireStick

At the time of the writing, the most recent version of Kodi is v18.9 Leia. Although Kodi is a trusted app and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, it was removed from the Amazon Appstore almost five years ago for “facilitating piracy and illegal downloads,” at least according to Amazon.

However, Amazon does let Fire TV users sideload APK files, which we will follow in order to install Kodi on Firestick.

Step #1: Enable app sideloading

Android lets users install both signed and unsigned APK files for a long time now. Fire TV OS also runs on a forked version of Android, and it still retains access to sideloading. Simply do the following to enable app sideloading on Firestick:

• First of all, navigate to the tabs row of the Fire TV home screen to highlight Settings. The settings menu will expand automatically.
• Next, find Device & Software in the settings menu. Search for My Fire TV or Device in case your Firestick is running on an older version of Fire TV OS.

• On the following settings menu, select Developer options.

• Now click on Apps from Unknown Sources in the developer options menu.

• A disclaimer box will show up, warning you about the risks of installing third-party apps. Since Kodi is a trusted app, dismiss the warning by clicking Turn On.

App sideloading is now enabled on Firestick. You can now proceed to the second part of this Kodi installation guide.

#2. Get Downloader on Firestick

We will use Downloader to download the latest Kodi APK on Firestick. It is the only app on Amazon Appstore that lets users download files. Follow the steps below to get Downloader on your Fire TV device.

• Select Search (magnifying glass) situated next to the tabs row of the Fire TV home screen.
• After that, use the Fire TV Remote’s voice input function or manually type Downloader in the search bar using the on-screen keyboard to search for the app.
• Click the Downloader keyword under the search bar.

• Now navigate down to the Apps & Games row on the results page to select Downloader.
• Finally, click Get / Download on the Appstore page. It will not take long to download and install the Downloader app on Firestick.

#3. Install Kodi 18.9 on Firestick

Now that you have Downloader, it’s time to download the Kodi APK file and install it on your Amazon Fire Stick. The steps mentioned below will help you to download Kodi 18.9 on firestick.

• Start with lanching the Downloader app from the Appstore page or the Fire TV home screen by clicking the downloader Icon.
• Next, click Allow to give Downloader the required permissions to storage. Otherwise, it will not be able to read or write on your Firestick’s internal storage.
• Proceed to Downloader’s Home page by clicking OK under the changelog window.
• Now click the URL bar and type in this link: https://bit.ly/3okVX1A to download the latest version of Kodi 18.9 apk on Amazon fire stick.

• Click Go next to the on-screen keyboard or the Play/Pause button on your Fire TV Remote. The downloader will start downloading the Kodi APK file after a few seconds.

• Once the Kodi APK file is fully downloaded, Downloader will auto-launch the Android installer. Click Install to begin installing Kodi on the Amazon Fire stick.

• After you install Kodi on Firestick, click Done to close the Android installer. Finally, click Delete in the dialog box of the Downloader window to get rid of the Kodi APK file. It will free up internal storage space on your Amazon Fire stick.

To launch and access Kodi on Firestick, return to the Fire TV home screen and scroll down to Your Apps & Channels row. In case the row is occupied by other apps, then click See All in the end. From the fully expanded list of installed apps, you will be able to find and launch Kodi.

When the newest version of Kodi rolls out, you will have to sideload the APK file by following the steps above. Kodi doesn’t have a dedicated updater, but you can install an add-on that offers the functionality.

Additional Methods for Installing Kodi on Firestick

You can use the Downloader app to sideload Kodi on Firestick, and it’s the easiest option. However, those who already use the ES File Explorer Android app won’t necessarily have to install Downloader to get Kodi on their Fire TV devices, as it lets you sideload apps as well.

It’s worth mentioning that most of the ES File Manager’s features are locked behind a paywall, and it’s $9.99 every month. In case you actually pay for the subscription or using the 7-day free trial, you can follow the separate set of instructions below to install Kodi on Firestick using ES File Explorer.

Install Kodi on Firestick using ES File Explorer

• First, go to the Settings menu from the tabs row above the Fire TV home screen.
• Click My Fire TV or Device or Device & Software in the Settings menu, then select Developer options on the next screen.
• Now click the Apps from Unknown Sources option. You will be interrupted by a disclaimer, which you can close by clicking Turn On.
• Now that sideloading is enabled, launch the ES File Explorer app on your Firestick, assuming that you have it already installed.
  Otherwise, go up the main sideloading section in this guide and follow Step #2 instructions to install ES File Explorer in the same way.
• After you launch ES File Explorer, select the Tools option from the sidebar on the left of the screen.
• Choose Download Manager from the list of tools, then click the +New option at the bottom of the menu.
• In the Path field of the pop-up menu, type in https://bit.ly/3okVX1A, then put your preferred name for the APK file.
• Click Download Now in the pop-up menu. The Kodi APK file should begin downloading.
• After the file completes downloading, click Open file on the following window, and click Install twice to confirm the installation of Kodi on your Firestick.
• Once Kodi is installed, click Done to go back to the ES File Explorer window and delete the APK file, so that you can free up the occupied storage space.

Now that you’ve successfully installed Kodi using ES FileExplorer, you can launch it from Your Apps & Channels row underneath the Fire TV home screen.

Install Kodi on Firestick using AppStarter

AppStarter is an open-source app launcher for Fire TV devices, which is developed by a small group of developers from the XDA community. You can use it to easily install the latest version of Kodi 18.9 on Firestick. Here’s how:

• First, open up Downloader from the Fire TV home screen.
• Select the URL box in the Home section of Downloader, then enter the following link: https://bit.ly/3iD0KI5

• Click Go to download the AppStarter APK file, and wait for the Android installer to show up.
• Click Install in the Android installer window to install AppStarter on Firestick. Once it’s done, click Open to launch the app.
• Go to the Updates section of the app and click Install next to Kodi.

AppStarter will automatically start downloading the most recent version of Kodi and prompt you to install it on Firestick. If you want to update Kodi instead, click the Check for Update option. It saves you from the hassle of sideloading the latest APK file.

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Conclusion

If you own a local collection of ripped media files, then Kodi is a must-have media hub software for your Firestick. You can also install add-ons in Kodi application to stream movies and TV shows from popular streaming services that do not officially support Fire TV devices yet.

FAQs

1. What is Kodi?

Kodi is one of the best streaming apps right now on the Google play store. Kodi is a free and open-source media player application developed by the XBMC Foundation, a non-profit technology consortium. Kodi runs on Linux, OS X, Windows, iOS, Android, and many other operating systems. It is highly customizable with skins and addons available to change its appearance.

Kodi’s features include playing videos, music files as well as live TV through various PVR frontends such as MediaPortal or Tvheadend through an HTPC (Home Theater PC).

2. What are the best Kodi addons for the Amazon Fire TV Stick?

There are many addons for Kodi that can be used on the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Some of these popular third-party add-ons include Covenant, Exodus, and Phoenix. These three addons have a lot of content to offer and they work well with the Fire TV Stick.

3. Is there a way to install Kodi on Firestick without rooting it?

Kodi is a media player that can be installed on any device. It is possible to install Kodi without rooting the Firestick, but it will require downloading and installing an apk file onto the Firestick. To do this, follow these steps:
-Go to Settings > Applications > Unknown Sources
-Allow installation of unknown apps from unknown sources
-Download Kodi for Android (it’s free)
-Open the app after it downloads
-Press Install

4. Is Fire TV and Amazon Prime the same?

Fire TV is a streaming device that can be used to watch Amazon Prime content. Both Fire TV and Amazon Prime are offered by the company, Amazon.

5. What are the benefits of using Kodi on FireStick?

Kodi is a free and open-source media player software application. It can also be used as an entertainment center with the use of plugins from the Kodi repository.
Kodi has many benefits, such as it’s easy to install on FireStick; there are plenty of videos available for streaming; you have complete control over your viewing experience with addons and skins; it supports all types of video formats so you can watch any kind of content, etc.