Top 3 Methods for Installing Apps on Fire TV Stick from External Sources

Plenty of apps in the market feature a variety of content for different people. You may sometimes want to watch a specific TV show, but the app you’re looking for doesn’t have it. Finding every content you want to watch in one app is challenging. 

In this case, you would only have one option, which is to download the app that features the TV show you are looking for. But what if you can’t find the app you are looking for on Amazon Appstore? It gets frustrating, right?

This blog will answer all your questions! We will look at the top 3 effective methods for installing apps on Fire TV Stick from external sources. Before that, let us find out why we need to install apps from external sources.

Why Install Apps From External Sources

When we talk about the Amazon Appstore, we usually find applications that we normally use in our everyday lives. However, they are not sufficient. Not all apps are available. Here are some of the reasons why you need to install apps from external sources.

1. Access to a Wide Range of Apps

The Amazon Appstore is one of the largest app stores which has over 4,00,000 apps. However, it is not as huge as some other app stores like Google Play Store. There are certain apps that you won’t find on Amazon Appstore. 

And the reason for that could be anything. It could be because few apps are exclusive to certain app stores or may only be available in certain regions.

2. Lower Prices

In certain cases, you would find apps that are available for lower prices from certain external sources as compared to the Amazon Appstore. The reason for that is app developers need not pay any extra commission to Amazon when they sell their apps through external sources.

3. Access to Earlier Versions of Apps

There are times when app developers release the latest version of certain apps to other app stores before releasing it in the Amazon Appstore. This is because Amazon Appstore has a strict review process as compared to the other app stores.

4. Certain Apps Getting Banned

You’ll find certain apps that are quite beneficial and would be wondering why it isn’t in the Amazon Appstore. A simple answer for this is the violation of the company’s terms and services. 

These types of apps would still be available on other app stores but not on Amazon Appstore.

3 Effective Ways to Install Apps on Fire TV Stick

1. Using the Downloader App

This is a free app with which you can download files from the internet onto your Amazon Fire TV Stick. All you have to do is download the APK file of the app you want to install and use the Downloader app to install it.

So to install an app using the Downloader app:

1. Firstly, open the Downloader app on your Fire TV Stick.
2. Enter the APK file URL in the address bar and click the “Go” button.
3. Once you are done with this, the APK file gets downloaded to your Fire TV Stick.
4. Now, you just need to click on the “Install” button and install the app.

The other way to add apps on Firestick is by using the Downloader app and entering downloader codes for Firestick. These codes are nothing but the short codes that you enter in the downloader app.

1. Click on the “Home” tab button present in the Downloader app.
2. Press the “Enter Code” button.
3. Enter the Downloader code for the app you want to install.
4. Click on the “Go” button.

2. Using a USB Drive

If you have the APK file of the app you want to install on your USB drive, you can use your USB drive to install the app on your Fire TV Stick.

Here is how you add apps on Firestick using a USB drive:

1. You first need to connect the USB drive to your Fire TV Stick.
2. Open the “Settings” option on your Fire TV Stick.
3. Click on “My Fire TV” and then click on “Developer Options”.
4. Enable the “Unknown apps from sources” option.
5. Now, open the File Explorer app on your Fire TV Stick.
6. Go to the USB drive option and select the APK file of the app you want to install.
7. Click the “Install” button and install the app. It’s that simple!

3. Using a Computer

Computers are the best way to install your favorite apps from external sources on your Fire TV Stick. To make this happen, you first need to enable ADB debugging on your Fire TV Stick and connect it to your computer using a USB cable.

Let us look at how to add apps on Firestick using your computer:

1. Turn on the ADB debugging option on your Fire TV Stick.
2. Connect your Fire TV Stick to your computer using a USB cable.
3. Then, open a command prompt window on your computer.
4. Find the directory where the APK file for the app you want to install is located.
5. Type the command “adb install filename.apk” where “filename.apk” is the name of the APK file for the app you want to install.
6. Click on “Enter” and that’s it. You’ll see your app getting installed on your Fire TV Stick.

Final Thoughts

Consuming online content is one of the key sources of entertainment in this day and age. We all love watching a variety of content from TV shows, and movies to documentaries. This is only possible when we explore different apps. For that to happen, you need to make use of our top 3 lists that we have come up with for adding apps on Firestick from external sources. 

And if you have any other suggestions to make in terms of installing apps from external sources, please do let us know. We would love to hear from you!