In this guide, I am going to talk to you about getting Google Play on FireStick and Fire TV devices. Google Play Store is the most widely used app repository with thousands of apps, games, and utilities. The huge collection of apps and the ease of use are its biggest draws. But, Play Store is not available on all Android platforms. For instance, Amazon FireStick and Fire TV devices have Amazon Store and they do not support Play Store. Sadly, Amazon’s app inventory isn’t as large and that’s why FireStick users often go seeking other options.
Play Store isn’t officially available on these Amazon devices. So, is there a way to side-load it? The answer is Yes! However, here, I am going to tell you about something which is way better than Google Play on FireStick. In this guide, I will introduce you to the third-party app store called Aptoide TV, which is the best Play Store alternative and optimized for Fire device platforms.
How to Install Google Play on FireStick (Alternative)
The process to sideload Play Store on FireStick is tedious, long-winding, prone to glitches, and often does not work. You would have spent an hour and a half to no avail. I don’t want to waste your time. You can get everything from Aptoide that you can from Google Play and even more. Aptoide TV works error-free on FireStick for the most part. It also has a decent collection of apps for FireStick that you will ever need. So, let us now learn how to install and use the Aptoide app store.
Are You Concerned About Your Online Privacy?
Before we proceed, there is one important matter I would like to draw your attention to. Privacy is a huge concern in the World Wide Web landscape. You are probably being watched and tracked by hackers and identity stealers and even your own government and ISP. Therefore, it makes a lot of sense to find a way to stay anonymous and maintain your privacy in the digital span of the internet.
Get yourself a VPN now and enjoy peace of mind. VPN encrypts all the traffic from your devices and offers complete anonymity. VPN also ensures you do not become the victim of Internet throttling, a practice rapidly becoming more prevalent by day.
Read: How to install and Use VPN on FireStick
Prepare FireStick for Sideloading Aptoide TV
Aptoide, the most promising alternative of Google Play on FireStick, is a third-party app store, and no surprise that it isn’t hosted on Amazon Store. Since we are going to get the app from outside the official store, we will need to first install the sideloading tool called Downloader.
Downloader lets you download the APK files onto your FireStick from the web. Downloader is the most popularly used app to sideload the third-party apps on Fire Stick.
1. On the home screen of FireStick, go to Find > Search
2. Search for the Downloader app and follow the onscreen instructions to install it on your device
3. Now, select Settings on the home screen
4. Next, click My Fire TV
5. Click Developer Options
Click Install Unknown Apps
6. Turn ON Downloader
Method 1: Steps to Install Play Store Alternative (Aptoide Store) on FireStick with Downloader
I will now show you how to install Google Play Store on your Amazon Fire Stick device (the alternative Aptoide to be more precise).
1. Run the Downloader app
If you can’t see the app on the home screen, hold down the Home button on the remote and select ‘Apps’. You will see the list of all your apps. Scroll down to Downloader and run it.
2. From the Downloader home screen, make sure the Home option on the left sidebar is selected
3. You will see the cursor blinking in the URL field. Press the‘ Select’ button on your remote to bring up the onscreen keypad. Enter the URL firesticktricks.com/store and press the ‘Go’ button on the keypad (or the Play button on your remote). Look at the image below. This is the link to get Aptoide, alternative to Google Play on FireStick.
4. Aptoide APK file will now start to download automatically to your device storage
5. Once the download is complete, you will see the following screen. Highlight the ‘Install’ button and click it.
6. The installation progress screen will thus appear. Once the installation is complete, you will get the ‘App installed’ notification along with the ‘Done’ and ‘Open’ buttons.
7. Click the ‘Done’ button as we don’t want to open the app just yet (but if you really want to open the app right away, go ahead and click ‘Open’; your call!)
8. You will now see the following dialogue box. Don’t need to click the ‘Install’ button as the app is already installed. Instead, click the ‘Delete’ button to remove the APK file. We don’t need it any longer and it will take the storage space unnecessarily.
That’s it! You have successfully installed Aptoide app, a Google Play alternative on FireStick.
Method 2: Install Aptoide on FireStick Using ES File Explorer WITHOUT Computer (Method 2)
Note: This is an alternate method. No need to follow these steps if you have already installed Aptoide using the Downloader app. Moreover, ES File Explorer will now cost $9.99 per month if you wish to use its sideloading feature.
If you can’t get Downloader or don’t want to sideload it, or simply prefer ES File Explorer better, I will show you how to use the latter to install Aptoide app on Fire TV Stick.
ES File Explorer is also extensively popular and as I have already said, it is more widely available than Downloader, therefore, it only makes sense to include this method.
There are two ways to install Google Play on Fire Stick alternative, one with the computer and the other without.
The method without the computer is easier and quicker (but requires a $9.99 per month premium subscription). We will talk about this method first. In case you happen to have downloaded the Aptoide APK on your computer, you may want to look at the second method later.
Here comes the ES Explorer method that does not require any computer.
Step 1: Go to Find > Search from the home screen and install the ES File Explorer app
Open ES File Explorer, navigate to Tools on the left sidebar and expand it. From the Tools submenu, select ‘Download Manager’ and then click the ‘+’ button on the bottom
Step 2: You should now see the Download dialogue box
Step 3: In the Path field enter the URL https://firesticktricks.com/store. In the Name section, enter any name you want but make it relevant to the app we are installed. I gave it the name Aptoide TV as is the name of the app I am installing.
Step 4: Now click the Download Now button and wait for the APK to download
Once downloaded, click ‘Open file’ button to run the APK file. This will start the installation process.
Step 5: Now, when you see the following prompt, click ‘Install’
Step 6: Click the Install button
Step 7: Here’s what you will see when the app is installed. If you want to launch the app immediately, click the ‘Open’ button. Else, click the ‘Done’ button. You can run the app later from Apps & Games section
That will be all! Now, let’s see how to install Google Play on FireStick substitute app, Aptoide using ES File Explorer and computer.
How to Install Aptoide on FireStick Using ES File Explorer WITH Computer
You will need a computer. Windows, Mac, or Linux – any will do!
And, make sure that your computer and FireStick are both connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
So, here we go!
On Your Computer: First, download the Aptoide APK file on your computer from https://www.firesticktricks.com/store
On FireStick: Now, get the ES File Explorer app from the Amazon Store on your FireStick device. Just select the Search option on the top left of the Fire Stick home screen, look up ES File Explorer and follow the simple onscreen instructions to install it.
Step 1: Run ES File Explorer from Your Apps & Games section. Scroll down to the Network menu on the left sidebar and expand it. Now select Remote Manage from the available network options (image below)
Step 2: Now, click the big ‘Turn on’ button. You should now see an FTP address. Mine is ftp://192.168.1.7:3721/
Your address will be different. Note down this address. You will need to enter it on your PC. It will allow you to manage all your FireStick files and folders from your computer
Step 3: On Your Computer: Now return to your computer and open any folder. Type the FTP address of your Fire TV Stick that you see on ES Explorer screen in the address bar of the folder window on your computer and press Enter. It will open the ES File Explorer contents on your PC.
The image below has been captured on Windows 10. But, this will work just as well on your Mac and Linux.
Step 4: Now, copy the Aptoide APK for Fire Stick that you downloaded earlier on your computer. And paste it into any ES File Explorer folder that you opened with FTP address in the previous step. You may even create a new folder if needed.
I always choose the ‘Download’ folder to copy the APK file from my computer. Somehow, it makes more sense to me. But, that’s just me! The choice is all yours!
Step 5: On FireStick: Go back to FireStick and open ES File Explorer if it is not already.
Navigate to the ‘Local’ menu on the left and expand it. Select the second Home option (not the one with the home image). See the image below for more clarity.
Step 6: Now, use the remote to navigate to the ‘Download’ folder on the right of the screen
Step 7: Open the folder and you will see the Aptoide APK file here (remember? I saved this file in the Download folder. If you copied it to any other folder, choose accordingly)
Step 8: Press the ‘Select’ button on your FireStick remote to run this APK file. Click the ‘Install’ button when you see the prompt titled ‘Properties’ (image below)
Step 9: Now business as usual! Navigate to the bottom of the next screen and click ‘Install’ on the bottom right to confirm your action and install the app.
Step 10: When the app is installed, this is what you see like before. If you want to launch Aptoide TV right away, click ‘OPEN’ or else hit ‘DONE’ to open it later.
How to Use Google Play (Alternative) on Fire TV Stick
You have installed the alternative of Google Play on Fire TV without root. Now, go ahead and run it!
You probably already know you can access all your apps in the ‘Your Apps & Games’ section. Simply press and hold the ‘Home’ button on the remote and when you see the following menu, select ‘Apps’
That’s cool! But, the recently installed apps do not show up on the home screen and in the Apps list, they are at the bottom. You would like to move the frequently used apps to the top instead of quick access.
As you can see, Apptoide is right at the bottom of the list. But, you can move it up easily. Scroll down and select Aptoide.
Now, press and hold the ‘Select’ button on your remote. Alternately, you can press the Menu button (three horizontal lines) on the remote and select ‘Move’ from the menu that appears on the bottom right as shown in the image below:
Keep pressing the ‘Up’ direction button on your remote until the Aptoide app is in the top row.
Now press the ‘Select’ button to drop the Aptoide app icon in the top row. Return to the FireStick home screen and you will find the Aptoide icon right there!
Now, this is how the Aptoide Home Screen looks like. Everything else is pretty much straightforward. You can look up for any app using the ‘Search’ function on the top left. Go ahead and explore Aptoide and download all the apps you need.
Winding Up
So, here is how we download the alternative to Google Play on FireStick. Even though there is a workaround to download Play Store on your Fire devices, it is long-drawn and does not work for the most part. I have tried it myself plenty of times and have often been left frustrated. I see no point in trying this hard to get Google Play on FireStick when I can get all the best apps for FireStick I would ever need from Aptoide. Furthermore, Play Store isn’t designed and optimized to work on the Fire Stick platform. Even, most of its apps will not work. Get Aptoide and sidestep all the hassles.
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