How to Install an APK on an Amazon Fire Stick

Lee Stanton March 31, 2021

If you want access to apps or app updates that aren’t available on the Google Play Store, you may want to know how to install APK’s to your Amazon Fire Stick.

How to Install an APK on an Amazon Fire Stick

In this article, we’ll discuss how to install third-party apps to your Firestick, directly from the internet or your computer; plus, how to safely install APK’s to your Android device.

How to Install an APK on Firestick?

To install an APK on your Firestick from a computer running Windows or macOS:

From the top-right of the Firestick home screen, click on “Settings.”
Locate and select “My Fire TV.”
Select “Developer Options.”
Turn on “ADB Debugging” and “Apps from Unknown Sources.”
An “Apps from Unknown Sources” warning message will display, select “Turn on.”

How to Install Downloader App?

To install Downloader on Firestick/Fire TV:

From the main menu, select “Settings” found towards the top left-hand corner.
Select “My Fire TV.”
Select “Developer Options.”
Click on “Apps from Unknown Sources” and turn it on.
Navigate back to home and select the “Search” icon.
Enter “Downloader” into the search bar.
Click on the “Downloader” app.
Select “Open,” then “Allow,” then “OK.”

How to Install APK’s on an Android Phone or Tablet?

Before installing an APK on your Android device, consider enabling an app scanning feature by Google Play Protect. It fishes out potentially harmful apps, by scanning them before download, and those already installed on your device.

It’s typically enabled by default. To check whether the app scanning feature is enabled on your Android device:

Launch Google Play Store.
From the top left-hand corner, click on the hamburger menu.
Select “Play Protect.”
Click on the “Settings” (gear icon) found at the top-right hand corner.
Check that the “Improve Harmful App Detection” setting is on.
Check that the “Scan Apps With Plat Protect” setting is on.

To install APK’s on a Google device with Android 8.0 Oreo and newer:

Navigate to and open “Settings.”
Select “Apps & Notifications.”
Click on “Advanced” to expand it.
Click on “Special App Access.”
Select “Install Unknown Apps.”
Select the source app, e.g., Chrome.
Click on the toggle button next to the “Allow From This Source to enable sideloading” option to switch it on.

To install APK’s on a Samsung device with Android 8.0 Oreo and newer:

Navigate to and open “Settings.”
Select “Biometrics and Security.”
Click on “Install Unknown Apps.”
Click on the trusted application you want the APK file to install from, e.g., Chrome or My Files.
Click on the toggle button next to the “Allow From This Source to enable” option to switch it on.

How to Install APK’s From Your PC With ADB?

Install Android Debug Bridge on your PC. Use a Windows third-party tool like ADB 15 Seconds Installer for a quicker and easier way to install it.
Open a CMD window and enter the command “adb –help” then hit “Enter.”
- ADB version, global options, general commands, and Networking information should now be displayed in the window.
If you receive an error message instead, try closing the window, re-opening, then entering the command again.
To connect your TV, locate and click on “Settings.”
Then select “Device Preferences,” then “About.”
Scroll down and click on “Build” until the “You are a developer” message appears.
To find out your TV’s IP address, navigate to the Settings page.
Select “Network & Internet” and click on the active connection. The IP address is typically listed towards the top.
To connect the ADB on your computer to your Amazon Fire TV, on your computer enter and run the command “adb connect” followed by your TV’s IP address.
Accept the prompt that appears on the TV. Then you’ll receive an ADB successful connection message.
- To confirm successful connection another way, enter and run command “adb devices.”
To install the APK files that you want, enter and run the command “adb install” – space, then move the downloaded file to the app window.
When the complete path is pasted in the file, click “Enter.”
You should receive a success confirmation message and the app will be displayed on the TV.
- To sideload an APK next time, just enter and run the command “adb connect” from your computer and then command “adb install” for each APK.

How to Sideload a Fire TV Device Using a Downloader App?

In this example, we’ll use the Fire TV Stick Lite, though these instructions will work for any Fire TV variation. To install Downloader and enable “Unknown Sources,” do the following:

From the home screen, locate and select the “Find” option.
Select “Search,” locate and select “Downloader.”
Select the “Downloader” app, then click on “Download.”
Once the install is complete, select “Open.”
Go back to home and access “Settings.”
Select “My Fire TV.”
Select the “Developer” options.
Click on “Install unknown apps.”
Locate and select the “Downloader” app.
- This enables “Unknown Sources” for the “Downloader” app and allows sideloading on your Fire TV device.

To sideload an app to your Amazon Fire TV device:

Go to the official website for the app you wish to sideload, e.g., Kodi.tv.
Locate and select the Download and download for Android option.
Press and hold on the download link, then choose “Copy link address.”
Go to notepad and paste the link in there.
From here, you have two ways to enter the link into Downloader:
- Either type in the full address, or
- Use bitly.com to shorten the address. Paste it into the “Shorten your link” text field, then hit “Shorten.”
Once you’ve entered either the long or shortened version of the address into Downloader, click on “Go.” It should automatically start to download.
- If the Bitly address doesn’t work, type in the original long address.
From the install window that pops up, click on “Install.”
Then click on “Done” or “Open.”
The app should open, then follow the on-screen instructions to start using the app.

If you can’t access the app because it doesn’t display with the others:

Go to “Settings” on the home screen.
Select “Applications” > “Manage installed applications.”
Scroll through the list to locate the app.
Select it, then hit “Launch Application.”

How to Sideload a Fire TV Device With an Android Phone?

Use the instructions below to sideload your Amazon Fire TV device with an Android phone:

You can find the Android APK on your Fire TV’s internal storage. You’ll need to download the “Total Commander” app to your Amazon Fire TV device:
1. To get to the installation page, on your remote, hold down the “Alexa” button and say, “Total Commander app.”
2. To install it, click on “Get.”
3. Again, hold the “Alexa” button and then say, “Send Files to TV app.”
4. To install the app, select “Get.”
5. On your Android device, install the SFTV app.
6. On both devices, open the SFTV app to give the necessary permissions.
7. From your smartphone, select “Send” and select the APK file to sideload.
  - It will be sent to your Amazon Fire TV Stick. Bear in mind that for SFTV to work, both devices should be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
8. Once the APK has been transferred, access “Total Commander” and look in the Download folder to find the APK.
9. Select it and click on “Install the app.”
10. On the next page, allow “Total Commander” to “Install Unknown Apps.”
11. Click on “Install” and the Android APK will sideload onto your Fire TV Stick.
Navigate to “Appstore” > “All Your Apps” to see your sideloaded apps. Some apps may show an incorrect icon.

Note: Because Fire OS is a highly modified Android OS, some Android apps won’t be able to run on Fire TV Stick.

How to Enable Third-Party Apps in Settings?

To enable third-party apps installation on an Android device:

Navigate to “Settings” > “General.”
Click on the “Security” option.
Check the box next to the “Unknown Sources” option.
Select “Ok” to the warning message.

Additional FAQs

How Do I Install APK Files on Amazon Fire Stick?

In this example, we’ll use the Fire TV Stick Lite, though these instructions will work for any Fire TV variation. To install Downloader and enable “Unknown Sources,” do the following:

1. From the home screen, locate and select the “Find” option.

2. Select “Search,” locate and select “Downloader.”

3. Select the “Downloader” app, then click on “Download.”

4. Once the install is complete, select “Open.”

5. Go back to home and access “Settings.”

6. Select “My Fire TV.”

7. Select the “Developer” options.

8. Click on “Install unknown apps.”

9. Locate and select the “Downloader” app.

· This enables “Unknown Sources” for the “Downloader” app and allows sideloading on your Fire TV Device.

To sideload an app to Amazon your Fire TV device:

1. Go to the official website for the app you wish to sideload, e.g., Kodi.tv.

2. Locate and select the Download and download for Android option.

3. Press and hold on the download link, then choose “Copy link address.”

4. Go to notepad and paste the link in there.

5. From here, you have two ways to enter the link into Downloader:

· Either type in the full address, or

· Use bitly.com to shorten the address. Paste it into the “Shorten your link” text field, then hit “Shorten.”

6. Once you’ve entered either the long or shortened version of the address into Downloader, click on “Go.” It should automatically start to download.

· If the Bitly address doesn’t work, type in the original long address.

7. From the install window that pops up, click on “Install.”

8. Then click on “Done” or “Open.”

9. The app should open, then follow the on-screen instructions to start using the app.

Is There a NordVPN App for Fire Stick?

Yes, there is. Visit the official NordVPN website to download the application and start using it on your Fire Stick.

How Does Amazon Fire Stick Work?

The Amazon Fire Stick streams content directly from the internet as opposed to downloading it onto a device. With your Fire Stick is plugged into your TV’s HDMI port and connected to your Wi-Fi, sign in to your Amazon account and you’ll get to access all your favorite content in real-time.

The things you’ll have access to includes:

• Any music and video purchases made using your Amazon account

• Any pictures uploaded to your Amazon Cloud account

• Thousands of apps and games

• Netflix and YouTube

• For a fee, other TV and movie streaming services like Hulu.

Even though not all the services are free, using a Fire Stick can work out cheaper than the typical monthly cable TV package, with the option for a wide variety of choices when sideloading other apps to it.

Access to Apps of Choice via Your Amazon Fire Stick

Installing APK’s on to your Fire Stick opens up access to pretty much any application you want outside of the Google Play Store. However, this freedom could expose your devices to harmful malware and viruses; thankfully, Google provides robust security measures to block them.

Now that you know how to safely install APK’s on to your Fire Stick, we’d love to know whether the process was successful? Did the apps you choose to download work as expected? Let us know about your experiences in the comments section below.