Database Users

[Q] Can Android Market be installed on a non rooted KF?

I have a few questions and they are probably answered here but I'm at work so its very hard tor me to get on my phone.
- is their a way to get android market on a KF even if its not rooted? I really would just like to install apps that are not in the amazon market. A new launcher,etc. Do you have to be rooted to install apps from android?
- What is side loading apps? I keep hearing people talk about this? What is it for?
- is there a way to text people from my KF? If so can anyone tell me a good app?
- how can I change the amazon keyboard to say swiftkey or something?
- any way to play movies on the KF? Could I drop a mkv, avi, divx, etc. movie from my pc onto my kindle? Or could I stream it to my kindle somehow?
- last question to now...is there a way to improve the touch screen response? I have to repeatedly touch icons, links and whatnot. I thought I saw an app that improves the KF screen?
Thanks everyone for the help, its greatly appreciated.

bal1985 said:
I have a few questions and they are probably answered here but I'm at work so its very hard tor me to get on my phone.
1) - is their a way to get android market on a KF even if its not rooted? I really would just like to install apps that are not in the amazon market. A new launcher,etc. Do you have to be rooted to install apps from android?
2) - What is side loading apps? I keep hearing people talk about this? What is it for?
3) - is there a way to text people from my KF? If so can anyone tell me a good app?
4) - how can I change the amazon keyboard to say swiftkey or something?
5) - any way to play movies on the KF? Could I drop a mkv, avi, divx, etc. movie from my pc onto my kindle? Or could I stream it to my kindle somehow?
6) - last question to now...is there a way to improve the touch screen response? I have to repeatedly touch icons, links and whatnot. I thought I saw an app that improves the KF screen?
Thanks everyone for the help, its greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) No. Market needs root to install. Some other launchers work without root, but you now have to side load them. You can add other non-Amazon apps in many cases, but without root, you can't use the Android Market, so you would need to side load them.
2) Copying the APK install files via download or via usb or other means.
3) The Kindle Fire is not a phone, there is no radio in the device so no text messaging. You can use things like Google Talk but you need root to install it. There are some web based txt stuff, but that is not really on the device.
4) Need root to do this
5) There are other video players that will do this. Like MX Video player
6) Not really.

6 In particular is starting to get on my nerves. I think its an OS/Kernel issue because tapping stuff elsewhere seems to be ok, but that bar is a headache. Hit back 5x and you see it light up each time.
Also I dont know if its dolphin browser or what but a lot of the times I tap a typing area like google search, after 2-3 letters it just hides the keyboard.
Also I've been having more issues where you click a typable area and start typing, but nothing shows. Keyboard is showing recommended words, but none will actually show on the screen.
Oh, also if you're watching a video on a site, good luck moving the time bar. Sometimes I have to press and hold my finger 2-3 seconds for it to trigger.
Seems to be a little worse since 6.2 imo.

Once the kindle is rooted and the entire market is installed does the kindle act like an android phone? Do you get the android home screen? With cm7 does your tablet act just like phone obviously without gos and so on.

bal1985 said:
Once the kindle is rooted and the entire market is installed does the kindle act like an android phone? Do you get the android home screen? With cm7 does your tablet act just like phone obviously without gos and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The market is just an app that you use to get more apps.
It will still look and feel like an out of the box kindle fire.
And last I recall the market wont show up in the standard kindle launcher, so no one would even know it was there.
You have to take additional steps to even utilize it.
CM7 would make it act like an android device. there are tablets with CM7 so it has nothing to do with phones. Gos I assume is gps, and some tablets have that so it isnt phone only.

Hi,
Please refer to the article below. It will give you a deeper understanding of what rooting is and some tweaks you can do to the unit.
http://www.terracode.com/KindleFire/KF_Review_and_Tweaks_P1.html

If you have google voice linked with your Sprint number, you can send and receive texts via Google Voice

I have the Market installed but for some reason there are tons of apps missing for the market. Is their way to fix this?
Apps like Yahoo Fantasy Football to Google Maps or Google Earth are not there.

bal1985 said:
...
- is there a way to text people from my KF? If so can anyone tell me a good app?
...is there a way to improve the touch screen response?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you can send/receive a limited number of text messages as well as make /receive calls with a free Google Voice account. I have not tested this with the Kindle Fire, so someone else may correct me.
There is an app called TouchScreen Booster that may help you adjust your screen sensitivity.

the following is from an other thread i don't remember (thanks to them !)
additional settings in build.prop:
# Rendering User Interface With GPU
debug.sf.hw=1
# Increase overall touch responsiveness
video.accelerate.hw=1
windowsmgr_max_events_per_sec=150
debug.performance.tuning=1
MAKE BACKUP COPY !!! - CAUTION WITH MODIFYING BUILD.PROP !!!
if your not sure - leave it !
i made this settings and i'm satisfied ...

Go to Kindle Fire browser Google search for "applanet". Under the link will be on the left "familiar interface" I tried that one first and it didn't work. On the right of it is one called "Version". I clicked that one and it directly started downloading an app. Tap the upper left part of the screen where the notifications are and when it is done downloading tap on its notification. It will install. (prior to this you need to go to settings - device and turn on download from unknown sources) install it and it creates an app called Applanet Market. Go to the Amazon market and search for ADW ex. Download that. You may find apps on Applanet that are not in Amazons.Search for any application you want. Like youtube, earth, gmail, whatever. When you're done playing with applanet hit your home key. It will give you a choice of ADW or stock. Check off the default box and choose ADW. Go to menu at bottom and go to ADW settings. Advanced. Set columns to 6 and rows to 6 and return back. At the bottom middle you have the ADW 3 button controller. I opened the app drawer (middle button) and dragged the Kindle Fire launcher to home screen and then long pressed it and dragged it over the area left of the appdrawer button. It will stick here and with it you can get to the stock KF home screen. But whenever you tap home, you will go to ADW. If you ever want to change that, go to settings. Applications. ADW. And at the lower area you can choose to release the default.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

krelvinaz said:
5) There are other video players that will do this. Like MX Video player
QUOTE]
In response to this and OP's earlier question, MX is good. Moboplayer is good too, but I've been having full screen problems with Mobo. On streaming, you can use Dropbox or Sugarsync (I use SS, there is a thread on it in the apps category). For streaming though, I've found that MX doesn't work great and Mobo is better, which is why I use that for streaming, although I still have the full screen issues. If you stream using SS, just make sure that file is encoded in a quality to get a good stream. There is also another thread on how to setup files to do this in apps category as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Is applanet back up?
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk

[Q] March 24th update messed up my Fire

After today's update, I no longer have any of my books, can't view the cloud books either. The music section is no longer there, and I have a stupid music button scrolling my last song played when I hit the setting at the top. All of my favorite apps are gone and Amazon tech has no idea why, they are wanting me to do a factory reset, but we spent so long trying to fix it that they have to call me back when the battery if over 40%. Anyone else have a problem with this update?

What update are you referring to? There hasn't been an update past version 6.2.2.

Yes, there was today. http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/...Forum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx1SYOUQZI1SLRR
It updated the reader and mp3 player and I don't knwo what else, but it also installs Google Play.

king_xerxes said:
Yes, there was today. http://www.amazon.com/forum/kindle/...Forum=Fx1D7SY3BVSESG&cdThread=Tx1SYOUQZI1SLRR
It updated the reader and mp3 player and I don't knwo what else, but it also installs Google Play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u sure about that? i don't see that listed anywhere...

I found out what the problem was, as well as the updates were coming from Google's Play!

I had the same problem. Only way to get my books back was to do a TWRP backup that was a month old.

Same here. Had to recover from an old backup using TWRP.

After all of the BS, I found it best to turn off background sync and make sure the Play is not allowed to update automatically.

Looks like it will be an active day in this forum after the Amazon KF update has tweaked rooted devices.

i'm doing following (on stock rom):
- no automatic updates (only manually)
- don't update amazon software from google play (the kf has special versions which are integrated with the stock launcher - google play is'nt aware of)
- atm this is amazon mp3 and the kindle app
if you accidentially updated one of it simply go to settings - applications and select amazon mp3 or kindle - select uninstall updates - no need to restore a backup
hope this helps ...

I too noticed that all of my books disappeared today.
I still run the stock 6.2.2 ROM, rooted, with Market (google services apps), GO and ADW launchers installed for a more android-like experience. I have my home button set to run GO launcher, and I access the original Kindle Fire UI via a shortcut to "Launcher"
After fighting with this problem of my books all being gone for about an hour, I found that:
1. the Market app is now Play Store, so it looks like that has updated itself.
2. Google's Play Store has installed "Amazon Kindle" app which seems to conflict with the native Kindle software (the app drawer used to have the app "Launcher" as the only app to get back into the stock looking UI that incorporated the reader and book list, but now there is also the app "Amazon Kindle" in the app drawer as well that allows access to books, not the stock UI though).
3. re-registering the device via the Amazon Kindle app seems to allow me access to my books, through the Amazon Kindle app, while the native UI/reader (called "Launcher", with the shelves) does not properly download/show my books.
4. Instead of short-cutting to the "Launcher" app, which is the original kindle fire UI, I set my shortcut to the "Amazon Kindle" app, which seems to work fine.
I only now realize that others are having the same problem I've had, as I read this thread. I still wonder exactly what has been updated -- is this trouble caused by Play Store or Amazon or both?
I for one will not miss running the stock UI, "Launcher", because I thought it was ugly, and now that I can't use it to access my books, it is also useless to me. I suppose that for those who do like it as a launcher, you could add the new GooglePlay-added app Amazon Kindle, to your list of apps in the native launcher, if you really like it and want to continue using it.
After all of this, I am seriously considering flashing a new ROM, which leads me to a few questions: If I run CM7, can I completely erase the kindle ROM from hogging up a portion of ROM space? More importantly, will I lose the ability to take full advantage of my Amazon Prime account I pay for, such as watching Amazon Prime videos?

I actually ran into this problem on Thursday. At first, I thought it was because I played with SuperUser and tried to install Busybox. I ended up restoring a backup that I had from when I first rooted my Fire (which was only a couple of weeks ago). Then when reinstalling everything that I had done in the meantime, it happened again. So another restore. I then started reinstalling things one by one and came upon the problem being the Kindle app. I deleted the update and things seem to be right now.
So maybe just deleting the update is enough to get things back to normal?

as said in post #10:
i'm doing following (on stock rom):
- no automatic updates (only manually)
- don't update amazon software from google play (the kf has special versions which are integrated with the stock launcher - google play is'nt aware of)
- atm this is amazon mp3 and the kindle app
if you accidentially updated one of it simply go to settings - applications and select amazon mp3 or kindle - select uninstall updates - no need to restore a backup
hope this helps ...

Makes perfect sense... Thanks, b

Nova Widgets Still Possible (without ADB)?

Platform: Fire HD 8 (6th edition)
OS: 5.4.0.1
Willing to rollback?: Yes (it has broken some email functionality)
Launcher: Nova paid
I have activity launcher installed, as well as launcherhijack v3.
I have set the home screen button in accessibility, and have Nova enabled as the home. I have Nova enabled as the launcher, but have not deleted the fire launcher, as I would prefer not to.
The issue I'm having is that I can't seem to use widgets. I have read up on adb use for the fire, but Windows doesn't want to play nicely, and I don't currently have a linux machine available (yes, I could VM one, or setup a bootable USB, but I'm looking for a solution that would work with what I have currently in place).
Issue: Any time I go to place a widget on a Nova launcher screen, it brings up the list per normal, but when I go to place the widget, I get bounced back to the Kindle settings UI, and am unable to sort out a workaround.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, particularly if they don't require ADB, as so far Windows does not want to allow me to update the ADB drivers (it shows them as current stock drivers and functioning, as well as stating that the ones from google are a no-go).
Sadly, pushed the update when I did not expect it, so all of this was done after update rolled out. Play store was isntalled prior, and settings are for allowing debugging and developer settings, so at least I got the play store on prior to the update (which apparently some people are having issues with). For me, the store is working well, as is sideloading, which is why I'm thinking there must be a reliable solution to get widgets functioning in Nova without needing to ADB command it on.
Thank you,
--bb

No, you definitely need a working adb, it's your gate to all Fire HD hacks and improvements. If you can't - stay with Amazon bits and don't ask questions like this here.
Thanks to @DragonFire1024, we have a pretty nice hack to enable widgets on any launcher; it's very easy to apply and use. But PLEASE don't complain about prerequisites, if you can't get adb working on Windows, it's better to stay off all hacks and actually this site. Just enjoy your Amazon Fire HD (it's pretty cool even with OEM software installed).

Agreed! There is no need to be rude to those who are just learning. I appreciate those like Dragon who gives help to others without making them feel like idiots. With the help of this forum, I have gotten everything but gmail working! And that weird go to black screen and back to lock screen when I swipe application off the screen. An sure it will get fixed.

The widget script might work in a terminal emulator. Jack Pals on the play store is by far the best. Just search for terminal emulator for Android, place the script in the internal storage and try running it in the emulator. I honestly don't know if that will work though as all the hacks I do are usually with ADB.

DragonFire1024 said:
The widget script might work in a terminal emulator. Jack Pals on the play store is by far the best. Just search for terminal emulator for Android, place the script in the internal storage and try running it in the emulator. I honestly don't know if that will work though as all the hacks I do are usually with ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I will give that a try.

Let's try to keep the comments directly related to Q&A for this device.
Getting snarky with other users and starting a back and forth argument is off-topic, and usually rude (both violations of the rules).
So, please; keep the Off-topic back and forth off the thread. If you are offended by, or feel another user's comment violates the rules, simply REPORT the comment and do not engage the other user further. No need to add MORE clutter.
Thanks for your cooperation.

sensboston said:
No, you definitely need a working adb, it's your gate to all Fire HD hacks and improvements. If you can't - stay with Amazon bits and don't ask questions like this here.
Thanks to @DragonFire1024, we have a pretty nice hack to enable widgets on any launcher; it's very easy to apply and use. But PLEASE don't complain about prerequisites, if you can't get adb working on Windows, it's better to stay off all hacks and actually this site. Just enjoy your Amazon Fire HD (it's pretty cool even with OEM software installed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please explain to me how I can update the ADB? I'm not familiar with how to do this at all.

https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/

Yeah, but...
bladebarrier said:
https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is where I started, but I have been unable to find a way to find anything mentioning ADB (much less enable it) on our Fire HD 8 (7th Generation).
I have been looking through multiple guides for the past 20 minutes, but the newest firmware seems to have hidden or disabled the ability on the actual device. I am logged into the tablet on the main account, but even under "Device Administrators" it says "No available device administrators".
Did Amazon manage to lock these down to be nothing but a pimp for Amazon (as was their intended goal)?
Edit: Fire OS 5.6.1.0

Did Amazon manage to lock these down to be nothing but a pimp for Amazon (as was their intended goal)?
Yes, they did. It's the razor and blades business model. Such as one item is sold at a low price (or given away for free) in order to increase sales of a complementary goods.
When you go into the Setting then into Device Options, is Developer Options at the bottom of the list? If it isn't I think you need to tap the Serial Number 7 times, then it should appear and that is where you can enable ADB.
The dedication of the members of the xda forums are the only reason why a lot of devices such as these manage to reach their potential. I'm pretty new here (joined in February) but I never seen any member give up on a device. What most see as frustration, including myself, a lot of the members here not only see a challenge but an opportunity.

caldersm44 said:
Agreed! There is no need to be rude to those who are just learning. I appreciate those like Dragon who gives help to others without making them feel like idiots. With the help of this forum, I have gotten everything but gmail working! And that weird go to black screen and back to lock screen when I swipe application off the screen. An sure it will get fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For now without a rooted device the kick to the lock screen cannot be fixed. That is an unfortunate event which is a result of disabling fire launcher without root. Gmail is give or take. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If I really had to take a guess I would say Google and Amazon are fighting between each other to get Gmail to work or stop working. It seems when enough users complain Gmail stops working within a few minutes it works again in a couple days later Amazon stops it. I would go back to an old version of Gmail, take your pick and keep trying different versions from there. If he older versions don't work that I'm at a loss at the moment. I do not currently use Gmail on my Amazon tablets. Only because I get too much mail lol. however with that having been said I have never had a problem with Gmail on any of my Amazon tablets with or without root.

dondraper23 said:
Did Amazon manage to lock these down to be nothing but a pimp for Amazon (as was their intended goal)?
Yes, they did. It's the razor and blades business model. Such as one item is sold at a low price (or given away for free) in order to increase sales of a complementary goods.
When you go into the Setting then into Device Options, is Developer Options at the bottom of the list? If it isn't I think you need to tap the Serial Number 7 times, then it should appear and that is where you can enable ADB.
The dedication of the members of the xda forums are the only reason why a lot of devices such as these manage to reach their potential. I'm pretty new here (joined in February) but I never seen any member give up on a device. What most see as frustration, including myself, a lot of the members here not only see a challenge but an opportunity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reminder of how to enable Developer Options - it has been a while since I had to do that. ADB is now enabled!
Thanks to everyone in the xda-developers community!

AnotherNameFFS said:
Thanks for the reminder of how to enable Developer Options - it has been a while since I had to do that. ADB is now enabled!
Thanks to everyone in the xda-developers community!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it enabled! It's one of those steps that is easy to forget

Why are you saying that he should get off the site. Thats rude

Help locking down Amazon Fire HD 8

I have several Amazon Fire HD 8 tablets that are slated to be used in a public setting and the desired functionality is that they will only be able to open 2 PDFs and not do anything else so locked down settings, WiFi turned off, no ability to run any other apps. I have ADW running to lock the desktop so it's clean of all apps and no remnants of the silly Amazon interface and ES File Explorer was used to publish the 2 PDFs to the desktop. I also have parental controls enabled so apps require a passcode to use. The problems I am having are:
1) pressing the home key brings you back to the amazon launcher. I know there are scripts you can run to change that but it sounds like they don't always work or work for all versions of Amazon (I am running 5.3.3.0) so not sure which method to use
2) even with ADW running you can still get into settings and make changes, even with parental controls enabled so I want to lock that down as well
3) Amazon ads still come through
4) Lastly, this is more of a question but running ADW 1 on one of the tablets and I can lock the desktop with a code but on the other tablet running ADW 2 it appears you can't use a code to lock it but thinking this was taken out of free version and added to paid version?
I am up for using a different launcher and doing whatever I have to here but I need to get these in place quickly so the quickest solution that addresses these issues would be preferred. Thanks for reading!

I will pay for help on this as I need to get this resolved ASAP. Please PM me if you can help. Thanks.

tdxa said:
I will pay for help on this as I need to get this resolved ASAP. Please PM me if you can help. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@DragonFire1024 maybe

[GUIDE][NO ROOT] Installing YouTube (unblock), Play Music, Play Movies, and more!

Hello!
In light of the recent blocking of YouTube on Amazon devices by Google I have put together a list of steps to install Google Play Services and the Android TV suite of Google applications without root. In addition the Android TV YouTube app can view paid content (movies, TV shows, etc)!
This was tested on a Fire TV Stick 2.
Newer versions of these applications may work unless otherwise noted (but have not been tested obviously).
APKS:
Google Play Store (Android TV Version) (com.android.vending_8.5.39.W-xhdpi_8_PR_178322352-80853968_minAPI21)
Google Play Services (com.google.android.gms_11.9.75_230-182402865) [DO NOT USE THE ATV VERSION]
Google Accounts Manager (com.google.android.gsf.login_4.4.4-1227136-19)
- The KitKat (4.4.4) targeting branch is the only one to support Fire TV.​ - Other branches will crash (5.x, 6.x)​
Gmail 5.6 (com.google.android.gm-5.6.102685581.release-56008676)
- Newer versions may work but have stability issues and will crash or fail frequently.​
YouTube (com.google.android.youtube.tv_1.3.11-10311100) [OPTIONAL]
- Unfortunately the latest 2.x series utilizes an unknown, odd method of signing into Google accounts (not system standard) and I have not been able to get it to work. If you don't mind the cookie-cutter Android TV video app style of the 1.x series it works perfectly (update: actually, live videos don't work)! I suspect the 2.x breakage results from Google adapting their web version (youtube.com/tv) instead of making a native app. [UPDATE] You can install the 2.x series AFTER you login on the 1.x series and you will remain logged in. However, the 2.x series has several issues. Mainly purchases are not playable and it crashes occasionally.​
Google Play Movies & TV (com.google.android.videos_3.28.14-tv-32800144) [OPTIONAL]
Google Play Music (com.google.android.music_8.5.6561-3.Y-65613) [OPTIONAL]
Instructions:
1. Install Google Play Services
- Open this once!
2. Install Google Play Store (Android TV)
3. Install Google Accounts Manager
4. Install Gmail
5. Open Gmail
6. Add a Google Account
- This interface is navigable with the remote but easier with a cursor app/mouse.
- If you can't navigate the interface repeatedly press up and down until a shadow appears around the button.
7. All installed Google Apps should now recognize your account has been added.
There you have it!
You should now have access to all the Google content you've been missing, Play Services to allow side loading, and YouTube free of any nasty blocking by Google or Amazon
Credits: Thanks to Moose200 and AFTV News for locating the functioning Google Accounts Manager version.

Instead of of putting all these apps on your fire tv 2 just download an app called 'SMART YOUTUBE TV' and sideload it to the device ..the best thing about it is there are no ads..

atlkidz said:
Instead of of putting all these apps on your fire tv 2 just download an app called 'SMART YOUTUBE TV' and sideload it to the device ..the best thing about it is there are no ads..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The goal of this guide is to get access to the official Google applications. The official YouTube app allows you to view paid purchases which is not possible with simple wrapper applications. While I prefer to entrust my Google account to official sources, you are welcome to suggest alternative third party applications in another thread.

Tried this on my Fire TV 3, no luck. Sad.

Trying this now on my 1st gen fTV and it would be GREAT to get the google apps working - particularly Music, Movies, & TV.
- play services failed on the first install but working on the second attempt.
- gmail interface was very tricky. It kept looping back to the first screen if I didn't arrow down quickly to select "existing account".
**
Notes:
1) Youtube works but I can't cast to it from my laptop or phone. It doesn't show as an option.
2) Play Movies/TV starts movies but only the audio plays. Trailers play fine though. I only have problems with content I've purchased.
3) Play Music doesn't show "stations". I works great with my library of uploaded music but none of the streaming content works.
I guess the intent was to get Youtube to work so anything else is a bonus.
Thanks for this guide and the links to the working apks.
---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:21 PM ----------
One other thing that really isn't a fault of this guide but only you install PlayMusic it stays live in the back ground and grabs every press of the play/pause button on the remote. It doesn't matter what app you're in, if you press play/paus Google starts playing. Even if you are trying to reboot your fTV Playmusic jumps in there.

rcrh said:
Trying this now on my 1st gen fTV and it would be GREAT to get the google apps working - particularly Music, Movies, & TV.
- play services failed on the first install but working on the second attempt.
- gmail interface was very tricky. It kept looping back to the first screen if I didn't arrow down quickly to select "existing account".
**
Notes:
1) Youtube works but I can't cast to it from my laptop or phone. It doesn't show as an option.
2) Play Movies/TV starts movies but only the audio plays. Trailers play fine though. I only have problems with content I've purchased.
3) Play Music doesn't show "stations". I works great with my library of uploaded music but none of the streaming content works.
I guess the intent was to get Youtube to work so anything else is a bonus.
Thanks for this guide and the links to the working apks.
---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:21 PM ----------
One other thing that really isn't a fault of this guide but only you install PlayMusic it stays live in the back ground and grabs every press of the play/pause button on the remote. It doesn't matter what app you're in, if you press play/paus Google starts playing. Even if you are trying to reboot your fTV Playmusic jumps in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback!
- Occasional failure is to be expected
- I'll look into casting, I'm assuming there is likely a missing library/application that the Android TV version depends on.
- Does purchased content still work in YouTube? On a 2nd Gen Stick I have (frankly) astounding video playback in Play Movies. I'll see if I can play around with this on my old 1st gen and see if another APK version works better.
- I'll also look into Gmail (it is the most stable on 2nd gen, but 1st gen might have some quirks that would necessitate a different version)
- On my FTV if the music is paused in the app it won't continue to run in the background, I'll see if my 1st gen stick operates like yours does.

rockon999 said:
Thanks for the feedback!
- Occasional failure is to be expected
- I'll look into casting, I'm assuming there is likely a missing library/application that the Android TV version depends on.
- Does purchased content still work in YouTube? On a 2nd Gen Stick I have (frankly) astounding video playback in Play Movies. I'll see if I can play around with this on my old 1st gen and see if another APK version works better.
- I'll also look into Gmail (it is the most stable on 2nd gen, but 1st gen might have some quirks that would necessitate a different version)
- On my FTV if the music is paused in the app it won't continue to run in the background, I'll see if my 1st gen stick operates like yours does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- wow, I didn't know Play purchases could be viewed in Youtube. And yes they work there. FANTASTIC!
- gmail mail isn't an issue. I was able to get through it. I'm assuming it's used just to get an account set up.
- To be clear the behavior for playmusic is: pause music, exit the app, hit play button, music resumes. This happens even if you're in another app that uses the play button.
Let me know if I can provide any additional info. BTW, I'm looking at YoutubeTV and it seems to also work with this set of playservice apks.

I can confim it works! Play store doesn't work of course, but you can use any playservices-dependent app with no issues. You can use yalp store as a replacement. Gmail app can be unistalled after you added the account if you want, it still works. Thanks a lot

Thank you it worked with me.
I need a working version of Youtube TV app for AFS. I tried phones app but couldn't locate the location of the device. I could not make pass the location check.

alsatea said:
Thank you it worked with me.
I need a working version of Youtube TV app for AFS. I tried phones app but couldn't locate the location of the device. I could not make pass the location check.
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You can use the old version, still works fine

Anybody get it to work on FTV 3 ? Thanks.

mijorus said:
You can use the old version, still works fine
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Could you please provide me with the a link for it?

alsatea said:
Could you please provide me with the a link for it?
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bit.ly/oldfiretvyoutube

mijorus said:
bit.ly/oldfiretvyoutube
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Thank you but I need YouTube TV Live app not YouTube.

alsatea said:
Thank you but I need YouTube TV Live app not YouTube.
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You mean the paid subscription to watch TV steams? Cause there is not that service in my country, I can't help you.

Hey, thanks for posting this method. got a 2nd gen AFTV and been looking online for a few days now and this was the first method that worked, but... like someone else here I can't cast from my phone/laptop. the devices won't see it. I looked everywhere in the app, I'm signed in, but there doesn't seem to be an option to give me a link code. if anyone can figure this out, please let us know. thanks!
Updated the 1.x version of YouTube with the latest 2.x version and remained signed in. got a code and now I'm able to cast to it from my phone. I've not tried live videos or purchased content. For regular uploaded videos it seems to be working fine.

iSlaker said:
Hey, thanks for posting this method. got a 2nd gen AFTV and been looking online for a few days now and this was the first method that worked, but... like someone else here I can't cast from my phone/laptop. the devices won't see it. I looked everywhere in the app, I'm signed in, but there doesn't seem to be an option to give me a link code. if anyone can figure this out, please let us know. thanks!
Updated the 1.x version of YouTube with the latest 2.x version and remained signed in. got a code and now I'm able to cast to it from my phone.
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Thanks for the hint! Now its working ;D

I find it odd that the version doesn't match the code name. Version is 5.1.1 but code name is Kit Kat version did Amazon seriously just make a device with a chopped up firmware?

Warrior1988 said:
I find it odd that the version doesn't match the code name. Version is 5.1.1 but code name is Kit Kat version did Amazon seriously just make a device with a chopped up firmware?
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Amazon's Fire OS is Android Lollipop with only *some* of Android TV's systems and no Google APIs. As a result Google apps tend to be finicky on it and generally the older you go for a Google app the less features they depend on (or expect) and thus they're more likely to work.

rockon999 said:
Amazon's Fire OS is Android Lollipop with only *some* of Android TV's systems and no Google APIs. As a result Google apps tend to be finicky on it and generally the older you go for a Google app the less features they depend on (or expect) and thus they're more likely to work.
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Really what it comes down to is Amazon wants their market place to be used for purchasing and can't blame them for wanting to make money.