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This means we’ll have to install the entire Google Play Store suite of services onto your device, which amounts to four different applications: three utilities and the Play Store itself. Because Google Play isn’t installed on your device, all apps sold through the Play Store won’t run on your device without Google Play Services installed along with it, since apps like Gmail or Google Maps check for authentication through that app. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy on an Amazon Fire tablet. On a standard Android tablet, installing apps outside of the Play Store would be as easy as installing the standard APK. There aren’t a ton of options in the Security section, but under Advanced, you’ll see a toggle reading Apps from Unknown Sources, along with the following explanation: “Allow installation of applications that are not from Appstore.” Toggle this setting On and then exit the Settings menu.
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Unlike a device running iOS, however, Android allows user to install any app on their device so long as you’ve enabled the ability to do so. Both Amazon and Android refer to third-party apps as “unknown sources,” and are blocked by default. Despite Amazon’s modification to Android to create Fire OS, the operating system is actually incredibly similar to Google’s own, and that includes how third-party apps are installed outside of Amazon’s own app store. The first thing we have to do on your Amazon Fire tablet is dive into the settings menu. This customized operating system allows you to have a better experience on tablets than Android otherwise allows for, but it’s also designed to push Amazon’s own lineup of products and services as much as possible.Īlright, here’s where the real guide begins. The Amazon tablets run Fire OS, a forked version of Android created by Amazon’s in-house software team. The big software difference between what we’ve seen on the Fire tablet, as opposed to any other Android tablet, is the customized software. Whether you’re looking to add Gmail, YouTube, or you just want a wider variety of apps, here’s how to get the Google Play Store up and running on your Amazon Fire Tablet. It’s actually a pretty straightforward process, and even on newer devices, much easier than it used to be. Luckily, Fire OS is still built on top of Android, which means you can manually add the Play Store if you’re so willing. They aren’t amazing tablets by any means, but for well under $200, they’re great content consumption devices.
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