Specially conceived to allow certain old televisions to be able to play audiovisual content from applications installed on the mobile phone or digital tablet, Google Chromecast became one of the most popular and well-known devices when it came to providing easy access to multiple streaming services. transmission or streaming, from Netflix to YouTube, through HBO or Rakuten.
Even today, it is perfectly possible to use applications such as Movistar TV, Orange TV or Vodafone TV, which makes it not entirely necessary to have a television that has the functionality of installing third-party applications for use within its own system. .
But after the success of the device developed by Google, Amazon Fire TV arrived, a small device that allows us to enjoy entertainment whenever and wherever we want, offering us the possibility of instantly accessing applications such as Prime Video, Netflix or Movistar TV. among many others.
But it has a very important difference: while Chromecast only replicates the content that we transmit from our mobile device (mobile phone or digital tablet), the Amazon device works as a kind of mini-device where we can install compatible apps directly on it, so that extends the use of any television that does not have this functionality. It is, so to speak, like having a real Smart TV , but without having it. We only need an HDMI connection, since it will be enough connectivity to be able to use it.
Despite its advantages, it has a slight problem: it does not have access to the standard Google Play store, so that it is not possible to access as many video, audio or any other applications that we want or need to install. But we don’t have to settle for it: we can download almost any application we want on a Fire TV device by following a few steps.
Of course, as with any trick of this type, it is necessary to be patient and do some trial and error. For example, if we’re unsuccessful at first, we’ll need to try again by doing a quick web search to see if someone else has tried to install that particular app. Since we may need a little extra tweak or two to get it to work properly.
Before we begin we must configure our Amazon Fire TV so that it can accept third-party applications, and thus be able to install them. To achieve this, we must access the main menu, select Settings , and click on My Fire TV . Once inside this section we must access Options for developers (which will allow us to activate ADB connections through the network), and we must mark as activated the ADB Debugging option and that of Apps of unknown origin.
Now comes one of the key moments. How can we find and download third-party applications? A useful option is to use an application with which you can download the APK files from the internet within Amazon Fire TV itself, which are executable files as Android calls them. To do this you can use Firefox, or use a specific app to download files, such as Downloader.
Once we have chosen it, you must download the installation APK file. Once downloaded, run it for the installation process to begin. To do this, you just have to click on Install . Of course, it is essential that, during the installation process, you grant access permissions to the device.
Clever! From that moment you can install all the Android applications you want. However, it is worth reminding yourself that you should always opt for reliable sources and reliable applications , to avoid unnecessary problems and risks.
