How to install Kodi on Fire TV Stick (Firestick)

Your favorite open source media center on the Fire TV Stick!
Ash Ash (362)
10 minutes

The Fire TV Stick (also referred to as Firestick by the community) is a super handy media streaming device by Amazon. Today, we'll be taking full advantage of this device by installing an open-source media center known as Kodi. We've run Kodi on the Raspberry Pi in the past and knew it was time to bring this cool program over to the Fire Stick. It also makes a great addition to any DIY home theater!

I'll be using the Fire TV Stick 4K, but you can put Kodi on any Firestick. Since Kodi is Android-based, we’ll be loading the Kodi Android app. It’s not available in the Amazon Appstore, so we’ll download it directly from the developers.

What is Kodi?

Kodi is an open source media center. It's a hub for all of your personal media—that includes videos, music, and anything else you want to sync with your TV. You can add media using a hard drive or by simply sharing the media over your network to stream.

Is this legal?

Absolutely! We're just adding a third party app (Kodi). This is a process called sideloading, and it's nothing like jailbreaking. You will be able to factory reset the Firestick at any time.

Amazon Fire TV StickAmazon Fire TV Stick ×1

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firestick downloader app

To download the app from the Kodi developers, we'll use another app called Downloader. This application can be found by searching for Downloader in the Appstore.

Download and install the app.

firestick enable Apps from Unknown Sources

We'll need to enable apps from unknown sources. This tells the Firestick that it's okay to install third-party apps.

Open Settings and choose My Fire TV (older models will say Device instead).

Under Developer Options, select Install unknown apps (older models will say Apps from Unknown Sources instead)..

Then, select Downloader to toggle the setting to ON.

firestick kodi install

Using your Fire Stick remote, navigate to the Downloader app and launch it.

The first time you open Downloader, it will prompt you to allow it to access photos, media, and files on your device. Select Allow.

Next, open Browser from the left-hand navigation menu. Enter the following address:

https://www.kodi.tv/download

Scroll down and select Android from the list. You can choose to download the 64bit or 32bit version. Feel free to experiment with both to see which works best for you. I'm installing the 32bit version.

Once your download has finished you will be prompted to install the package. Click INSTALL.

firestick Kodi setup

You can now open Kodi from your main menu. It will be listed among your current selection of apps. When you access Kodi for the first time, it will prompt you for permission to access media files and folders. Be sure to give it the permissions it needs.

Now it's time to add some media! Visit the official Kodi wiki for help adding your own videos, music, and more. This Video library page is an excellent starting point for understanding the Kodi menus and how to add your own media library.

update kodi on firestick

Updating Kodi on the Firestick is easy.

Remove the current version by going to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications.

Select Kodi from the list. Choose Force stop then Uninstall.

Open the Downloader app and navigate to the Kodi downloader URL:

https://www.kodi.tv/download

Select the latest Android version to download and follow the installation prompts. Congratulations! Your Firestick now has the latest version of Kodi.

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