In this step-by-step guide, I will show you how to install the Kodi 20.5 Nexus and the Kodi 19.5 Matrix on FireStick within 2 minutes. The same guide will also work for FireStick 4K, 4K Max, Fire TV, FireStick Lite, New FireStick 4K, New FireStick 4K Max, and Fire TV Cube. However, before we start the installation steps, let’s begin with a brief introduction.
What’s Kodi?
Kodi is a free and open-source media player generally considered safe for users. It was initially created for the Xbox in the early 2000s. However, the media player was later renamed from XBMC (Xbox Media Center) to Kodi.
With this player, you can organize and watch your digital media, such as TV shows, movies, series, etc. Kodi is compatible with various audio and video formats, making it a versatile and all-in-one platform.
Kodi is available on all major hardware platforms, including FireStick, Android, Linux, iOS, Windows, Mac, etc.
The best feature of Kodi is its user-friendly design and easy-to-use layout. Furthermore, the media player allows you to get addons from official and unofficial sources. These addons further enhance the functionality of the media player and let you access live TV, watch tons of content, enjoy integrating various services, and more.
Attention, Kodi Users!
Kodi Addons and builds offer unlimited streaming content, but could also get you into legal trouble if caught streaming free movies, TV shows, or sports. Currently, your IP is visible to everyone. Kodi users are strongly advised to always connect to a VPN while streaming online. A good Kodi VPN hides your identity, bypasses government surveillance, geo-blocked content, and ISP throttling (which also helps in buffer-free streaming).
I personally use ExpressVPN, which is the fastest and most secure VPN. It is very easy to install on any device including Amazon FireStick. You get 3 months free and save 49% on its annual plans. Also, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied, you can always ask for a refund.
Read: How to Install and Use the Best Kodi VPN
Is Kodi Safe & Legal?
It’s normal to be concerned about the safety and legal status of an open-source media app like Kodi. Fortunately, Kodi is a safe and legal app available on all major app stores, including the Google App Store and Microsoft Store.
It’s crucial to note that while Kodi is 100% safe and legal, this may not be the case for all Kodi addons. Third-party sources also develop Kodi addons, meaning you can’t always tell whether the third-party addon contains malware.
Unofficial third-party addons may sometimes contain viruses. Still, you’ll be happy to know Kodi doesn’t put your device or data at risk of any malware attacks. Here is what VirusTotal shows regarding Kodi’s safety status.
As highlighted in the section above, Kodi is safe and legal, but some unofficial addons are unlicensed and consequently operate in legal gray areas. Using these third-party addons may breach several copyright and piracy laws and land you in serious legal trouble.
The best precaution when using third-party Kodi addons is to connect to a reliable and high-quality VPN provider like ExpressVPN. With a VPN, you don’t have to worry about IP address exposure that may lead the authorities or your ISP to your location.
ExpressVPN also ensures that your streaming and download data is safe and protected from anyone snooping on your connection.
Why Kodi for FireStick?
Amazon Fire TV/FireStick is one of the most popular streaming devices today. It’s affordable, easy to use, and provides a quick and seamless way to enjoy entertainment from the comfort of your home. It also supports premium streaming service providers like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and many more.
Unfortunately, premium streaming services have expensive subscription costs. Having adequate entertainment from premium services may require multiple subscriptions, making this option unsuitable for many users. This is where FireStick comes in. Fire TV provides a reliable way to watch your favorite movies, TV series, documentaries, live channels, and much more at no cost.
With open-source media apps like Kodi and other Amazon FireStick apps, FireStick will give you access to all the necessary entertainment sources without the inconvenience and hustle of exorbitant subscriptions.
Note: If you are already using Kodi on your Fire TV or Fire Stick and looking for a simple update to 20.5 Nexus, you should read how to update Kodi on your FireStick.
How to Install Kodi on FireStick
If you’ve decided to jailbreak Amazon FireStick, you’re in the right place. You’re about to learn how to install Kodi on FireStick in as many ways as possible.
Legal Disclaimer: This tutorial is purely educational. FireStickTricks.com doesn’t own, host, operate, resell, or distribute any streaming apps, addons, websites, IPTV or services. The page contains some unverified services, and we are not certain whether they hold legal licenses to distribute the content. FireStickTricks.com does not verify the legality of each app/service in all regions. Do your due diligence if you use any of the unverified apps/services, and stream only content that is available in the public domain. The end-user shall be solely responsible for the media accessed.
STEP 1: Get the Downloader app
This is the most popular, easiest, and fastest method for installing Kodi on Fire TV Stick. If you follow all the steps carefully, it won’t take more than 2 minutes.
Downloader is a fantastic app that is available free of charge on the Amazon App Store. It makes the Kodi installation process very smooth and convenient.
1. Select the FIND option in the middle bar on the FireStick home screen. Then click Search.
2. Now, search and click the Downloader app in the search results.
3. Click Download.
Once you have downloaded and installed the Downloader app on your Fire TV or Fire Stick, we are just a few steps away from installing Kodi.
STEP 2: Prepare Your FireStick for Kodi Installation
Installing Kodi on FireStick is pretty easy if you have the correct information. The instructions to set up FireStick for Kodi installation are as follows:
1. Launch FireStick and click the cogwheel settings icon at the right-side edge of the icons bar.
2. Select the My Fire TV tile at the lower-left corner of the screen.
3. Click Developer Options.
Now, select Fire TV Stick and click it 7 times to enable Developer Options. If you’re still not sure how to do it, here’s a step-by-step guide to enable developer options.
4. Click ADB debugging (optional) and turn it ON.
5. You will see one of these two options on this window:
- Install unknown apps
- Apps from unknown sources
If it’s the first option, click it and proceed to the next step (step 6). If it’s the second option, click and enable it, skip step 6, and jump to step 7.
6. Turn it ON for the Downloader app.
7. Now, navigate to Settings and open Preferences > Privacy Settings. Turn OFF the Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data.
Note: This step is optional but highly recommended if you are concerned about privacy.
Your Amazon Fire TV Stick is all set, so we are closer to the Kodi installation.
STEP 3: Install Kodi on FireStick
In this step, we will learn to download and install Kodi on your Amazon Fire TV Stick. For those who are not aware, Kodi 20.5 Nexus is the latest stable version as of date.
1. Launch the Downloader app you just installed and click the URL box.
2. To install the latest Kodi Nexus 20.5, enter firesticktricks.com/kapk and click GO.
Note: FireStickTricks.com does not host any APKs or URLs. The URL above redirects to an external source.
3. This will begin the downloading process.
4. Once the download is finished, click Install.
5. Wait for the download to complete.
7. You see the app Installed message once Kodi is installed. Click OPEN to start the Kodi application. If you want to open it later, click DONE.
You won’t find the Kodi app on your home screen. However, you can easily create the Kodi home screen shortcut. Alternatively, press the Home key/button on your remote for 5 seconds and click Apps on the pop-up screen to access Kodi.
How to Use Kodi on FireStick
Now that you have installed Kodi, it is time to learn how to use it on Fire Stick for safe and sound entertainment.
With Kodi, you will have access to the vast world of free content ranging from movies to TV shows and a lot more. But, before you start using Kodi on your Fire TV / Stick, I want to warn you that whatever you stream on Kodi is visible to your ISP and Government. If caught watching copyrighted content (free movies, TV shows, Sports), you might have serious legal trouble.
Thankfully, there is a way to continue enjoying your favorite content through Kodi without worrying about who might be looking. Use a trusted VPN service to mask all your internet activities from web snoops.
A VPN helps bypass Internet Throttling, online surveillance, and content geo-restrictions. I use and recommend ExpressVPN. It is the fastest VPN, which is the most important thing for a smooth streaming experience.
We never promote or encourage copyright infringements, but we don’t want you to be involved in the legal hassles. Furthermore, we believe in the right to privacy and are strong advocates of it.
So, before using Kodi on Fire TV / Stick, let’s see how to use ExpressVPN to keep your streaming activities hidden from prying eyes.
Step 1: Click HERE to subscribe to the ExpressVPN service. There is a 30-day, full, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee; if you are unsatisfied with it (see no reason why), you can request a full refund within the first 30 days.
Step 2: Power ON your Fire TV / Stick and select Find followed by Search.
Start typing “Expressvpn” (without quotes) in the search bar and select ExpressVPN when it appears in the search results.
Step 3: Click “Get” to download and install the ExpressVPN application on your Fire TV / Stick.
Step 4: Launch the ExpressVPN app and log in with the Email ID/password you created while buying the ExpressVPN subscription.
Step 5: Now click the Power icon to connect to a VPN server (see the image below). You can also change your preferred location by clicking “Choose Location,” as shown in the image below. That’s all. Your connection is now secure with the fastest and best VPN for FireStick.
You can read more about using ExpressVPN with FireStick. Now that your online activities are private, it is time to learn what to do next with Kodi on Fire TV Stick.
As I mentioned earlier, Kodi is just a media player. It does not host or provide any content. You will need Kodi Addons / Builds to stream movies, TV shows, or Sports.
If you are new to Kodi, here’s my step-by-step beginner’s guide.
Are you wondering how to get the best Kodi Addons or Builds on your Fire TV / Stick? Check out the links below to help you install popular Addons and builds that work fine and pull quality streams.
- How to Install the Crew Addon
- How to Install the Asgard Addon
- How to Install Misfit Mods Lite Kodi Build
- How to Install Doomzday Kodi Builds
Video Guide For Installing Kodi on Amazon FireStick
https://youtu.be/gh49RqG9KUY You have successfully installed Kodi on Fire Stick. If this method doesn’t work, you can try the following methods.
How to Get Kodi on FireStick Using Alternate Methods
You may skip this section if you have already installed Kodi on FireStick using the Downloader method (as provided above).
Downloader is a reliable app, and you should typically face no difficulty installing Kodi on FireStick through it. But, if you have a premium subscription to the popular file manager app ES File Explorer, you might want to use that instead.
ES File Explorer no longer supports free sideloading of third-party apps. Instead, you need a premium monthly subscription that costs $9.99. On the other hand, Downloader is one hundred percent free.
Note: You can download the unofficial version of ES File Explorer. The unofficial version unlocks all the features of premium ES File Explorer for free.
Install Kodi on FireStick Using ES File Explorer
You can learn more about the ES File Explorer app in our guide on How to Install and Use ES File Explorer on FireStick. Here are the steps to install Kodi on the Amazon Fire TV Stick:
- Power on your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
- Go to Settings > My Fire TV.
- Open Developer Options.
- Turn On Apps from Unknown Sources.
- Go to the Fire Stick homepage and click the “Search” icon at the top left of your screen.
- Type “ES File Explorer” and click it when it shows in the search results.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install the ES File Explorer app on FireStick.
- Once the app is installed, launch it. Now, go to the right, where you see several icons. Select and click the Downloader icon.
- Click +New at the bottom.
- A pop-up will appear. In the Path section, enter firesticktricks.com/kapk and any name of your choice in the Name section.
- Click Download Now.
- Wait while Kodi is downloaded on FireStick.
- Click Open File.
- Click Install when prompted.
- Click Install again.
- That’s all. Kodi is now installed on your FireStick / Fire TV.
How to Install Kodi on FireStick Using AppStarter
If you can’t successfully install Kodi via the Downloader app or ES File Explorer, try using AppStarter.
Like the Downloader, AppStarter allows the installation of unregistered apps or apps from unknown sources.
It also follows a similar installation process that requires enabling the installation of third-party apps on your FireStick and disabling the Collect App Usage Data. The steps to make these adjustments are the same as those for the Downloader app.
After completing all the required changes, proceed with installing Kodia via AppStarter using the steps below:
1. Go to your Fire TV home page and click the Apps icon at the right-side corner of the icon bar.
2. Select the Downloader tile from the list of apps.
3. Click the URL box highlighted in the image below.
4. Now, a new window will appear. Enter firesticktricks.com/appstarter and click GO.
5. Once the AppStarter is downloaded, click “Install.”
6. After AppStarter is installed, launch it. To install Kodi, go to “Updates” on the left-hand menu of AppStarter. Now click “Install” on the right side, where it displays Kodi.
Kudos, you’ve successfully jailbroken your Amazon Fire Stick and installed Kodi using AppStarter.
Install Kodi on Amazon Fire TV Stick With FileLinked
Note: The FileLinked application is no longer available. This method does not work. FileLinked is an effective file-sharing tool that you can use to sideload FireStick apps. Here is how you can install Kodi on FireStick using the FileLinked app.
STEP 1: The first thing you want to do is install FileLinked on FireStick
STEP 2: Launch FileLinked
STEP 3: When you see the following screen, enter the code 54780130 and click Continue.
Note: The FileLinked application is no longer available.
STEP 4: Click the Download icon next to the Kodi version you wish to install.
STEP 5: When the download is finished, click the Play button next to the version of the file you downloaded. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Kodi on FireStick.
FAQ’s
Kodi is one hundred percent safe and legal. You can download Kodi from the official app stores on various devices, such as the Google Play Store for Android and the Microsoft Store for Windows 10. These app stores would never host an unsafe and illegal app. However, remember that Kodi allows specific third-party addons that may stream copyrighted content. Streaming such content is not legal.
You can watch movies, shows, sports, live TV, documentaries, kids’ content, anime, and anything you can think of.
Remember that Kodi does not host any content of its own. Instead, you are required to source content through Kodi addons. There are hundreds of addons for all types of videos you like to stream. Kodi supports both official addons as well as third-party addons. You can also use Kodi builds for an enhanced experience.
Yes, you can install Kodi on Fire TV Cube. All Fire TV devices (FireStick 2nd Gen, Fire Stick 4K, 4K Max, and Fire TV Cube) have the same interface and navigation system. Therefore, the installation instructions for Kodi in this guide also apply to the Fire TV Cube.
Kodi has an official addon repository with various addons from sports and live TV to movies, TV series, and documentaries. Besides installing official addons from the repository, you can review multiple online sources for third-party addons. Remember to use a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN when installing unofficial addons on your device. Using unregistered sources to stream copyright content is illegal and can lead to prosecution should the authorities find out.
Kodi 20.5 Nexus is the latest version of Kodi. This version was released in March 2022 and offered minor bug fixes and cosmetic changes.
Conclusion
This is it. I hope you had a smooth experience with the instructions mentioned above. Now, sit back and enjoy the plethora of fantastic multimedia content Kodi offers. However, I recommend you stay wary of accessing pirated or illegal content.
If you are new to Kodi, here’s my beginner’s guide on how to use Kodi. Also, check out how to use real-debrid to get quality streaming links and avoid Kodi buffering issues. If you face any errors in the future, you can reset Kodi on FireStick.
I have tried and tested all these methods to install Kodi, and they work perfectly. If you know of any other better way to install Kodi on FireStick or have any issues following these steps, please post your queries in the comments below.
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BRENT says
I keep getting no stream available and my fire cube is brand new and im using Kodi 20.5 and was using Kodi 20 and had the same problem. I have vpn express and realdebrid and I have good internet speed and cleared cache and providers and move internet speed from 30 to the max of 60 and im set on expert so I have everything new and its the same problem as the last fire cube. help help help me plz
Max says
Hi Brent, which Kodi addons are you using? Please try one of the addons from our list of best addons for Kodi.
Debbie Nevins says
I have a Nvidia Shield suddenly a few months agao I started getting no stream available error. I have uninstalled Kodi and reinstalled with same error. I have chromecast. same result. I recently purchased a firestick and same result. What do I do? Please help. New tv perhaps?
Max says
Hi Debbie, this issue is not related to your streaming device or TV. Please let me know which addons you use. You may try some working addons from our list of best addons for Kodi.
Bob says
I’m trying to install oath add on keeps telling me cannot find network do I want to install anyways? Not sure what to do?
Max says
Hi Bob. The Oath Addon is currently unavailable, please check our list of best Kodi Addons for some alternatives.
Dan says
Patrick…when I downloaded 19.4 there is a problem w the keyboard that pops up when entering url(http://) there is a semicolon where a colon is for 19.3. So there is no colon 9n there and we get an error. Please help
Max says
Hi Dan. I just checked and the colon is there, please check again.
Jay says
just use www.
Douglas M says
Hello, I had an older 18v version that wasnt working great. Kept getting log errors. SO I decided to upgrade to 19.3, only to find out the add ons I would like to use may not work well. I have been trying to revert down to 19.2, as suggested, but in every place i try to download it, I get an error message saying it ‘seems corrupt’. Any idea why this is happening and a way around it?
Max says
Hi Douglas. I just checked and it is working for me. You may have run into a temporary issue, please try again.