Want to know how to install Kodi on a Firestick? In this detailed step-by-step guide, I show you how to install Kodi 18.1 on a Firestick without a computer so you can play your videos and stream movies in no time.
Kodi is arguably the most popular media center software around. This amazing piece of open-source software lets you play video files, stream videos online and even share your music and movies around the house – all for free.
Similarly, the Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick are exceptionally popular media streamers that are perfect for those wanting to stream movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime and hundreds of other Fire TV channels. That’s why it’s no surprise that the Fire TV has earned a place on my Best Android TV boxes list.
So naturally, installing Kodi on your Amazon Fire TV Stick is a no-brainer. You’re combining Amazon’s excellent Android streaming player with a best-of-breed media center application.
Unfortunately, Amazon Fire TV devices don’t support the Google Play store so installing Kodi 18.1 on your Firestick or Fire TV box is a little more complicated than on other Android TV boxes. That’s because the Amazon App Store removed Kodi some time ago.
Thankfully, we can use a process called sideloading to install Kodi using Downloader, bypassing the restrictions of the Amazon App Store. The process I describe here is one of the simplest methods and let’s you install Kodi on your Amazon Fire Stick without a computer.
The latest version of Kodi is Kodi 18.1 so this guide will cover how to install Kodi 18.1 on your Firestick.
If you’re wanting to know how to update to Kodi 18.1 on your Firestick, check out my guide on how to update Kodi.
If you need an Amazon Fire Stick, you can buy one from Amazon.
How to Install Kodi 18.1 on a Firestick using Downloader
The Amazon Fire TV stick don’t support the Google Play store which complicates installing Kodi on the Firestick.
As there’s no way to install the Google Play Store on a Firestick, we’ll download Kodi 18.1 on the Firestick using Downloader and sideload the Kodi APK.
Whilst it’s more complicated than installing Kodi using the Google Play store, the key steps are:
- Enable Installation from Unknown Sources
- Install Downloader from the Amazon App Store
- Download and Install Kodi on the Firestick
- Set Up Kodi 18.1 Correctly
If you’re wanting to update to Kodi 18.1 on your Firestick, follow the same steps or use my dedicated guide.
1. Enable Installation from Unknown Sources
The Amazon Fire TV stick is designed to only allow installation of apps from the Amazon App Store by default.
In order for us to install Kodi on the Fire Stick, we first need to allow installation of apps from unknown sources on your Fire TV stick. This means we’ll be able to install Android apps that don’t come from the Amazon App store.
To do this, go into Settings>Device>Developer Options and turn “Apps from Unknown Sources” on.
Now that we’ve enabled app installation from unknown sources, we’ll be able to install the Kodi APK that we’ll download in the next step.
2. Install Downloader from the Amazon App Store
With installation from Unknown Sources enabled, we’ll can now download and install Kodi 18 on your Firestick using the Downloader app available on the Amazon App Store.
Downloader allows you to download and install apps directly on your Firestick. We’ll use it to download the Kodi 18.1 APK and install it.
- On your Firestick, open the Amazon app store and search for Downloader
- Click on the Downloader tile and and install the app.
- When it’s installed, launch the app
3. Download and Install Kodi on the Firestick
Now that we’ve got Downloader installed, let’s go through how to download Kodi 18.1 on the Firestick using Downloader.
- With Downloader open, enter the following URL which links to the Kodi 18.1 APK:
http://mirrors.kodi.tv/releases/android/arm/kodi-18.1-Leia-armeabi-v7a.apk
- Downloader will now download Kodi 18.1 from the official servers.
- When the download is complete, click Install on the Installation prompt to install Kodi app.
- When Kodi has finished installing on your Firestick, click Open to launch Kodi for the first time.
32bit or 64bit Kodi for the Firestick?
I get asked whether you should use 32bit or 64bit Kodi on the Firestick quite a bit.
The download link for Kodi 18.1 I’ve provided is for the 32bit version of Kodi as both Generation 1 and Generation 2 of the Amazon Fire Stick have 32-bit processors.
If you’re wanting to install Kodi on the 2nd Generation Amazon Fire TV, you’ll need to download the 64-bit Kodi APK instead.
4. Run Kodi
With Kodi installed on your Fire TV stick, it’s time to launch it.
On your Fire TV stick, go to the Home Page and scroll down to “Your Apps and Games”. Here, you should see the Kodi logo. Select it to run Kodi.
The first run of Kodi will take a little while as the app needs to do some housekeeping to get ready. Future runs will be much faster.
5. Set Up Kodi Correctly
Setting everything up and figuring out how to use Kodi on the Amazon Fire TV stick is too much to cover here.
Thankfully, I’ve pulled together a massive Kodi setup guide that covers:
- The best way to structure your media files
- How to use Kodi on the Fire Stick
- How to watch movies on Kodi
- How to install Kodi addons
- And much, much more…
It walks you through everything step-by-step with dozens of images so you’ll be streaming movies in no time
How to Install Kodi 18.1 on a Firestick: Conclusion
Kodi is probably the best media center software around today and combining it with the Amazon Fire TV stick is a perfect match for media bliss.
Thanks to the handy Downloader app and some minor settings tweaks, installing Kodi on your Fire Stick without a PC is incredibly simple.
Now that you’ve learnt how to install Kodi 18.1 on a Firestick, all you need to do is grab the poorn and enjoy!
How’d you go installing Kodi on your Firestick? Did you have any issues? Let me know in the comments!