How to install Kodi on an Amazon Firestick safely

• You can install Kodi on a Firestick by first installing the third-party "Downloader" app.
• Once you've installed Kodi onto your Firestick, you'll need to enable the "Install unknown apps" setting.
• Although Kodi is a legitimate app, enabling this setting on your Firestick can cause security issues.

Kodi is an interesting app - it's one of the most popular video- and music-playing apps around, and yet it's not freely available to download on any streaming device. Instead, you have to install it using a workaround.

On an Amazon Fire TV Stick (also known as a Firestick), this workaround involves downloading a separate app called "Downloader" and changing your Firestick's settings. It might seem confusing, but it should only take a few minutes.

Here's how to get Kodi on your Firestick.

Quick tip: This guide focuses on Amazon Fire TV Sticks, but the steps should work for most Fire TV devices.

How to install Kodi on a Firestick

First, you'll need to download the "Downloader" app. This app is a web browser for your Firestick that'll let you download Kodi from its official website.

1. On your Firestick's homepage, click Find, then Search, and look for "Downloader."

2. Select the Downloader app when it appears in the results, and install it by clicking Get.

Next, we'll install Kodi.

3. Open the Downloader app and select Allow when it asks to access your media files.

4. Select the Home option in the left sidebar, and use the Enter a URL or Search Term box to look for: https://www.kodi.tv/download>$4.

5. When the Kodi website loads, scroll down and select the Android option (all Fire TV devices run using Android).

6. On the next page, select ARMV7A (32BIT). This is the version of Kodi that runs best on Firesticks.

7. Kodi will try to download, but you'll be told that your Firestick's security settings are blocking it. Select Settings to go change them.

8. You'll be brought to your Firestick's Developer Options menu. On this page, enable both ADB Debugging and Install unknown apps.

Note: Kodi is a legitimate app, and there's no danger in installing it from the official website. But turning on these options can expose your Firestick and internet network to malicious apps. Be careful about which apps you download, and consider reverting the settings when you stop using Kodi.

9. Go back to the Downloader app (you can just press back on your remote a few times) and download Kodi again. When you're asked if you want to install Kodi, click Install.

Now you can launch Kodi from your Firestick's home screen, just like any other app. You'll find it under the Recently Used Apps heading, or on the page with all your apps.

Once you open Kodi, you'll have to import all your movies and music. Unlike other Fire TV devices though, you can't import media onto a Firestick with a USB flash drive. Instead you'll need to set up a remote media server $4 and import your files wirelessly.