Kodi on Fire TV/Fire TV Stick (2025)

I love Kodi because it allows you to watch video content on Firestick and other Amazon devices without geo-restrictions, subscriptions, or links to official streaming services. In this article, Cooltechzone shares some secrets.

Fire TV is one of the best media platforms available today. The set-top boxes and the incredibly handy USB Fire TV Stick (Firestick) work with TVs, computers, and any other device with a USB port. They allow access to all the existing streaming services, TV channels, and databases of films and TV series. The ones most commonly used today are the Amazon Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick 4k, Fire TV Stick, and the latest Fire TV Stick Lite.

But this is by no means the limit of what this platform can do. Using Kodi, you can get rid of the need to subscribe to multiple streaming platforms, and you can run different apps to watch different content.

But the most impressive thing about Kodi on Fire TV is the access to free collections of films, TV shows, and more.

⚠️Always use a VPN when viewing free content. This is necessary for three reasons:

1. Masking of network activity from the Internet service provider (ISP).
2. Hiding location for anonymous viewing (downloading).
3. Normalization (increase) of the flow rate under possible ISP restrictions.

Attention! The article is of a research nature and doesn’t call for copyright infringement or otherwise breaking the law. Before using Kodi, make sure that free video content that is streaming with Kodi add-ons isn’t copyrighted.

How does Kodi work?

Kodi is a software platform that runs additional modules called add-ons. The core of Kodi is a cross-platform engine that works equally effectively on any OS from Windows to Raspberry. Kodi received the greatest distribution due to video add-ons - small programs that open access to streaming or torrenting video and are controlled through a simplified interface using a keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or TV remote control.

In short, Kodi is a means of getting movies from various sources in one shell.

Kodi add-ons are designed in such a way that they look for the requested content in the list of sources (usually 20-30 streaming sites and torrent sites) and broadcast it through a universal built-in media player.

Similarly, Kodi works for audio content and some other types of information.

This is how Kodi works on Amazon Fire TV. The software shell with installed add-ons receives movies and broadcasts them to TV.

There are quite a few analogs that also receive and display video content. For example, Popcorn Time. But only Kodi has a modular structure like an operating system, where each module can be created by independent developers.

It is in the decentralization of development that Kodi's strength lies. Even though it is most often used to view pirated or unlicensed content, it still exists today. And this is precisely because Kodi itself is only a platform. And the "grey" content is broadcast by add-ons created by third-party developers. And they alone, not the creators of Kodi, are responsible for these or other violations.

Thus, we have an absolutely legal strong tool for accessing dubious sources of materials.

Installing Kodi on Firestick (step-by-step)

Let's move from theory to practice and install the latest version of Kodi on your Fire TV device for free.

But we won’t limit ourselves to the bare shell. We will also install one of the best Kodi builds. The add-ons and skins included in this build will make your Firestick or Fire TV Cube the strongest tool for unlimited viewing of any video material. You can watch any movies, TV shows, NFL games, etc. for free.

After installation, be sure to read the information on Kodi protection at the end of the article.

Disclaimer: All information provided was obtained by me for research purposes, and I am not responsible for its further use. I don’t advocate violating the rules for distributing and receiving copyrighted content. I only describe the essence of the technology and share the research experience I received from open sources.

Step 1: Allow installation from unknown sources.

1. Settings > My Fire TV > Developer Options.
2. Enable Apps from Unknown Sources.
3. Return to the Home screen.

Step 2: Install Downloader.

1. Click on the search icon.
2. Enter downloader.
3. Select the Downloader app from the Amazon Appstore.
4. Install Downloader.
5. Launch Downloader.

Step 3: Install Kodi

1. Enter the Downloader app URL in the bar
2. This is the last version of the official Kodi release from the developer. I recommend using this URL to avoid installing malware.
3. Click OK.
4. In the window that appears, select Android:
5. Choose the 32-bit from the list of installation options that appears.
6. Click Install.
7. Start Kodi.

Step 4: Install a Kodi Build (optional).

Follow the detailed instructions for installing the Kodi build.

You can also install one or more video add-ons instead of installing a build, but I advise you to install a build, as it contains skins that will make using Kodi on Fire TV much more convenient.

How to install Kodi versions 17, 18, and 19 on Amazon Fire TV

Although the Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV are two completely different devices, many users confuse the two. Simply put, the Fire Stick is a simple USB device that plugs into your TV to allow you to use the optimized Android-enabled platform. Conversely, the Fire TV is an entire set-top box that connects to your TV.

As a result, it offers many more options and configuration features. However, the Fire Stick is about $60 cheaper than the set-top box. This is what makes it a better choice for most users. Anyway, if you want to know how to use Kodi on Amazon Fire TV, follow the same steps as above. Use ES File Explorer or the Downloader app to install Kodi.

How do I prepare my Firestick to install Kodi?

Installing Kodi on your Amazon Fire TV Stick should be done using a process called 'upload unpublished files'. By default, almost all Android devices only allow apps to be installed via an authorized app shop. In the case of the Fire TV Stick, by default, you can only download apps via Amazon. As the Kodi app is not available in the Amazon App Store, however, you will need to install it manually.

For security reasons, this option is not enabled by default. However, it is really easy to do:

1. Fire up your Fire TV Stick (that was corny, my apologies) and go to 'Settings'.
2. From there, scroll down to 'Device' and press 'Select'.
3. Scroll down to 'Developer Settings' and press 'Select'. You will notice that the option 'Apps from unknown sources' is disabled, but you will want to enable it. This will allow you to download and install apps that are not sold in the Amazon App Store.
4. Download the Downloader app.

Once you have enabled the option to download unpublished apps, return to the Fire TV Stick home screen. Select the magnifying glass icon on the left side of the screen. The on-screen keyboard should appear. Enter "downloader" and select it. The Downloader application should appear. This app allows you to download files from the internet to your Fire TV device. Select the Downloader app and press 'Get' to download and install it.

Note. You will need an Amazon account to download applications from the Amazon App Store. If you don't already have one, you will need to create one to get the Downloader app.

Features of installing Kodi on other Fire TV flavors

All Fire TV devices differ in processor power, memory volume, and maximum video resolution (available protocol). Only these options affect the installation of Kodi. The rest of the characteristics (support for Alex, HDR 10, and Dolby Vision) aren’t of interest to us yet.

In other words, how you will use Kodi and which add-ons to install depends only on the power of the Fire TV.

How do I find the best Kodi settings?

Proceed according to the following rules:

• The Basic version of Kodi without additional add-ons is suitable for all versions of Amazon Fire TV.
• For devices of the first release (until about 2016), install lightweight builds of Kodi, such as Misfit Mods Lite or separate video add-ons, without using skins.
• For Fire TV Lite, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV 4k devices, you can install “whatever” build. They can “digest” any build.

Don't forget Kodi protection

As I said before, it is extremely dangerous to run Kodi video add-ons without masking traffic and location. In order to safely explore the capabilities of Kodi and its add-ons, including those that use torrenting, you need a VPN.

You can do it in two ways:

1. Install а Kodi VPN add-on.
2. Install a VPN app.

I use the second method as it is simpler and is guaranteed to work efficiently. Your secure connection is independent of Kodi status and protects all apps on your device.

Also, it has a nice bonus - you can launch other streaming apps or web browsers and watch the content of the region to which the VPN is connected.

1. NordVPN

Visit NordVPN

My favourite VPN service NordVPN has everything you need for 100% secure Kodi streaming. I have been using it as my primary VPN for personal use and work for over three years now.

NordVPN is affordable, available from the Amazon Appstore, and guarantees complete privacy.

I do a lot of research into the security of network technologies and know that this VPN is considered one of the most reliable in the hacker environment.

I also want to highlight the incredible connection speed, which allows using Kodi on Firestick with a VPN as conveniently as without it.

You can find out more about the provider by reading my NordVPN review.

2. ExpressVPN

Visit ExpressVPN

If speed and guaranteed highest video quality are important to you, I recommend ExpressVPN. Testing has shown that this provider is delivering over 150 Mbps on European servers, which is the best performance in 2022 among the top VPNs.

Privacy protection and selection of countries for connection are also at the highest level.

You can learn more about the provider by reading my ExpressVPN review.

3. Surfshark

Visit Surfshark VPN

The next VPN will help you save a lot if you sign up for more than 1 year. Surfshark with almost the same high parameters as ExpressVPN and NordVPN costs 2-3 times less with a 2-year subscription.

Besides, in the last year or two, the provider has tripled its capacity and continues to develop rapidly.

Why don't I use it then? Because I appreciate the superior VPN connection / reconnection speed of the NordVPN app. This is the only reason for choosing a more expensive service for Kodi on Amazon Firestick.

You can find out more about the provider by reading my Surfshark review.

Conclusion

As such, installing Kodi on a Fire TV is an easy and slightly creative process for everyone. Simple - because it installs the same on all versions of Amazon Fire TV. Until the moment you install add-ons, there is no difference.

Creative is the selection of movie add-ons and skins to create your own build. Or, you can do it easier and choose from a variety of fully functional Kodi Builds.

Which path should you choose? You can experiment because even if you are wrong, then resetting Kodi to factory settings is a matter of one minute (the reset process is described in the article about the best Kodi builds).

Please write comments and ask questions. It is difficult to convey all the nuances of how Kodi works on the Amazon Fire TV platform in one article. I will answer in the comments below the article.