The Amazon app store has pretty much everything you need to use Amazon Fire but we always want more. More apps, more freedom and more choice. Adding the Google Play Store to your device gives you access to all the Android apps out there, not just the ones Amazon wants you to use.
Kindle Fire tablets will never compete with desktops or laptops, but they are a convenient and surprisingly affordable way to enjoy digital content at home or on the go, and are cheap enough not to piss parents at the thought of having to pay for them.
Kindle Fire tablets are basically the cheapest way to get a perfect device for surfing the web, watching Netflix or Amazon Prime exclusives, and playing light games on the go. They are not surprising tablets in any way, but for well under $ 200, they are great devices for consuming content.
Here's how to install the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire tablet. The procedure is actually quite simple. The Amazon Fire tablet is an evolution of the Kindle Fire and then the Kindle Fire HD. It uses Firefox OS which is a modified version of Android written by Amazon.
The core operating system works in exactly the same way as an Android device. It just has changes to a few key elements, user interface and functionality. It is this Android core that allows us to install the Google Play Store and use it.
How to install the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire tablet
Installing the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire tablet requires preparing the tablet with a couple of settings and downloading four files. Once installed, these four files will be allowed to you to go to the Google Play Store and to download apps as you would on any Android device.
I tried this method on Amazon Fire HD 8 2017 which had Firefox OS 5.3.2 loaded on it. As far as I know, many other recent versions of Fire should work with this method.
To get started, follow these steps using your Amazon Fire tablet.
- Go to Settings, Security and enable “Apps from unknown sources”.
- Download the following four files: Google Account Manager, Google Services Framework, Google Play Services and Google Play Store. The sources are great and I've tested them all. Just select the APK download button, the rest of the links on the page are ads.
- Open the file manager then Documents on your Amazon Fire tablet.
- Select Local Storage and Downloads.
- Select the APK files you downloaded in the order they were listed above and install them.
- Go back to the home screen to see the Google Play Store. If it doesn't appear, restart your Fire tablet and try again.
Notes on installing files:
- When selecting files for download, a warning about malicious files may be displayed. Ignore it and download all four files.
- You need to install the files for this to work, so you must first select the Google Account Manager APK, then the Google Services Framework APK, then the Google Play Services APK and finally the Google Play Store APK. Each of these programs depends on the operation of the previous files, so they must be installed in the order written above.
- When installing the Google Play Store for the first time, it may be worth updating the application. This can take a few minutes, so if the shop icon appears but doesn't open, give it some time to refresh and try again.
Once the Google Play Store apk is installed and updated, you should be able to use the Play Store as you would on any other Android device. You need to sign in to be able to download any paid apps. The Fire OS is Android at its core, so nearly all apps from the Google Play Store should work fine on your Amazon Fire tablet.
There is also a Windows script that I haven't tried, but this method is faster and easier. You don't need to connect to a Windows PC, just use the script, download the files and get them to work. This method definitely works.
Conclusion
Once you've finished installing the Play Store on your tablet, you can basically start using the device as you normally would. The first thing we recommend you do is dive into the app list on your device, in order to make sure you don't have any updates on the Play Store or anything else.
Some Amazon apps may state that they need to be updated; Unfortunately, this is a bug in keeping both the Amazon Appstore and the Google Play Store on the same device.
Apps installed with the Amazon Appstore that also have listings in the Play Store will need to be constantly updated from the Play Store; likewise, once updated from the Play Store, they will likely ask to be updated from the Amazon App Store. It is a cycle that will last indefinitely.
With the Play Store on your Kindle Fire, you can use it as you would on any standard Android device. Some apps will be repeated and duplicated via Amazon's Appstore, such as Netflix, which has listings in both platforms. Other apps, however, are only available on this platform, which means you should make the most of the Play Store now that you have it.
