The quest to more easily launch Kodi, or other sideloaded app, seems never ending. I’ve covered several methods in the past which make launching sideloaded apps faster, but with the recent release of FireStarter, you can now launch any app by simply pressing the HOME button on your remote control twice. You can set it to launch your most used app, like Kodi, or even set it to launch an alternate launcher, like FiredTV. The best part is it works on either the Fire TV or Fire TV stick and does not require root.
- ADB Debugging must remain ON at all times (even after you’ve completed this guide) for this to work. If it isn’t already enabled, follow this guide to enable ADB Debugging.
- Download the latest version of FireStarter from here.
- Sideload the FireStarter APK you just download.
- Launch FireStarter from the Settings > Applications menu.
- Navigate to FireStarter’s “Settings” area.
- Select the “Home Button Single Click Application” option.
- Scroll to the top of the list and select “- No Actions -“. This makes pressing the HOME button once work as it always has.
- Select the “Home Button Double Click Application” option.
- Select the app you want launched when you double press the HOME button. It will probably be near the bottom of the list that appears.
- That’s it. Press the HOME button once to return to the Fire TV or Fire TV Stick home screen, and press it twice to launch the app you selected in the previous step. Consider donating to the developer of FireStarter for making such a great app, and if you’re still feeling generous, you can donate to AFTVnews to help keep guides like this coming.
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Or you could use use your keyboard if your keyboard has a home key and an Fn key. Sometimes an Fn key is not needed just a home key. I already use an easier method, Dock4droid, I can open apps from anywhere with one mouse click. I use the remote, but only with SPMC. I am not sure why most people don’t use a mouse/keyboard instead. I guess it because most native apps only work with the remote. I don’t use any native Fire TV apps except the launcher so I don’t really have much need for the remote. The remote is good I just like having the freedom to use my mouse in all apps. Plus every version of native apps are not s good as the regular version of the app. I like to navigate apps like I do on all my droid device and not just up down or left right
How do you even get a keyboard to work with Fire TV? I have a Bluetooth Logitech keyboard, but on FTV I can only find options for adding FTV Bluetooth remote controls and game controllers.
You have to sideload settings.apk, run settings, and pair to the keyboard normally. Google it or search around on xda-developers.com
i use the fire tv keyboard app with my phone from the play store.
i just plugged in my Logitech unifying recieve from my pc and the logitech keyboard and mouse just worked, no installation or reboots required of my amazon fire 4k box
get the game pad works as a mouse as well a bit pricey at £39 but does the job proper amazon or mad katz from pc world
Great tip. Thanks!
Fantastic!!!! Donation on the way!!!
Well, I tried and it is kinda hit and miss. Infact, miss most the time. When you double click, most of the time nothing happens.
For me it works consistently
same here. Thanks aftvnews and also the creators of firestarter
I have followed exact step by step instruction. Don’t know why I m having issue launching KODI directly. Nevertheless, thumbs up to the developer.
Great app. Thanks to the developers.
Excellent- now choice is to either launch pure kodi or tvmc with this launcher. Excellent job by the developer and great reporting by aftvnews.
Does anyone have a problem with this app when you set kodi to launch on boot sometimes it boots up with the colors all weird and you have to restart it again.
Is there a way to add more button options? I’d love if I could have both this Double Home trick to go to Kodi, as well as another button I could assign to go to Netflix.
I cannot get this method to work. I have the firestarter and set the double click of home button to launch kodi. Nothing launches. I set it to launch another app besides app, and nothing launches either. Could someone suggest anything? Really annoyed to have to go through 10 steps to just launch a side loaded app.
Besides the Firestarter you could always use Llama to put kodi icon and launch kodi from home screen….
Ok so I have moved all of KODI to me SD card on my firetv2. Here is my issue, I am using firestarter to launch Kodi, sometime when I do, I get a fresh install of kodi with no addons or configuration done. I then exit and force stop and launch again and it is my configuration. I hit the home button end go back to amazon. Now it doesn’t do it every time but it seems to be if I let it sit for a bit that the home button will launch the fresh install kodi. Very odd, have you seen this before?
What OS you have?
Im just a techy loving nanna , and when my grandson came bragging he had Kodi I just had to find out about it. Never heard of it, but these easy tutorials are just ace, I faffed about with long winded u tubes and blogs and then found this… simples!!
Now I just have to find out how to use it…
Hi, i am new to this and trying to sideload firestarter using the steps above with es launcher. I must be doing something wrong. Whenever i add the wedsite to es just like i did with kodi, i am unable to click on the .apk file. The cursor skips right over it when trying to select it under the downloads heading. I am hoping someone can help me figure this out.
Thanks in advance.
I had the same problem where the cursor would skip over the. Apk link. My workaround was to download the Apk file to my Google drive and access the file using the cloud function of es Explorer. I hope this helps others.
Same problem. Another workaround is launching ES file explorer and adding a favorite that links directly to the FS APK installation file.
I used app2fire after I downloaded it to my phone
The “tab order” is different on that page. I could click on it after going up or back or something.
Thanks for the great instruction!
My remote just stopped allowing access to kodi double click will not take me to tv addons anymore how do i getbit back
Same here. It’s like FireStarter just stopped working. I’m on a 2nd gen Fire TV.
I’m back to doing it the old way…lots of clicking on different things to get to Kodi. I used to go through Ikono TV, but as of today, that’s missing from the page. :(
I can launch Kodi just fine and it will run great for about 15 min. Then it will start flickering off and on constantly. Every other app works on the stick, Netflix etc. Can anyone tell me what is happening? I also have another question and other streaming device, the firebox. How do I update or run the wizard because it says it’s temporary down and it is not running the lastest OS.
when i go to kodi in a few seconds it go back home help please. thank you
Thank you!
All on a sudden when I click the home button it takes me to Amazon home site and not the kodi is there a way to get it back. Same when I exit is now goes to home page, how do I reset it back. I can’t find fire starter either, on the Amazon home page there is a kodi icon, so I can watch everything. But would like to go to kodi when I double clicked home button, thanks
Same thing happened for me. Used ES Explorer to try to download Firestarter again. Wouldn’t install but it allowed me to find the Firestarter app I already had downloaded. I uninstalled it and then re-installed. It now shows but the single and double home clicks aren’t working. Anyone have any suggestions?
Amazon Blacklisted FireStarter, and Kodi might be next…
http://www.htpcbeginner.com/amazon-blacklisted-firestarter/
I have a chipped fire stick and it keeps going to registration where I can modify networks or register to Amazon and won’t let me load into any of my apps please help me
Do you have to register or create an acct through amazon for kodi to work?
Everything on my fire stick remote control works except my home button, I can’t access kodi. How do i get the home button to activate kodi again. It was working fine a day ago, but now does nothing
Hello, the same happened to me did you manage to find a solution?
If anyone could help me, I had Kodi working fine on my fire stick and for some reason now I can’t get it open, the home button doesn’t seem to be working at all but the other ones are
Hi and thank you for this great tip but i am unable to make it work ON THE LATEST firestarter app, nothing happens though simple and double home button clicks were configured
Upgraded to Appstarter and there is no way to configure home button in the settings, option was removed