Kodi is a great media system, right up there with the likes of Plex and Jellyfin. It’s free, open-source, and can help you reliably stream your entire media collection to any local device. But while it’s quite easy to set up on your computer, getting it running on a TV is a completely different matter.
Popular media players like Plex have an app listed on every major app platform; that’s not the case for the underdog that is Kodi. But don’t worry: While you can’t find Kodi on Amazon Fire TV or Amazon Fire TV Stick, we can use a workaround to get the app reliably running on your TV. That’s because, deep down, the Fire TV Stick runs Android.
How to enable developer mode on an Amazon Fire TV
This workaround relies on the developer mode on the Fire TV Stick or Fire TVs, which will allow us to download and install the Kodi app from its website. The developer mode is a safe feature to enable and it won’t change how your Fire TV Stick or Fire TV operates. (It’s important to note, however, that you shouldn’t use this to download apps from untrusted sources.)
The process for getting to the developer mode will be different for a Fire TV compared to a Fire Stick (directions for a Fire Stick are in the next section). But once you have the developer mode, the process is the same. First, make sure you are logged in to your Amazon account on your Fire TV, if not, this process won’t work. Go to Settings (on the TV menu, not the remote) > Device and Software > About > Your TV. Here are the instructions directly from Amazon:
On the directional pad, press and hold the Center button for a second; then (still holding down Center), press the Down button too. Hold both buttons for about 3-4 seconds. Then release both buttons and press the remote’s Menu button. (If this doesn’t work, try holding Center and Down simultaneously instead of staggered.)
If you do this right, you will see this menu come up:
Credit: Daniel Oropeza photo.
Toggle the “Developer Options” button. Once you do, go back to the Your TV on About and press the Center button seven times. You will see the following message pop up: “No need, you are already a developer.”
Credit: Daniel Oropeza photo.
At this point, you should see a new option on the Device & Software menu called “Developer Options.”
Credit: Daniel Oropeza photo.
At this point, the process is the same as it is in a Fire Stick. Go to the “How to download and install Kodi on Amazon Fire TV Stick” section to continue.
How to enable developer mode on Amazon Fire TV Stick
On your Fire TV home screen (not the remote), click the Settings icon. You’ll find it at the end of the row of icons.
Here, choose the My Fire TV option and go to About. After highlighting the device name, press the Action button seven times. After that’s done, Fire TV will tell you that you’re now a developer.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Go back to My Fire TV section, and you’ll see a brand new Developer Options menu. Go into it, choose Apps from Unknown Sources option, and from the popup click the Turn On button.
Click the Developer Options menu and enable Apps from Unknown Sources.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
From the pop-up, choose the Turn On button. You’re now free to install apps from different sources.
How to download and install Kodi on a Fire TV Stick or Fire TV
Now that the outside world is opened up, we need a way to navigate it. And that happens using Amazon’s own Downloader app. Open the Amazon app store, then search and download the Downloader app.
Open the Downloader app, choose the Browser option from the sidebar, and enter this URL: https://kodi.tv/download.
This is Kodi’s official website, so it’s a trusted source. When the website opens, choose the Android app. As we mentioned above, Fire TV Stick is based on Android, so the Android app will work just fine on Fire TV. You’ll find different versions, but it’s best to use the 32-bit version for the Fire TV.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Once the download is finished, click the Install button. Review the permissions, and click Install again to complete the installation process. If you are on your Fire TV, it will kick you back to the Device & Software menu. Go to Developer Options > Install Unknown Apps > Downloader and turn “On.”
Credit: Daniel Oropeza photo.
Accept all the permissions your TV asks you from Kodi.
And that’s all there is to it. Kodi will show up as an app on your Fire TV home screen, and it will function just like any other app. Open the app and you will be able to connect to the Kodi app in your local network.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
A big part of Kodi is the customization experience, so you can some time to customize the interface on your TV just as you like it. Once you’re happy, all that’s left is to play something. Google something along the lines of “how to use Kodi in 2024 to stream media” to see what are the latest recommendations.
