Kodi on Amazon Fire TV

Hi Justin,

I suspect that your version might have a minor change in wording. I think “link media center to ikonotv” will do the same as “link ikonotv to kodi”. Give it a try … 

hans

When I go into settings / launch and find KODI this is what it looks like

Kodi

16.0

1.828GB

kali linux hack

Hi Justin …

You’ll find the addon (zip file) that you’ve pushed to the Amazon Fire TV, in this location:

/sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/addons

Make sure to make hidden files visible.
In XBMC/Kodi go to “System” –   “Appearance” –   “File lists” and check the option “Show hidden files and directories“.

Next step in Kodi is to go to “System” – “Add-ons” – “Install from zip file” – “Root filesystem” – “sdcard” – “Android” – “data” – “org.xbmc.kodi” – “files” “.kodi” – “addons” where (at the bottom ) you’ll find the pushed zip file.

Note:
Since you seem to be using the Amazon Fire TV Stick,… I’m sure you’ll have to connect the USB connector to your computer as well. Even then I highly doubt you’ll have access to the file system of the stick. I do not have the stick version so I cannot very this. Just connecting to the HDMI will most certainly not work … sorry .

hans

Thanks Richard for taking the effort to sent a “Thank you!” – it’s much appreciated and I’m glad it worked will for you … 

hans

Ho Scott,

well, I have not ran into this scenario yet … but a few things that come to mind:

– Did you get the latest adbFire?
– Did you used Wifi of wired network? (wired is recommended)
– Do you have a firewall on your PC that might be blocking adbFire?
– Do you have AntiVirus running that might block adbFire?

hans

The videoplayer menu can be pulled up by pressing the SELECT button (#3 in illustrations above).
This is where you can also use the menu’s to grab subtitles, change audio language, etc.

Just to make sure, I tested this a minute ago …
Accessing the videoplayer (stop, pause, fastforward, rewind, etc) works, as does selecting and downloading subtitles from OpenSubtitles.

Hope this helps …

hans

Hi Mark,

I’ll see what I can do … which addon did you try to install?
I’m not sure what a wizard addon is … 

hans

Well, it kind-a depends on what kind of data it is …

If it’s from an app, then you can use:

From the Home screen, select Settings – Applications – Manage All Installed Applications. Select the application that is responsible for the data. You can now change settings, clear data, clear cache, force stop or uninstall the application. 

The best way would be to do a Force Stop first of the app in question and then do Clear Data. A reboot after that might not be a bad idea (unplug power or press SELECT + PLAY for a few seconds on your remote).

With that approach you might want to checkout what app is using so much data. Definitely check out the “Amazon Video” app, since it appears a lot on the Internet when talking about space problems.

As an alternative, you can see if it’s findable in the adbFire under Push/Pull/Delete files, click “Delete” and it will show you a list, but that’s mostly Kodi/XBMC related – as far as I can see.

You could also do a Factory Reset, but that might be a bit drastic as it will remove quite low of things …. see more about what the Factory Reset does in this article.

Hope this helps – please let us know 

hans

sorry, I meant SMB share

Tina

Hi Tina,

a quick test worked initially, but maybe I’ve concluded too quickly that it really worked.
I’ve been trying to figure this out for you, most of this morning and boy is the SMB implementation on MacOS X crappy.

So … I have found a working solution and I’ll try to make a write up today … 

hans

Finally finished a write up to setup a working SMB share on a Mac … see this article: MacOS X SMB Fix …

 hope it helps!

hans

Hi Robistro!

Thank you so much for leaving a nice feedback! It’s a real motivator to keep writing more articles.
Glad to hear all worked well for you! 
And don’t worry about reading slow – For that same reason I keep writing and refuse to make YouTube videos … 
I’m not a fast reader either 

hans

Great idea, but I’m not sure it’s all that easy to have your APK’s on (for example) DropBox.
I think Android APK’s require a specific, fixed, predefined location.
I was not able to find anything to install Kodi on Dropbox … 
Plenty of DropBox/GDrive/etc addons, but they are only for playback from those cloud drives.

Under normal circumstances your Kodi/XBMC settings should not get lost with an update – but the Amazon Fire TV setup is not “standard Android” so maybe that’s why it wipes the settings?

By the way, TVAddOns has an article how to clone (backup) your settings … less convenient than DropBox of course, but better than doing it all manually …  
I also found the Backup Addon in the Kodi Wiki and an alternative guide on how to use it. You could consider doing it manually.

hans

Hi Carlos,

just found this on the Kodi Wiki:

Kodi can be upgraded through ADB without losing your settings. 

1. Download the latest Kodi version (choose the Android ARM verion here),
2. In ADBFire, push the file to temp (“Push/Pull/Delete Files”, set to “temp” and click “Push”),
3. In ADBFire, once push is completed, click “ADB Shell”,
4. In the shell, type “cd /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/temp”,
5. In the shell, type “adb install -r kodi-14.1-Helix-armeabi-v7a.apk” (apk file name depends on version),
6. You’ll see something like this fly by:

* daemon not running. starting it now on port 5038 *
* daemon started successfully *
9661 KB/s (62742920 bytes in 6.342s)
 pkg: /data/local/tmp/kodi-14.1-Helix-armeabi-v7a.apk
Success

7. In the shell, type “rm kodi-14.1-Helix-armeabi-v7a.apk” (keep things clean).

Now you’re done, restart Kodi and you’ll see a “first run” message. Don’t worry – all your settings and plugins are still there.

hans

I just added this to the article! 

hans

I know this may be the “obvious” question, but after downloading, did you drag ADBFire to your “Applications” folder? (ie. not starting it from the DMG). The DMG is read-only and would not allow ADBFire to write it’s log files.

hans

Im having this same ‘ can’t create log file’ problem.

downloaded a couple of times and drag and dropped into apps before opening….

still nothing. any clues anyone?

nick

Hi Trevor!

Thank you very much for taking the effort to post a nice feedback – it’s much appreciated.
It indeed takes a lot of work – but I’m really enjoying doing it, specially when I get feedback like this. Wish I could make it my full time job …

Hans

hans

Can you tell me why fusion is not showing under install from zip?

james

I can only guess that you didn’t add the Fusion source properly.
It should be found in the list that opens right away when you click “Install from zip file” (the file dialog where you can select for example the windows network shares, NFS network shares, etc). If I recall correctly: one of the first ones in that list.

hans

Hi Aeslin!

Yes, for now anyway, you’ll need a computer to update Kodi to a new Kodi version.

You would do that the same way as when you installed Kodi on the Amazon Fire TV. (see Kodi Update Instructions)

It’s all done over the network (wired or wireless) with the help of a program called ADBFire (see above for the details). You Amazon Fire TV and your computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux) needs to be connected to the same WiFi or wired network, otherwise they wouldn’t see each other.

Once connected to the same network, it’s just a matter of working behind your computer to “push” Kodi or send commands to the Amazon Fire TV. 

hans

Hi Kyle,

I’m not sure what you mean? You’ve installed Kodi on your Amazon Fire TV and it keeps restarting?
In that case your Llama settings might be wrong?

You should be able to upload a Llama profile through ADBFire (I believe some are even included with ADBFire for this purpose).

Or did you mean something else?

hans

Hi Suresh,

Sorry to hear you’re running into a little problem there …

If I understand you correctly: You clicked “Install APK” and nothing happened?

Does ADBFire say “Connected” in the lower right corner?

If not connected, click “Connect“. However, if it doesn’t say “ADB Running” at the bottom of the window, then this will not work. I have had that happen when I did not have ADBFire in my “Applications” folder. You’ll have to move it there otherwise ADB will not start.

hans

Hi Merc,

yes, installing Kodi this way still works as described.  

hans

Some other notes I forgot to mention above:

6) If you want to migrate your XBMC configs from another device, go to Settings -> Videos -> Export video library. If you can’t see this option, you need to enable advanced options in the settings menu (I think you need confluence skin to see this). On the FTV you can put this exported folder onto a USB stick, and Kodi will be able to see the USB stick from the “Import video library” option. Importing worked really well for me, keeping all my art work and check boxes, etc.

7) Don’t use the Logitech Harmony One app on a Mac. It was crap and messed up my remote. I ended up having to boot my Harmony One into Safe Mode (pull battery out, and then put back in while holding the power button), then sync with my Windows app which actually works.

Colin

Hi Colin!

Thank you very much for the awesome and very good info! 

As for point 2 – installing Kodi via Amazon – You say it appears in your recents … but not as a fixed app (under apps)? 

I mean; once you’ve had a few other “recents”, doesn’t it disappear from the home screen? I’m also a little confused and surprised how that even worked, since Amazon claims it’s NOT compatible with the Amazon Fire TV (big laugh of course about the “compatible” part). I considered installing it like this as well, but thought Amazon would have blocked it.

Great tip on the Harmony One and Flirc!
I would use this if I’d be having a Harmony in use for my other devices!
I too was frustrated with my Harmony app, even to the point that I gave the remote away.

Just in case your Pastebin ever disappears, I just copied your keymap.xml data below – thank you very much for sharing!

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<keymap>
  <Global>
    <keyboard>
      <rewind>PageUp</rewind>
      <fastforward>PageDown</fastforward>
      <browser_home>ActivateWindow(Home)</browser_home>
      <menu>ContextMenu</menu>
    </keyboard>
  </Global>
  <Home>
    <keyboard>
      <menu>XBMC.ActivateWindow(Favourites)</menu>
    </keyboard>
  </Home>
  <FullscreenVideo>
    <keyboard>
      <enter>PlayPause</enter>
      <return>PlayPause</return>
      <backspace>Stop</backspace>
      <browser_home>Stop</browser_home>
      <menu>OSD</menu>
      <rewind>SmallStepBack</rewind>
      <play_pause>PlayPause</play_pause>
      <fastforward>FastForward</fastforward>
    </keyboard>
  </FullscreenVideo>
  <VideoOSD>
    <keyboard>
      <menu>CodecInfo</menu>
    </keyboard>
  </VideoOSD>
  <FullscreenLiveTV>
    <keyboard>
      <menu>ActivateWindow(pvrosdchannels)</menu>
    </keyboard>
  </FullscreenLiveTV>
  <pvrosdchannels>
    <keyboard>
      <menu>back</menu>
    </keyboard>
  </pvrosdchannels>
  <MyFiles>
    <keyboard>
      <play_pause>Highlight</play_pause>
    </keyboard>
  </MyFiles>
  <virtualkeyboard>
    <keyboard>
      <menu>shift</menu>
      <play_pause>Symbols</play_pause>
      <rewind>CursorLeft</rewind>
      <fastforward>CursorRight</fastforward>
      <browser_back>Backspace</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </virtualkeyboard>
  <Visualisation>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>Fullscreen</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </Visualisation>
  <Favourites>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>close</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </Favourites>
  <NumericInput>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>Close</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </NumericInput>
  <PVROSDChannels>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>Close</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </PVROSDChannels>
  <PVROSDGuide>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>Close</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </PVROSDGuide>
  <PVROSDDirector>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>Close</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </PVROSDDirector>
  <PVROSDCutter>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>Close</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </PVROSDCutter>
  <MyTVSettings>
    <keyboard>
      <browser_back>PreviousMenu</browser_back>
    </keyboard>
  </MyTVSettings>
</keymap>

hans

p.s. I can confirm that choosing Kodi from the Amazon website, and using Settings → My account and Sync Amazon Content. Does indeed bring Kodi to your “Recents”, but it does not appear in your App library.

If you plan to use Kodi quite often, then I suppose it remains in the recents and this might be a very workable solution. The installation of something like ClassicTV however can be avoided indeed, unless you really want Kodi to be in your App Library permanently.

I still use ADBFire though, to install addons/themes for Kodi from ZIP file (used it a few times already), to copy my config files (like shared directories, MySQL settings for shared libraries, etc), read/write the Kodi log files, etc. 

Again: Great info Colin! Thank you! 

hans

I added your installation suggestion to the installation steps. 

hans

Great Info.  I purchased a FTV + FLIRC last week and have been going crazy trying to get the FLIRC + Harmony One to properly control KODI.

I’ve used KODI on an Intel NUC (built in IR) with the OpenElec builds for quite some time, and had all the remote keys working correctly there.

I wanted to use the FireTV with Kodi so I have one box that I can do Netflix, Kodi, Amazon prime, etc on.

Could you elaborate more on the Harmony setup side possibly?  And the setup of the FLIRC (which controller was used, and did you have to program every key)?

On my FLIRC, I’ve updated it to the latest firmware, and can see there’s now a built in Controller for Fire TV.  I’ve not taught it any keys, it’s all still at default configuration.  

In the Harmony software, what device(s) did you add?    I added FLIRC Fire TV as a device on mine, and setup an Activity to Watch Fire TV (using the Flirc Fire TV device).  

So for my setup at the moment, I’ve got basic Fire TV functionality working, and very minimal setup of Kodi working.  

Thank you.

abraham

I clicked on the kodi app in amazon and it doesn’t show up in my cart to checkout.

I just got the fire TV and trying for two days to install the Kodi. I have not success. I followed all instruction and cannot get this working.

Please help.

DASTON

Hi Daston,

As for Kodi not showing up in your recents: I honestly have no explanation for that. I tried it the other day, based on Colin’s tip, and it worked right away for me and others as well. Maybe Amazon has “blocked” it recently? Are you sure you’re using the same account on your Amazon Fire TV (I would assume so)? Do you have only one Adnroid device (Amazon Fire TV) linked to your account or multiple? Maybe it won’t take when you only have the Amazon Fire TV? Did you confirm the “purchase” after Amazon displayed a message that you’re purchasing an app that might not be compatible with your device(s)?

I’m not sure what you mean with “download Kodi files” and “files envelopes came up black”?
I’d assume you were trying the ADBFire method, downloaded the APK file, and … then what went wrong? Can you describe the steps you’re taking and what exactly goes wrong?
I sincerely apologize for not understanding … 

hans

Can you clarify what “download Kodi files” means and also what are “file envelopes” I haven’t heard of this

Colin

Hi Merc,

well, I have no idea to be honest. But I kind-a doubt that this would prevent it from going to sleep, specially since you seem to have a “virgin” Amazon Fire TV … 

A few things I found with help of Mr. Google, and I can imagine your confusion. These are pretty weird solutions if you ask me …

• Unplug all cords, incl. power, wait 5 seconds, plug everything in again (Amazon support “wisdom”, obviously you already tried that)
• Delete any Music from your recent section (I would not why that would work)
• Press pause when playing music before going back to the home screen would make a difference.
• Someone reported that the YouTube app causes this – remove it.
• Contact Amazon Support (link or link).
• Set it manually to Sleep (From the Home screen, go toSettings -> System -> Sleep).

hans

Screenshots:

Firmware 1.5 mounts USB devices:

The External USB drive is called “EXTUSB” in Kodi/XBMC:

hans

Hi Lee,

Kodi crashing has been very rare for me.
Although I have only seen that happen since the latest version, and only on very rare occasions when using a very particular add-on.

To see why it’s crashing we should take a look at the error log of Kodi (if there is any).
See the How to get the Kodi error logs for details on how to do that.
The log should tell us more about the reason why it crashes.

hans

Don’t worry about your spelling. English is not my native tongue either and I’m a horrible speller by nature ….

I was not aware this particular add-on existed, but I do know there are a few add-ons that do something similar.
Thanks for posting your solution!! 

hans

Hi Liam,

are you sure Genesis downloaded an actual movie and kept it?
As far as I know, Genesis only streams video …?

Anyhow, the directory you’re referring to should be here:

/storage/sdcard0/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/addons/plugin.video.genesis

You could go to

/storage/sdcard0/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files/.kodi/

and try

du -s *

to see if there is any big file in one of the directories …

hans

Thanks Eamonor!

Do you know if any of these were streaming? Or all of them?

I’ve noticed (with a AMD based HTPC, Raspberry Pi 2 and the regular Amazon Fire TV) that the juddering occasionally happens when the content is streaming and for some reason the HTCP, WiFi, Internet or provider cannot quite keep up. Just not enough to start buffering again, but enough to annoy you when watching content.

One solution that made a big difference for me was using an Ethernet connection instead of WiFi (specially when there are multiple WiFi users in your home – tablets and cellphones included!).

Since Ethernet is probably not an option with the Stick, I would most certainly try switching content provider when using an app like Genesis etc. 

I’ve not seen the juddering with Amazon Video or NetFlix, therefor possibly suggesting that the streaming provider can’t keep up.

All this of course under the assumption that you use one or the other streaming app to watch video.

hans

Hi Ranjan!

If I understand you correctly,… you have a US Amazon account available, but you can’t find Kodi in the store?
(I can still find it here for the US Store and here for the UK store)

Or do you mean that it won’t appear in the “Recent” list of your Amazon Fire TV Stick?
(I do not have a stick available – but after ordering and syncing it seems to appear in the recent list for most of us)

Not sure if using something like Unotelly might help, even if it’s just temporary to get started. Unotelly offers a free no questions asked trial …

hans

Hi Gary!

Thanks for the compliment! 

Well, that’s an interesting problem … let’s see if I can offer any help.

Try this: Go to “Settings” – “Applications” – “Manage Installed Applications” – “Kodi” – “Force Stop”. While you’re there, click “Clear Cache” as well (not to be confused with clear data!). Cache should jump to 12.00 KB now.
This seems an approach other Android users use as well.

You could (if you haven’t done so already) try unplugging the power of your Amazon Fire TV, wait a few seconds, and start it again. This “should” clear everything. Try Kodi again.

I do not know what version of Kodi you’re using, make sure to get the latest version – I’m running 14.1 without any issues on mine. If you’re already running the latest version, then consider installing a previous version if the problem remains.

When updating, do not forget to read the Updating procedure in the article to avoid loss of data. 

Hope this helps!

hans

Before I forget; after clearing the cache you’ll see “Preparing for first run” one more time.

hans

I can only recommend starting over again … sorry 

Get the latest ADBFire (1.24 at this moment), the latest Kodi APK, get the IP address of your Amazon Fire TV, etc.

Basically repeat all 4 steps and make sure you do not miss anything.
Also, for Mac users, when running ADBFire make sure it’s located in the “Applications” folder.

Not sure if it’s helpful, but the ADBFire “New Connection” dialog has changed a little bit. This is what I use:

hans

I’m using 51.1.5.0 (see image above in the comments – link) …

I actually had to look that version number up haha – you’re using a Stick doh! 
From this version list I assume that 54.1.0.2 for the Amazon Fire TV Stick and 51.1.5.0 for the regular Amazon Fire TV are the same, just for different hardware.

I did read that 54.1.0.2 is even recommended for Kodi on the Stick – so I would assume that you can still install the APK just fine.

Just throwing out some ideas, but …

– Did you find any info in the ADBFire log (file -> View Log)?
– Did you try ADBFire from a different computer?

hans

And those previous ones have a different firmware I assume?

Your log is telling me that ADBFire fails to connect to 192.168.1.101.
It’s can’t find that IP address and keeps complaining that it can’t find the device.

Are debug and APK’s from other sources enabled?
I’m pretty sure you have the correct IP address,… right?

Not related to your questions; how is the Stick performing?
Just being curious since I’d like to set it up for my mom as well.

hans

Oh interesting thought! I did not think about that …

According to the ADBFire website:

“All Users NOTE: Some AV programs are complaining the adbFire archive is hosting a virus. These are false positives. adbFire is not and never has been a virus carrier. It seems they are complaining about towelroot being present in the archive. Towelroot is geohot’s rooting exploit for Fire TVs with firmware < 51.1.3.0. Towelroot is also not a virus carrier.“

But you’d expect your AV to bark before you’re trying to run ADBFire or start transferring an APK?

hans

the 14.2 file from the website was a .dmg file on my mac, not an APK file…should I rename it??

steve

Hi Pam,

First off, I’m assuming we’re just talking about bare Amazon Fire TV Stick – nothing related to Kodi yet …
This seems a relatively common issue … and it sounds that most are HDMI related.

Anyhow, here a few suggestions, I hope on of them helps.

P.s. I assume you’ve already tried unplugging the Stick and the power cord to the Stick, and waited 30 seconds (that’s what Amazon recommends).

Some recommendations from Amazon support:

• Make sure the TV is on and set to the correct channel and/or HDMI input.
• If you use a cable: Remove or try a different HDMI cable between the device and the TV, o unplug and replug the cable.
• If the Amazon Fire TV device is connected through an A/V receiver, connect it directly to the TV.
• Disconnect other devices from your TV’s HDMI ports.
• Power cycle: On the remote, press Up and Rewind together for 5 seconds. The Amazon Fire TV device will cycle through the possible output resolutions, starting with 1080p and working its way down to 480p, pausing at each resolution for 10 seconds. On the Amazon Fire TV, the indicator light will blink yellow. If you see the correct resolution, select Use Current Resolution.

Some other suggestions:

• Try a different TV, if you have one, just in case there are (HDCP) compatibility issues.
• Do a factory reset, according to a post that I found: factory reset is possible if you hold the right side of the circle (like arrow right) and the back button at the same time for like 15 seconds you will get an option to do a factory reset.
• Do not use a converter (HDMI to DVI, or HDMI to VGA) – these very often cause HDCP issues.
• The HDMI input on your TV needs to be HDCP compliant (check the manual of your TV).
• If you have another TV that works, try a lower resolution, for example 720p (instead of AUTO), and try again.

hans

Thanks Kazuya_UK!

Thank you for taking the time to send a thank-you note, it’s very much appreciated! 

Enjoy your Amazon Fire TV Stick! 

hans

Hi Lisa,

In Step 1 you’ve download a file named “kodi-14.1-Helix-armeabi-v7a.apk” (where the “14.1-Helix-armeabi-v7a” in the filename depends on which version you’ve downloaded). This is the filename you need to upload in Step 3 to the Amazon Fire TV using ADBFire when you click “Install APK“.

Since you’re talking about multiple files and even subfiles, I carefully assume that you’ve downloaded something else than the APK, or that you’ve tried to unpack the APK (which you should not do, unless you’ve downloaded a ZIP file).

hans

Hi Joe,

I’m not a Genesis expert since I do not use it. 

While I played with a while ago, I noticed that you can add their movies and TV-shows to your regular library. And those would be marked “watched” just fine. You’ll need to read the instructions on the screen – I think I saw it somewhere under the 

I also noticed while testing that the movie/episode needs to be watched until a certain point before it will be considered “watched”, not sure what the marker for that is though. I tried locating that info online, but was not able to find anything useful.

Maybe other users can chip in with some good tips as well …

hans

Thanks Nick for leaving a positive feedback – it’s much appreciated! 

hans

Hi Kunte,

first of all, Kodi is totally free, so someone charging you to do it is not right (IMHO). Maybe a beer or $5 for their efforts.

You’ll have to provide more information about your setup.
Are you running Kodi on an Amazon TV? If so, then follow the steps above (link).
If you’re running Kodi on anything else, then we’d need to know what kind of device or computer you’re using.

hans

Hi Belle G!

I have zero experience with the Amazon Fire TV Stick, but I can imagine that at some point storage space/memory might un low.
One of the comments here is talking about an addon that cleans the cache and such every now and then.
I hope that helps eliminating the buffering issues.
Also: try occasionally another source for streaming video. When a certain service gets very popular I’d assume they get slower.

hans

Hi, I was having the same issues and found if you clear the cache, and also force stop, when you restart the fire stick you will see kodi reloading and the program restarting. It will say kodi running for the first time with a blue line loading across the bottom of the page then it will open to the kodi main screen, and the addons seem to all work with no buffering and without stopping after your watching a movie or tv show.

Pam

Hi Daphne!

I have not found much related to this topic, except that a firmware version of the end of last year had compatibility issues. I would assume that is not the version you’re talking about. So I’m just guessing what might or could help.

A few things I’d check or try:

– Make sure you have the latest Kodi version, it might address the issue.

– Try clearing the cache of Kodi (in Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> Kodi).

– If you have a lot of apps installed, remove a few, just in case storage space became an issue.

– If the Stick gets very warm, switch to a lower resolution (720p, 480p) and see how that works. Possibly find a way (even if it’s just for testing purposes) to cool it.

– Use the external Power Supply instead of powering the stick through your TV. My old TV was not provide enough juice to keep the Stick running stable.

Please let us know if any of this helps, or when you run into a working solution. 

hans

Thanks Oliver for taking the time to leave a nice feedback, it’s much appreciated! 

hans

Hi Steve,

It seems you have downloaded the wrong file. You will need the “Android ARM” version. The file you have downloaded is for a 64 bit Intel processor. This would be the most recent Android release. 

hans

Hi again Steve 

I’m with one foot out of the door, I’ll try to look at your question later today.

hans

Hi Steve,

sorry for the delay. Looking at your log files: could it be that your connection is not very reliable?
ADB seems to run just fine, but the transfer is slow and after that all hell breaks loose.

hans

Thank you Stacy! 

That’s probably one of the nicest comments I have seen!
I’m very happy to hear that the guide was helpful – thanks for taking the time and effort to post your nice comment here. 

hans

Thanks Mike!

It’s very much appreciated that you took the effort to leave such a nice feedback!
That makes it worth writing articles like this … 

hans

Hi Gary,

I’ve noticed, especially with the Stick, that installing an addon takes a little time. It seems to be doing that in the background.
Also; most of the streaming video addons need additional addons – which will be installed automatically – where you should always say “yes” when you’re asked if it is OK to install those extra addons. At least, those are the first things that come to mind when reading your message.

hans

I would assume so (using ADBFire), but I’ll admit that I have not [yet] tried it.
I’d be curious to know though, especially when one would not an Amazon account anymore .

hans

Hi Steve!

The 15 minutes (in Kodi/XBMC) would be when no media is playing and no buttons on the remote have been pressed.
After 15 minutes of idle, Kodi will shutdown and the sleep function of the Amazon Fire TV will take over.

I have this active all the time.

See also this tip (I assume you already did).

hans

Hi Jim,

it seems you’ve downloaded the wrong version of Kodi. None of the Kodi versions should be a ZIP file. It should be right away an APK file.

On the Kodi website under “Android 14.2” choose “ARM” (this is the direct link).

Hope this helps …

hans

That remain weird haha … I would be a tad nervous when a file arrives with a different extension than the extension it should have.

What did you do? Rename it and install it? That worked OK?

hans

Also helps to download the Android version not the windows version, DOH!

Jim Hawkins

Yep that does seem to help  …

Don’t worry – we all make mistakes like that …

hans

I’ve seen that Llama doesn’t always do the trick with the icon properly.
However; I did notice that it always links just fine to the IkonoTV, but the icon does not get changed. After starting it the proper Kodi icon does appear in “Recent” though.

For those interested in starting the Amazon Fire TV straight into Kodi – I tried it last night and it does work. However … the Amazon home screen does appear and after that it does start Kodi. Exiting Kodi will bring back the Amazon Fire Home screen again. So … that takes a few seconds of waiting for Kodi to start automatically.

hans

Never Mind.  I randomly tried it many hours later and it’s working.  I have no idea what changed, bu thankful it did.

KCtechPro

Glad to hear it works now … 

The Llama trick does work, but it’s not the most elegant solution – it feels a little flaky …
I can’t root my Amazon Fire TV, as is the case with most other Amazon Fire TV users, but I did see some promising progress with people building new Android firmware for the Amazon Fire TV. I can’t wait to see what that will bring us. (See: this post at XDA-Developers)

hans

Hi lmarine20!

The Kodi Wiki will have a lot of usefull infor related to that.
There is also a good keymap section, giving you even more details.

It might take a little bit of experimenting which code’s to use for what buttons …

hans

Hi Chip!

I’ve done the exact same thing .

So what I had to do, is reinstall IkonoTV, and re-apply (through ADBFire and “Import from USB”) the link-icon and replace-icon trick. Your Kodi is still installed, it just is not appearing in the list. For a new user “officially” installed apps (like IkonoTV) will be removed, so that’s why we have to put it back and re-link it.

hans

Hi Chip!

I’m sorry to say that I have not seen/found a method for automatic updates of Kodi yet.
I’m not even sure the regular Kodi (Windows, Mac or Linux) does that – the only one I’m aware of is the OpenElec distribution, but I have no idea how to migrate that to the Amazon Fire TV. 

If you do find a method, then please share … 

hans

Hi Marie,

I can relate to the being terrified feeling … 

I unfortunately do not have an Android phone/tablet available, they are right now somewhere between the U.S. and Europe (I’m moving).
As soon as I have an Android device available, I’ll give it a shot and see how well this works.

In the meanwhile: You could consider borrowing a computer from a friend maybe?

hans

There is a new way to add Kodi to your Fire Tv. I got this from TVMC in an email the other day, and from reading most reviews from the amazon Fire Tv app store it is working for most people.

Here is a link to the email I got, with directions on how to install.TVMC For Fire TV

TVMC For Fire TV

Pam

Hi Keith,

I’m not a Genesis expert, but I do know it depends on other add-ons. Did you allow installation of these during the setup of Genesis?
Another thought: did you try removing and re-installing Genesis?

I know these are not the most technical answers, but that’s what I’d start with.

hans

Hi Tim!

Thank you very much for the compliment, it’s much appreciated!
I’m glad to hear it worked well for you too! 

hans

I have not encountered this problem … I assume your remote works everywhere else right?

hans

Hi Giles,

I’m assuming you are using the regular Amazon Fire TV (not the Stick).

It sounds like a general problem with sound (since the startup animation doesn’t make any sound either).
Check a few things:

– Try a different HDMI cable
– Flip the HDMI cable (ie. flip the ends around, the end that went into the TV in the AFT)
– Try a different TV
– Check if Audio (in Settings) is not set to optical

These are just the first things that come to mind.
It most definitely is not KODI or network related.

hans

Hi Andrew!

Don’t mail the Amazon Fire TV back yet … 

You will need the Android ARM version (direct link – note that this link will stop working when a new Kodi version is released, it’s better to use the Download Page and choose “Android – ARM“). This download should result in an APK file. 

APK files are packed files specifically for Android – if you have a ZIP or EXE file, then you downloaded the WRONG file.
ADBFire will be looking for such an APK file. Downloading the wrong file appears a common mistake – so don’t feel bad.

If your browser is NOT downloading the APK even though you’re using the right link, then consider trying another browser or download the (older) Kodi version directly from Tweaking4All (green box, somewhere in the beginning of this article).

Hope this helps … feel free to ask if it’s not working for you.

hans

Thanks Fire TV Stick User for taking the time and effort to leave a nice feedback! 
Glad it was helpful for you as well!

hans

Hi John,

I’m not familiar with Phoenix – could it be that it conflicts with Genesis? Or could it be that Genesis/Phoenix need additional plugins that did not get installed properly?

I assume you already removed and reinstalled either plugins? Maybe the installation sequence makes a difference? Can Phoenix run on it’s own (ie. not yet install Genesis) so we can determine if they conflict?

Those are just some thoughts that come to mind, and you might have already looked into it.
Like I said: I’m not familiar with Phoenix. 

hans

Hi Viktor,

unfortunately, I’m not a sports fan … but I did seem some comments here of folks looking for sports addons.
Some names I’ve seen: AAA, Phoenix and SportsDevil.

I doubt these are “standard” addons, but maybe with help of the Fusion Installer it might be available.
See also this comment.

If you find something of use, then please feel free to post it here – it seems others are looking for sports addons/channels as well.

hans

I just received an email from Rich, where he says:

“The add on for sports devil is Iwillfolo. Not sure that will help.”

I looked it up and found this link. There you’ll find a description how to install SportsDevil.

hans

Hi Andrew!

Are you using “Amazon Fire Utility” or “ADBFire”?
I have only used ADBFire, with success on multiple Amazon Fire TV’s and Amazon Fire TV Sticks.
Is there a particular reason why you’re using “Amazon Fire Utility”?

hans

Hi Andrew,…

Seems that both ADBFire and Amazon Fire Utility have the same issue: they cannot seem to setup a proper connection to the Amazon Fire TV.

From some of the comments I have seen that:

– If you have BlueStack installed (or another Android device connected), then this will cause issues. (see this comment)
– Some AntiVirus applications actually block access. (see this comment)
– For the Amazon Fire TV Stick (!) you can run into shielding issues – place the Stick with the HDMI extension cord a little further away from the TV. (see this comment)
– If you’re connecting through 5Ghz Wifi, then please observe these settings.
– If you have an Amazon Fire TV (not the Stick version): consider using an Ethernet cable instead of Wifi. (see this comment)
– Obviously both Amazon Fire TV and your computer need to be in the same network (but I assume this is already the case).
– Mac users should copy their ADBFire application in the “Applications” folder, otherwise it will not connect properly.
– Windows users should not run ADBFire directly from the ZIP file – extract everything first.
– Considre rebooting PC and/or Amazon Fire TV (sometimes more than once seems to help).
– Mac users should copy their ADBFire application in the “Applications” folder, otherwise it will not connect properly.

Hope any of these tricks help you get connected properly.
Please let me know if any of these worked (dito for others who placed comments here concerning connection issues) – I’d like to add this list to the article once I know it’s “complete”.

hans

Hi Michael,

you’re most welcome to ask! 

Can I assume that you’re running Windows, and that the Amazon Fire TV and your computer are in the same network and that you went through the list above (link)?

p.s. Connecting can take a few seconds – but again, I assume you’ve waited long enough.

(sorry for all the “assumes” )

hans

Hi Michael!

Awesome! Good to hear that you’ve got it to work! 

I’m guessing that ADB sees BlueStack as an Android “device” as well and get’s confused (ADB being the Android Debug Bridge).
Anyhow … cool that it works now!

hans

Could this be related to not a very stable WiFi connection?
I’ve heard quite a few folks complain about issues when using 5Ghz WiFi.

hans

Thanks for Mike for letting us know – I’ve added the reboots to “the list”.

I would have no idea why that would have been needed, but I’m happy to hear that it finally worked for you. 

hans

No Problem Michael! 

Unfortunately, I have never tried ShowBox. As a regular Android App, it should work just fine though.
Just out of curiouscity … did you try the Genesis addon for Kodi? I believe it offers similar functionality.

I haven’t looked into the details yet, but this YouTube Video where the guy is using a Bluetooth Remote/mouse to control ShowBox.
This post at XDA-Developers mentions that it can be used as a Kodi plugin as well where the Amazon Fire TV remote should work.

Again, I have no experience with ShowBox and I have not tested either option.

Hope this helps …

hans

Excellent question Bernie!

I’ll be doing some research to see what can be done to skip the registration part (although you can setup a dummy Amazon account, no Credit Card info os needed).

Neither of the following options will solve your problem, …. but they might help us get into the right direction.

The only solution that I have found so far requires a rooted Amazon Fire TV (which is nearly impossible, especially when you have a recent Amazon Fire TV). What they do is install an alternative launcher. (see this post in XDA-Developers Forum)
XPosed (this is not a launcher but a framework which allows you to set XBMC/Kodi as the default launcher) or FireTV Launcher are one of those tools that can help get an alternative launcher to start – but I’m sure more info is needed to get it done the way you’d like to see it happen (skip registration). XBMC Launcher might be an option too.
For now I’ll assume that you can’t root your Amazon Fire TV – I have not been able to root mine either.

Just now I found FireStarter, which replaces what the “Home” button does and comes with kind-off an App launcher.
I will play with it today or tomorrow, I have a clean Amazon Fire TV Stick laying around, just to see if it manages to bypass registration by pressing the “Home” button. I’ll get back to you with my findings.

hans

Hi Nelson!

Seems you might have overlooked the part in Step 1 where you need to download the Kodi APK either from Tweaking4All of (even better) from the Kodi website (Choose, on the far right, Kodi for Android and click the ARM link – see also the screenshot I have added in Step 1).

Please make sure you pick the ANDROID – ARM version … which should download an APK file.
For Helix 14.2 (at this moment the most current stable version), this should be the direct link, which result in a file called “kodi-14.2-Helix-armeabi-v7a.apk“.

hans

Hi Uche,

You must have overlooked the link in Step 1.

The latest Kodi version that works with Amazon Fire TV Stick can be found on the Kodi Website.
Choose, on the far right, Kodi for Android and click the ARM link.

hans

I just added a screenshot of the Kodi website in Step 1, hopefully this helps finding the correct version … 

hans

Hi n00n3r!

Kodi seems to have it’s own Font folder (see this Kodi Forum post);

/sdcard/Android/data/xbmc/files/.kodi/media/fonts

You could use ADBFire to PUSH a file to (for example) “AddOns“, and after pushing the file to your Amazon Fire TV use “ADB Shell” to move the file to this folder (unzipped). I’d assume these should be TTF fonts. But I have to admit that I have never tried that.

Another thing I found:

I’m not sure how helpful this might be for you, but it seems that there are some options to switch language – suggesting that font support is already there. Now I know Chinese is definitely not Korean, but maybe it helps to find the correct font for you (found here):

Okay I got the whole XBMC going into Chinese Text Menu.

1. From the Home screen> Go to SYSTEM> Settings
2. From Your Change Your Settings Windows> Select Appearance
3. From your Appearance – Settings> Go to the Skin menu.
4. From the Skin option> “- Fonts” down the to “Arial based”.
5. Go to the “International”> Language> From English (US) change to Chinese (Simple or Traditional).

By changing it to Chinese fonts and language all of the those blank Chinese show up with a name for it (See attached Picture 3). You should be able to view all menu option in Chinese now.

I would assume (carefully) that a Korean font support is already build in.

If you find something that works; please let us know – I’m sure others will be very interested as well.