How to Install Kodi on Firestick: Beginner’s Guide

Kodi has been garnering plenty of headlines in recent times, not always for the right reasons. But the reason that Kodi is in the news is because it is quite simply one of the best, most user-friendly, and customisable media players around at the moment.

As a piece of open-source software, there are a myriad of different add-ons that users can download which operate alongside Kodi. These add-ons open up an almost infinite number of possibilities for the content you can stream through Kodi and are the main reason for its sustained popularity.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a relatively new piece of hardware, but one which is ideal for Kodi users. Firesticks are flexible, portable, and can be used with your TV, meaning it is no longer necessary to watch streamed content on your laptop or try and connect a laptop to your TV.

Installing Kodi onto an Amazon Fire TV Stick can be a slightly tricky process these days as Kodi is not available in the Amazon app store as it once was. But follow these few simple steps below and you will have Kodi up and running in no time.

How to Install Kodi on Firestick

1. To begin with, you need to connect your Firestick to your TV. This can be done either directly through a USB port, or via the HDMI adaptor cable which comes with every Firestick. It is also suggested that you keep the Firestick connected to a power supply whilst using it too.

If you haven’t already done so, follow the simple on-screen instructions to setup your Firestick. It will need to be connected to an Amazon account to download Kodi. If you bought it through Amazon, this will already be set up with the account that was used to buy it. If not, you will need to do this manually.

2. Once your Amazon Fire TV Stick is successfully set up, go to Settings, then System, and then Developer Options. In this menu you will see an option called Apps from unknown sources. The default setting for this is off, but to download Kodi you will need to change the setting to On and then confirm your decision by clicking Yes in the pop-up which follows.

3. Return to the home screen and then select the Apps menu. Under a submenu listing popular apps, you should see an app called ES File Explorer. If you don’t use the search facility to find it and then download it. It is free and only takes a few moments to download and install.

4. Open ES File Explorer, then, on the left-hand screen, navigate down to Favourites. In the drop-down menu which opens up, click Add and then enter the following URL, without quotation marks, where prompted: “http://kodi.tv/download“.

The text you have entered will now disappear. Worry not, you are now being asked to name your new App. Type in Kodi (or whatever you want to call the App) and then press Next again, before then selecting Add.

5. You should now have a new Kodi link on the menu on the left-hand side of the page. If it isn’t there, you will need to repeat part 4 again, making sure you have selected Add and not Cancel at the end – a mistake I made the first time – then open the link.

6. The link will open up the Kodi download site. Scroll down the page to where the Kodi Android Apps are displayed. Select the ARM version of the app and click on it. Nothing will happen, which is fine.

7. Next, you need to navigate down the very bottom of the page where there is another menu. On the far right of this is an option with three dots. Select this and click on Open in new Browser. This will force ES File Explorer to download Kodi onto your Fire Stick.

This process might take a few minutes to complete. When it has finished, you will be prompted to click the Open File option and then Install.

A new box with app permissions details will open. Scroll down to the bottom and the click on Install again. Selecting this will open a progress bar. Once this has finished, your download is complete and Kodi should be ready to use.

What is Kodi

Kodi is an open source media management tool which has taken the world by storm in more recent times thanks to its customizability and the wide variety of add-ons which are available for it.

Through Kodi, it is now possible to stream just about any movie or TV show you can think of. But beware, whilst Kodi itself is legal, some of the available add-ons allow you to access content which is not.

Kodi’s users have faced legal action over downloading copyrighted content and there is currently a concerted crackdown which has seen a number of popular add-ons being taken down for precisely this reason.

As a piece of open source software, Kodi can also be insecure. Add-ons are frequently created by independent developers and whilst many of these are very good, others can contain Malware or other security threats.

It is therefore advisable to always connect through a VPN when you are using Kodi.

Which is the best VPN to use on the Firestick

There are lots of VPNs on the market right now, but only one has a dedicated Amazon App which can be downloaded from the Amazon App Store and that is IPVanish.

IPVanish is one of the best VPNs on the market today, with great connection speeds, superb encryption, reliable privacy policies, and a great range of servers to choose from. Other VPNs can be downloaded onto a Firestick, but the process is far from straightforward. And why go to the effort, when one of the best VPNs around can be accessed with a few clicks of your remote.

A VPN will allow you to protect your privacy when using Kodi so no one can know what you do or what you watch.

You’ll also be able to access region restricted content allowing you to access more entertainment from around the world.