Amazon Fire Stick has quickly become a hit among people worldwide. It offers an incredible streaming experience at a reasonable price. This makes it a worthy investment. Fire TV is loaded with various apps. These cover everything, from entertainment to news, gaming, and more. Still, many apps aren’t available on its official store. But Fire TV users do not need to worry. They can easily get their hands on all the apps unavailable on the official store. Sideloading helps you achieve that. Sideloading or jailbreaking Firestick lets you install third-party apps and services that you cannot find in the App Store. Now, you may wonder if it is safe to sideload apps on Firestick. Yes. Sideloading is perfectly safe so long as you do not stream copyrighted content. Learn how to sideload apps on Amazon Fire Stick.

On the contrary, it makes your streaming experience much more enjoyable, as you can access a wider pool of content.

What Does It Mean to Jailbreak (or Sideload) Your Firestick?

Jailbreaking or sideloading Firestick means bypassing the restrictions of the Firestick device to install third-party apps. These are those apps that are unavailable on the Amazon app store. The easiest way to jailbreak a Firestick is by installing the Downloader app on your Firestick. This is the app that lets you install all the third-party apps not on the Amazon App Store. Downloader is the facilitating application and is necessary for jailbreaking Firestick because Firestick does not support direct downloads via the browser.

Let’s find out the exact process of using the Downloader to sideload apps on Firestick.

The Process to Sideload Apps on Firestick

There are two parts to sideloading apps on Firestick. As mentioned above, install the Downloader app and, using it, install third-party apps.

A. Sideload Apps Through the Downloader App

1. Install the Downloader app by searching for it on your Firestick home screen.
2. Once it installs, open it.
3. Go to the Firestick settings and select the ‘My Fire TV’ option.
4. Now, tap ‘Developer options’ and turn ‘On’ ‘ADB Debugging.’
5. Now, tap the ‘Install Unknown Apps’ setting.
6. Tap ‘Downloader’ and turn it on.
7. Now go to the Firestick settings and open ‘Preferences.’
8. Launch ‘Privacy settings.’
9. Turn off the ‘Device Usage Data’ and ‘Collect App Usage Data’ options.
10. Hit the back button on your remote to return to the ‘Preferences’ window.
11. Here, tap ‘Data Usage Monitoring.’
12. On the new screen, turn off the Data Usage Monitoring option.
13. Now, you can install any app via the Downloader.

B. Use the Downloader App to Install Third-Party Apps

Now that your Firestick is set up for jailbreaking, you can install any third-party app of your choice. We’ll take the example of Kodi here.

1. Launch Downloader and tap on the URL text box.
2. Input firesticktricks.com/kapk and hit ‘Go.’
3. Let the Downloader app download the APK of Kodi 20.2 Nexus.
4. Install Kodi by clicking the ‘Install’ option.
5. Kodi APK will start installing.
6. You will soon receive a notification when Kodi will have been installed on your Firestick.
7. Tap ‘OPEN’ to run and use Kodi.

Is It Safe to Sideload Apps on Firestick?

While jailbreaking Firestick, you install apps prohibited by the Amazon App Store. So, you might wonder whether what you are doing is safe. Different people say different things about it. But overall, it is a proven fact that jailbreaking won’t make you face negative consequences.

This is because doing so is not illegal. Firestick is your device. You are free to use it the way you prefer. If there’s content unavailable in the App Store, jailbreaking the device will let you access it. The problem arises only when you violate copyright laws through it.

It’s not safe to stream copyrighted content using a jailbroken Firestick. It leads to civil penalties, which cause considerable monetary fines. People who install legal, safe, and secure apps after jailbreaking Firestick have never gotten into trouble. Only those who stream copyright-protected content are exposed to legal troubles.

Can You Sideload Apps From Your Smartphone?

If you’ve got an Android smartphone, you can sideload apps from it on your Firestick. But for this method to work, you must have the third-party app already on your smartphone. Follow these steps to sideload this app on your Firestick.

• Visit the Play Store and download the Apps2Fire application.
• Hit the three-dot button on the upper-right portion and tap ‘Setup.’
• Touch ‘Network’ on the screen.
• Let the scan be complete.
• Ensure that the Firestick is plugged in the TV and is on the same wireless network as your phone.
• Choose Firestick from the list of connected devices and tap on it.
• When it gets connected, open Apps2Fire and visit the ‘Local Apps’ area.
• On the list of installed Android apps, tap on the one you want on your Firestick.
• Hit ‘Install.’
• This app will be transferred over the network to your Firestick!

Summing Up

Sideloading apps on Firestick is a great way to access a diverse variety of content. The process is simple; you just need to follow the instructions above carefully. Remember not to stream copyrighted content and always use safe third-party apps to have an enjoyable experience.