Amazon Music app is coming to Android TV

Posted by Elias Saba on — 3 Comments

A new Amazon Music app for Android TV has just popped up in the Google Play Store, as first spotted by Android Police. Judging by the screenshots, the app appears to be very similar to the one available on Fire TV devices. The app is not available to install just yet, but you can pre-register for it, which will notify you when it’s available. It’s unknown if the app will only be available for NVIDIA Shield TVs, like the Prime Video app for Android TV, or if other Android TV devices will also be able to install the app once it’s released. This new Amazon Music app will give Android TV users access to both Prime Music, which is the 2 million song service that is included for free with a Prime membership, and Amazon Music Unlimited, which is the 50 million song service that requires a separate paid subscription.

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New 2018 guide for installing Google Play Store on a ROOTED Fire TV or Fire TV Stick

Posted by Elias Saba on — 15 Comments

A user by the name of rainman74 on XDA has just posted a new guide for installing the Google Play Store and Google Services on a rooted Fire TV or Fire TV Stick. For apps that are not available in the Amazon appstore, it’s usually a lot simpler to just sideload them on Fire TV devices than to install the Google Play Store, but that’s not always an option, especially for paid apps. For those scenarios, this guide should give you the access you need. Remember, your device must be rooted to follow this guide. To learn if your device can be rooted and how to do it, see my rooting guide. Note that this new Google Play Store guide instructs you to install the ARM64 version of GApps for Fire TV Boxes, but that’s actually incorrect. Only Fire TV 2 owners should install the ARM64 version, while all other devices, including the Fire TV 1 box, should use the ARM version.

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Google to begin cracking down on sideloading the Google Play Store and other Google apps

Posted by Elias Saba on — 23 Comments

It appears as though Google is starting to actively prevent users from using Google apps, such as Google Play Store, Google Play Music, Google Maps, and others on Android devices that are not certified by Google. While Android is an open-source operating system that can be used by anyone without Google’s involvement, manufacturers must follow strict certification guidelines in order to distribute Google’s apps on their devices. Many users of uncertified Android devices, such as Fire TV and Fire Tablet owners, choose to sideload the Google apps they need. That may no longer be possible for newer devices. Read more ›

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Amazon Prime Video app appears in the Google Play Store for Android TV

Posted by Elias Saba on — 16 Comments


A new Amazon Prime Video app has appeared in the Google Play Store. The app, which was first spotted by AndroidPolice, is marked as an Andorid TV app, making it the first time Amazon has hinted at releasing a video app for all devices running Google’s television and set-top box operating system. Read more ›

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Amazon releases Prime Video app in the Google Play Store for phones and tablets

Posted by Elias Saba on — 4 Comments

Amazon has made their Prime video app in the Google Play Store available to US users for the first time. Before this change, the app was only available to non-US users and US customers had to sideload the Amazon Underground app to watch Amazon Video on Android phones and tablets. This change now allows all Android users to easily install the app from the official Google Play Store. Read more ›

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Downloader app now available in Google Play Store for Android TV

Posted by Elias Saba on — 38 Comments

Many of you have asked for this for a while and now it’s here. My Downloader app is now available in the Google Play Store for Android TV devices. It took much more work than I originally expected to make the app work on Android TV and get accepted into the Android TV appstore. This is mostly because Google would not accept the app for Android TV if it had a built-in web browser, which is pretty ridiculous because there are already approved browsers for Android TV in the Google Play Store. I was unfortunately forced to disable the browser in the app to get it accepted, but it is finally available for the NVIDIA Sheild TV, Mi Box, Nexus Player, and all other Android TV devices. Read more ›

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Google Play Store now gives apps the option to block rooted devices

Posted by Elias Saba on — 26 Comments

Earlier this week, it was discovered that the Netflix app on the Google Play Store was preventing users with rooted devices from installing the app. It was assumed the block was caused by changes to the app’s DRM. Android Police has discovered that it’s much worse than that. Google is now giving app developers the option to prevent rooted devices from installing their apps. Read more ›

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HBO Now officially announced for Android and Chromecast

Posted by Elias Saba on — 2 Comments

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HBO Now is currently only available on Apple devices due to an exclusivity deal between the two companies. Apple’s exclusivity deal is expected to end in about a month and, unsurprisingly, it looks like the Google Play Store will be the next platform to get the new service. The announcement was made during today’s big Google I/O keynote presentation. No specifics were given during the announcement, but HBO has said the service will arrive on Android “this summer” with support for casting to Chromecast devices. Interestingly, the announcement was made during the Chromecast portion of Google’s keynote, not during the brief Android TV portion. It wouldn’t surprise me if HBO Now was initially incompatible with Android TV when it arrives in the Google Play Store.

This announcement is good news for Fire TV users since it doesn’t take much to release a Fire TV version of the app once HBO finishes their Android version. We may even be able to sideload and use the Android version on Fire TV devices while we wait for official support from HBO.

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Sev Zero: Air Support released in Google Play Store for Non-Fire Tablets

Posted by Elias Saba on — 1 Comment

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Amazon has released Sev Zero: Air Support to the Google Play Store. This companion app to the Fire TV exclusive game Sev Zero was previously only available in the Amazon Appstore for the Kindle Fire HDX tablet. The app allows a second player to join the gameplay of Sev Zero by allowing them to help with additional attacks like missiles and bombs. It’s great to see Amazon loosening their grip on their own applications by making them available on non-Amazon branded devices.

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How to trick Google Play Store into allowing All Apps

Posted by Elias Saba on — 33 Comments

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If you followed our guide to install the Google Play Store, you may have been a bit disappointed with the results. Because the Google Play Store does not know the capabilities of the Amazon Fire TV, it defaults to marking most apps as incompatible. This prevents most apps from being installed. Thanks to a great tip from JJ-KwiK, in this guide we’ll show you how to trick the Google Play Store into thinking the Fire TV is a Nexus 7 tablet. Doing so makes most apps and games in the Google Play Store available to install on your Fire TV.

Read more ›

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