So I received my Kindle Fire for Christmas, and I'm in the UK. My uncle from the US brought it over for me, and I hope this post will clear up any speculation about what will and will not work on your Kindle Fire in the UK.
1. Apps: Apps need a US credit card, or you cannot download from the Kindle Store. This was not really an issue for me, as I rooted my Fire, installed the Market, and can download from there, not to mention sideloading APK file apps, which I was able to do without rooting
2. Silk: Works fine, uses EC2 cloud like it should
3, Book Store: Haven't tried it, but I was able to download books I had purchased previously for my old Kindle
4: Prime: You get a month's free of Amazon Prime, I wasn't able to stream videos from it, and I don't really care, I don't want to pay 70 dollars + a year for it.
Everything else works fine, and I really love it. The only other issue, was during the set up, there is no option to select the UK time zone, so you have to change it manually from the settings later. Oh, and all the temperatures in the weather app are in Fahrenheit. But it works like a charm. Got lots of working apps, Minecraft, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, and I'm using Calibre library to convert my PDFs into .MOBI format for reading on the Fire.
So all in all, it works pretty well in the UK actually! Hope this clears everything up for people in the UK thinking of getting it somehow. If I've missed anything please tell me!
Would also like to use the Kindle Fire in the UK but without rooting.
You mentioned being able to sideload apps ... but in order to do so, don't you need to download a file manager from the Amazon store (which a UK person cannot do)? and / or use an Android phone to backup an app?
I tried to download free apps from Amazon but even that is not possible and I don't have an Android phone .... is there any other way to sideload??
regards ....
hightime707 said:
Would also like to use the Kindle Fire in the UK but without rooting.
You mentioned being able to sideload apps ... but in order to do so, don't you need to download a file manager from the Amazon store (which a UK person cannot do)? and / or use an Android phone to backup an app?
I tried to download free apps from Amazon but even that is not possible and I don't have an Android phone .... is there any other way to sideload??
regards ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before rooting I was able to sideload by downloading directly using the Fire, then using the browser, going into the menu, and seeing my downloaded, from that file list you can launch APKs.
I'm using it in the Czech Republic and I can confirm that all the things mentioned by "georgeos" are valid.
If anyone is interested, here are some of my own findings:
- Books - you can purchase books from Amazon as long as you have a valid card number. You're eligible to borrow some of the books in the store with Prime subscription (limited to one book a month).
- Newsstand - same as above - you can check most of the magazines with a 14 day free trial subscription.
As far as the sideloading goes, it's pretty simple even without access to the App Store.
First you need to turn on installation of applications from unknown sources. Then use the browser to look for an .apk file of your preffered file manager (I used ES File Explorer since it was free and came highly recommended). Once the download is completed tap the status bar to show the recent notifications, then tap the downloaded .apk file to start the installation.
Shtroodle said:
As far as the sideloading goes, it's pretty simple even without access to the App Store.
First you need to turn on installation of applications from unknown sources. Then use the browser to look for an .apk file of your preffered file manager (I used ES File Explorer since it was free and came highly recommended). Once the download is completed tap the status bar to show the recent notifications, then tap the downloaded .apk file to start the installation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yeah, sorry, forgot to mention that. But it is best to root the device, and install the Android Market, makes getting apps easier if you don't want to pirate the APKs, or if you're looking for the latest version of a free one, and it's always difficult to find a latest version APK. Also the Market shows ONLY the apps compatible with the device, so you don't have to go through the pain of downloading the APK and then it not working and having to uninstall it and delete it.
Hi - I've been searching around for about half an hour or so but can't find an "idiot's guide" (for that is what I need) on how to make my US Kindle Fire compatible with the UK app store.
I've asked Amazon directly a number of times but they refuse to help. I'm close to selling up and buying a UK one, so would really appreciate if anyone knew if there was a way to do this.
Many thanks in advance.
Purchase kindle fire games with gift card from Asia
please some one help me. yesterday i have purchased a amazon gift card of 10$ and added to my amazon account but when i try to purchase any kindle fire game it says that its only valid for US residents. what should i do any proxy server, vpn connection or could anyone purchase for me if i give you my login id.
Any HELP Please.
Related
I've been collecting free apps from Amazon on my rooted NC for awhile now. At the time I got each of these apps, they were listed as "compatible" with my device.
Now suddenly a lot of them are not, and I am unable to go back and re-install the ones that I had removed.
Even worse, pretty much everything I've tried so far today to grab has come up as incompatible. Even really simple stuff that should have no problem running.
Oddly, at some point early on, Amazon listed my device as simply "Nook Color". Most of the apps are still showing as compatible with that device. Unfortunately, that's not what Amazon thinks my NC is anymore! I now have a second device on my list called "BarnesAndNoble NOOKcolor", which almost nothing is compatible with.
So then I wanted to check to see if Amazon was behind this, maybe to screw B&N fans. But nope! The Android Marketplace lists every game I've checked so far today as incompatible with my NC!!!
That's certainly news to me, considering some of the games I checked are currently installed on my NC and work perfectly.
I'm not sure what's going on here, but it's sort of scaring me. Who's locking down my rooted NC? If the official android marketplace says everything is incompatible... there aren't a lot of options for getting apps.
Do search with "Market" keyword, you will see about 10 threads with many responses and instructions how to fix this.
votinh said:
Do search with "Market" keyword, you will see about 10 threads with many responses and instructions how to fix this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are quite a few threads found that way, but none of the ones I read helped. I did the "stop/restart Framework/Google and reload" and nothing changed. Most of the others seem to be related to problems with the new market, which was working perfectly for me up until today, or problems run into right after rooting. I've been rooted for about 5 months with no market problems of any kind, and I haven't changed anything on my NC for over a month.
I also tried clearing the settings for the Amazon market and also deregistered the device from my amazon account, forcing it to re-register. Still no luck.
Anyone else seeing this, or have another suggestion?
My old market and new market were working fine too, just like yours, until a few days ago. If you try the 160 dpi/reboot/clear-data-from-market procedure below and that doesn't work, then you may have a totally unique problem that just happens to have the same variety of symptoms everyone else is having. (I'm doubtful.) This procedure seems to be fixing the problem for almost everyone else. Did you try it? It fixed mine.
1) set dpi to 160 in build.prop
2) reboot
3) clear market app data (force close first may help?)
4) restart market, accept terms, let it rebuild data at 160 dpi
5) profit
the above we all seem to agree on now. Next steps are more speculative
6) set dpi back to 161 (or whatever you had)
7) reboot
8) profit indefinitely (unknown how long this lasts; I rebooted >5 times including flashing a nightly w/o issue)
9) do NOT clear data again as this rebuilds data at the wrong dpi again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I had tried the first half, but not the second. I used manual nooter, so my dpi entries originally looked like:
ro.sf.lcd_density.xdpi=169.3333
ro.sf.lcd_density.ydpi=169.3333
I don't know if that makes a difference.
Anyway, I just tried the second half of the above process but I'm still showing as incompatible. I wonder if I need to re-noot.
Everyone trying to be helpful here seems to miss the poster's dilemma. He is talking about the Amazon Market, not the Android Market. Hopefully someone familiar with the workings of the Amazon Market will chime in with some suggestions.
My original problem was with Amazon's market, but it looks like that's just a symptom of the bigger problem that I noticed first because I use it every day, as opposed to much less frequent use of the android market.
But the Android market suffers the same problem and from what I've read online it sounds like the problem was started with changes by Google that Amazon also adopted.
Interestingly I noticed this for the first time last night on the Android market and this morning with the Amazon market. Ebook downloads presently are unaffected to my rooted NC. Amazon recognizes my device as an Android but when I tried to make an app purchase this morning it suddenly tried to download it to a BN Nook. Amazon emailed me this morning saying that unless I have their market preloaded by the manufacturer they do not support it. Collusion?
I got the "not compatible" message after installing the most recent update from the Amazon App Store. Fortunately, I have the very first app store apk. I uninstalled the updated app store, then installed the old apk, logged in and then updated it and for some reason that worked for me. You might try not updating also to see if that works. I am not using CM7 though and I'm not manualnootered. I'm minirooted meaning I can side load apps and have superuser access, but no Android Market access and some other things.
I have attached the apk I used. I hope it works for you.
unibroker said:
Interestingly I noticed this for the first time last night on the Android market and this morning with the Amazon market. Ebook downloads presently are unaffected to my rooted NC. Amazon recognizes my device as an Android but when I tried to make an app purchase this morning it suddenly tried to download it to a BN Nook. Amazon emailed me this morning saying that unless I have their market preloaded by the manufacturer they do not support it. Collusion?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A better question would be is Amazon trying to bork the Nook Color with their app?
Anyone else have a suggestion for getting the Android Market working again for me?
thanks for the APK, I'll try it when I have a chance... But since the Android market from Google doesn't work either I'm hoping for a fix to that.
If you make the change in your build.prop “ro.product.manufacturer=BarnesAndNoble” to “ro.product.manufacturer=samsung” then reboot the device. This seems to fix most of the device compatibility problems in the Amazon appstore. I went down the top 100 paid and free app list, and the only apps that came up with the compatibility problems after doing this are,
Soundhound
Peggle
Thumb keyboard
Trainz simulator THD
Chuzzle
Talking Tom Cat
flexT9
GrooVe IP
Ultra Voice Changer
TV.com
Compass
Also attached is the amazon appstore v.1.14, it has the double click buying fix, but does not give all the compatibility issues. With installing this version does fix the compatibility problem, but you will be constantly hounded with the update reminder.
I don't use Facebook, but I was able to find, install and open the Facebook app with the new market. Do the density change using 240. Its more stable than 160 for whatever reason.
GMPOWER said:
If you make the change in your build.prop “ro.product.manufacturer=BarnesAndNoble” to “ro.product.manufacturer=samsung” then reboot the device. This seems to fix most of the device compatibility problems in the Amazon appstore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately it had no effect. The first four apps i tried not on your list all came up incompatible, as did stuff on the google market.
I'll try your attachment to see if it helps. Thx!
kayak and tripit does not install
Running MN4.5 on NC. Kayak and Tripit are visible in Market and downloads - but I get a window that just says "error".
Any suggestions?
GMPOWER said:
Also attached is the amazon appstore v.1.14, it has the double click buying fix, but does not give all the compatibility issues. With installing this version does fix the compatibility problem, but you will be constantly hounded with the update reminder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The old version of the market is working! I was able to install a number of apps that didn't previously work.
Now if I could just get the Google market to work!
Thanks for that link!
I was having the same problem with the AMAZON appstore (but not the android marketplace, for some reason) but I couldn't find the old amazon appstore apk. Going back to it totally fixed the problem. But you're right, the constant reminders to update the apk are a pain in the whatsus.
Also try going into application management and goto market and tap uninstall updates. Also use titanium backup or similar program to freeze market updater.
By what I read, I bet amazon is trying to block the competition because they are fixing to come out with their own tablets and by horning something like the nook you might be enticed to buy their tablet.
I voided my warranty and your mum.
My markets all seem to do whatever the f*ck they want the moment i need an application that was perfectly available minutes before. What i've done to get around the issue if neither the market or the amazon store have what i'm looking for is: (i know its tedious but hey it works)
1) install astro
2) using your android phone assuming you have one, download the applications you want regardless of them being compatible with the nook color according to the android market.
3) once your files are installed on your phone use astro to create a backup of the .apk files you want (open astro > menu > tools > application manager/backup)
4) i then take my sd card out of my phone and pop it into my nook color and install my apps through w.e file manager it is i have on the nook color
all the games that i cant normally download onto my nook through the official methods i've been able to install and play through the method i've been using. not ALL apps will allow you to back them up though =/
[UPDATED!]
Thread for Aussies to share Kindle Fire experience. I want eventually to have an ICS rom on this, but I'm no Dev so will need to share learnings.
Goals:
1. DONE - Order Kindle Fire using US Freight Forwarding company (I used www.shipito.com ) and Australian Credit Card
2. Set up and use Amazon.com US services
HELP - my broadband modem is locked so I cannot setup VPN on it - other options being investigated:
a - get VPN & working tun.ko on Fire for VPN on the device (best option)
see How to access android.net.vpn.SETTINGS?
and Kindle Fire tun.ko
b - get adhoc networking working so can run VPN on PC/laptop and then share adhoc wireless network
see [Q] Kindle won't pickup adhoc wireless my phone will??
and [Q] Will Adhoc WIFI be possible with software patching?
c - use a special wirless router to flash VPN on it e.g. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1494723
3. DONE! - Root (Dev forum thread
4. Install Google Apps (Dev forum thread)
HELP - Market loads but fails when trying to download any apps.
5. Install alternate launcher
6. Ummm... clockwork recovery and cyanogenmod 9 ICS eventually...
e.g. ROMs and DEVs compilation thread
EDIT - Other goals yet to be achieved
Add your own books to the Kindle
From the Use Kindle Fire in Europe thread:
mils69 said:
Here's my experience using the various Amazon 'services' from abroad - on the road for work, vacation or whatever.
Amazon Kindle - VPN into either US or UK IP ranges and then I can purchase books. Kindle app on Android doesn't seem to care where it is once book has been purchased.
Amazon MP3s - VPN into either US or UK and then I can purchase (and upload to Amazon Cloud player).. haven't tried playing MP3s with the cloud player as I have Google Music. Once disconnected from the VPN Amazon download app doesn't seem to care where I am when I download the actual MP3s.
Amazon Prime - Free Subscription to Amazon media library. Seems to be fine (on my PC) once I use an VPN. Haven't tried it on my Sensation.
Amazon AppStore - can't get it to work outside the US for love or money.
Assuming the products on the KF would behave in a similar fashion I can't see myself buying one any time soon, which is incredibly frustrating.
Hope this helps,
mils
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I VPN to a US IP?
I’m currently waiting for my kindle to arrive, I´m based in Spain and will be using unblock-us
I currently use this on my apple tv and ipad to view content from both the US and UK that is restricted to me here, this is a big step up from a VPN, it changes your DNS and not your ip address, it works at the same speed as your connection so streaming content via this will see no slowdown which I have always found happens using a VPN.
I’ve been using it for the last 3 months faultlessly but have not tried it on Amazon prime although I really don’t see why this won’t work.
Try it for free with the free months trial and please report back
Progress updated in first thread.
#1 - Root. This was very straightforward following the linked thread.
#2 - File explorer - had difficulties here, I ended up learning how to take an app off my phone (e.g. rootexplorer-1.apk from /data/apps) and install it on the fire using adb on my PC i.e. "adb install rootexplorer-1.apk".
I could get any number of apps off my phone using this method (e.g. homeswitcher & go launcher I really want!) but really I won't feel happy unless I can do this using the market
I tried following the link in my first post to get the market working, it opens but fails on trying to install any apps. Will give this another go later, but am concentrating on getting Amazon US services first.
On this note I have signed up to www.hidemyass.com for VPN as it seemed a good deal and I saw it before the above post about "unblock-us". So I have VPN on my PC, laptop, my android SGS phone and my wife's iPhone4, for about $70/year. Unfortunately our broadband wireless router is locked so I cannot set up VPN on it, so I am looking at options per my first post ie:
a - get VPN & working tun.ko on Fire for VPN on the device (best option)
see How to access android.net.vpn.SETTINGS?
and Kindle Fire tun.ko
b - get adhoc networking working so can run VPN on PC/laptop and then share adhoc wireless network
see [Q] Kindle won't pickup adhoc wireless my phone will??
and [Q] Will Adhoc WIFI be possible with software patching?
c - use a special wirless router to flash VPN on it e.g. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1494723
Kindle fire tried in Aussie land
I have got an amazon kindle from ebay and have successfully done the following
1. Rooted ...(Superoneclick)
2. Google market and youtube installed(needs market 3.3 and vendor.apk files
3. Installed go launcher
4. installed voodoo ota rootkeeper (for prime trailers to hide the su binary)
now waiting for custom ICS rom and recovery bootloader....
will try unblock-us to see if I can bypass the us restriction for amazon market store and video . Anyone tried this as I have heard we cant bypass this due to the credit card associated to amazon account. We need to have an us address associated with the card. One way to bypass this would be to get someone in US to post a Visa/matercard gift card so we can input that credit card in amazon.... anyone have any ideas ???
My Kindle arrived an hour ago here in Spain.
I have an Amazon account with my Spanish credit card and used a random us address.
I now have Amazon prime working nicely with the help of unblock-us which was straight forward, I also quickly installed ice cream sandwich launcher and will shortly root to add android market
So far everything works well with everything working just like being in the US
Kindle Fire - market app bombs
I followed all the instructions, rooted the kindle fire.
Installed the google pack, rootexplorer, go launcher, and vending apk.
Installed perfectly BUT it opens for a second, tried to display the terms of agreement then shuts down.
I tried to get around it by installing the market opener apk, same deal opens for one second then closes (as if something forces it shut).
Can someone please help.
Thanks
duquesa said:
My Kindle arrived an hour ago here in Spain.
I have an Amazon account with my Spanish credit card and used a random us address.
I now have Amazon prime working nicely with the help of unblock-us which was straight forward, I also quickly installed ice cream sandwich launcher and will shortly root to add android market
So far everything works well with everything working just like being in the US
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which address did you change and how?
Australian VPN On Kindle Fire
Hello everybody,
I have Kindle Fire and I am using Australian VPN with Superb VPN Services on it. I am very satisfied. Speed is fine and connection is reliable.
AnthonyBell said:
Hello everybody,
I have Kindle Fire and I am using Australian VPN with Superb VPN Services on it. I am very satisfied. Speed is fine and connection is reliable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you manage to set it up? Through the router (VPN method mentioned earlier) or directly on your Kindle? In which case it would be amazing
AnthonyBell said:
Hello everybody,
I have Kindle Fire and I am using Australian VPN with Superb VPN Services on it. I am very satisfied. Speed is fine and connection is reliable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Anthony, you mention Superb VPN Services. This looks like the right site:
superbvpn.com/android-vpn-service
It is a subscription service at $3.49/m. Is that what you used?
The site has an issue at the moment and I can't get to the purchase page.
Please confirm how you set this up.
Cheers.
Edit: I just found another option that has worked for a couple of AU users on this Whirlpool thread:
forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1819810
UnblockUs has a free trial for one week then it is $4.99/m
unblock-us.com
I will give this a try and see how it goes.
Cheers.
hi there
i just bought a fire runing on 6.2.2
i cannot download anything as i dont have a us credit card
anyone can teach me how????
thanks
Get a US credit card and you don't have a problem. The Kindle Fire is supported/distributed for the US only right now.
You can use it other places but you have to go through hoops to use it for media etc... there are other threads you can find out that information from.
Search is your friend...
you actually can download books and magazines using a canadian credit card but you need a USA address
also, you can download ANY app on the android market by going to:
goodereader .c0m/apps on your kindle fire browser
that way you can download apps from the google marketplace without having the market on your actual ereader!
its pretty smart
You may be able to get a US prepay card, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work. Try contacting Amazon support too. You never know what they'll say...
When you open links to android apps in the browser or other external apps the Kindle intercepts them by default and takes you to the Amazon market instead. In most cases it doesn't have that app which is pretty annoying. To fix that all you need to do is rename MarketIntentProxy.apk in /system/app. No ill effects found so far and it takes effect immediately.
sorry, to ask. But rename it to what?
When I did this I just renamed it to marketintent.bak
Sent from my KFTT using xda app-developers app
Google Play Market Kindle 7" Software 7.2.3
I decided to just move it from /system/app/MarketIntentProxy.apk to /sdcard/download - works great. Thank you for the post.
not working for dolphin add ons
Hi I tried installing a dolphin browser add-on after a successful root and renamed the proxy market file, but I still get redirected to amazon. So it doesn't seem to be working for me which is slightly weird as I'm sure I installed some dolphin add-ons before the root.
Any ideas please?
Root and Google Play for Amazon 7" Kindle Fire HD Software Version 7.2.3
xamol said:
Hi I tried installing a dolphin browser add-on after a successful root and renamed the proxy market file, but I still get redirected to amazon. So it doesn't seem to be working for me which is slightly weird as I'm sure I installed some dolphin add-ons before the root.
Any ideas please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xamol,
You are using an old version of the Google Play Market. The new Market is version 3.10.10.
The problem you are describing is quite common with the older Google Play Market.
Please go over to our post: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2069859
Or download and install the attached apk. This will also reduce the number of
" ! your device Isn't compatible with this version" you had experienced.
Hi prokennexusa,
First things first, thanks for the superb noob guides and for your help.
I'm still having this issue after following all the guides. My Market is on version 3.10.10, verified through the apps browser in ES File explorer, but I still get redirected to the Amazon store for a Dolphin add-on.
I still cannot install quite a few apps, for instance the My Vodafone app. I also tried the side load method, if this is the correct method?. I copied the .apk file to system/app and changed the acl to RW/R/R but the app still failed to install.
I've attached the apk so if you've got time or any interest in it you can have a look.
Or if you can point me in the right direction on how to debug/troubleshoot, or even check install log files for a starter that would be great.
Cheers
amazon market
yes it work great! but I still got the message "this app is not compatible with your device" even after installing the new version attached in this thread....
I just notice one thing about the apps in amazon, some apps actually work perfect in KFHD compare the app available in GPLAY.
HDplayer for instance, both availabe in each store but performs differently....the amazon version is great...
Root and Google Play for Amazon 7" Kindle Fire HD Software Version 7.2.3
ryanne81 said:
yes it work great! but I still got the message "this app is not compatible with your device" even after installing the new version attached in this thread....
I just notice one thing about the apps in amazon, some apps actually work perfect in KFHD compare the app available in GPLAY.
HDplayer for instance, both availabe in each store but performs differently....the amazon version is great...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ryanne81,
Great work ryanne81! I am glad we were able to solve the Default Market issue. Now, moving on to the
"this app is not compatible with your device" issue. When Google Play Store shows this message,
there is a 70% chance that it is indeed correct. A good example is a customer request this morning,
he wanted "Sky Go" on his Kindle Fire HD, when he wen to Google Play Store, the message
"this app is not compatible with your device" displayed making it difficult to obtain the apk. He
contacted us and we have the apk, as well as over 5000 other apk's. We decided to try it out
despite the warning that the Kindle Fire HD was not compatible with the application. In the case
of Sky Go, the message was correct. We installed the application without trouble, then when we
launched the application it initialized fine, then an error message displayed "Technical error
occurred........." forcing us to "Close" the application. Yet, the Sky Go application runs fine
on our Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 - both Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3, so the moral
of the story? Always try the application to see if the message is erroneous. If you need an
apk, contact us, as long as the apk developer allows us to distribute it, we will get you a copy
in an attempt to make it work. Finally, the Amazon Store does offer applications that have
been ported to the Kindle Fire HD specifically, whereas the version available on Google Play
Store have been ported to Android OS. Yes, the Kindle Fire HD is Android Ice Cream
Sandwich BUT it has many proprietary applications and hardware built in the Kindle Fire HD.
We learned that the "core" Android Jelly Bean OS does not work well on the Kindle Fire
HD (yes, we were able to install a copy) proving that the hardware has been custom made
by Amazon Development Team and will require custom drivers built specifically for this
platform. Soooooo, if you need an apk, contact us, we probably will be able to obtain a copy
for your testing and development.
I need MarketIntentProxy.apk, Please help.
To fix that all you need to do is rename MarketIntentProxy.apk in /system/app. No ill effects found so far and it takes effect immediately.[/QUOTE said:
TO make GooglePlay default Store, I moved MarketIntentProxy.apk to Sdcard/downloads. while going through files and deleting unused files, mistakenly have deleted the MarketIntentProxy.apk.
Can someone send me a copy of theirs, Please.
Thanx
Device: Kindle Fire (2)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
prokennexusa said:
ryanne81,
Great work ryanne81! I am glad we were able to solve the Default Market issue. Now, moving on to the
"this app is not compatible with your device" issue. When Google Play Store shows this message,
there is a 70% chance that it is indeed correct. A good example is a customer request this morning,
he wanted "Sky Go" on his Kindle Fire HD, when he wen to Google Play Store, the message
"this app is not compatible with your device" displayed making it difficult to obtain the apk. He
contacted us and we have the apk, as well as over 5000 other apk's. We decided to try it out
despite the warning that the Kindle Fire HD was not compatible with the application. In the case
of Sky Go, the message was correct. We installed the application without trouble, then when we
launched the application it initialized fine, then an error message displayed "Technical error
occurred........." forcing us to "Close" the application. Yet, the Sky Go application runs fine
on our Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 - both Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3, so the moral
of the story? Always try the application to see if the message is erroneous. If you need an
apk, contact us, as long as the apk developer allows us to distribute it, we will get you a copy
in an attempt to make it work. Finally, the Amazon Store does offer applications that have
been ported to the Kindle Fire HD specifically, whereas the version available on Google Play
Store have been ported to Android OS. Yes, the Kindle Fire HD is Android Ice Cream
Sandwich BUT it has many proprietary applications and hardware built in the Kindle Fire HD.
We learned that the "core" Android Jelly Bean OS does not work well on the Kindle Fire
HD (yes, we were able to install a copy) proving that the hardware has been custom made
by Amazon Development Team and will require custom drivers built specifically for this
platform. Soooooo, if you need an apk, contact us, we probably will be able to obtain a copy
for your testing and development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi prokennexusa
Any chance you guys have found a 'work around' sky go apk yet???, loads of talk about it all over forums, and some have gained access or sorts by the looks, but using a convoluted:good: method of temp un root, root blockers etc etc....
Would make a whole heap of mortal bods like me happy if there is a way?
thanks for the immense work you and the guys are doing BTW, much appreciated
Kgyuszko
This is a simple Step-by-Step guide on How To: Install Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Kindle Fire 7" HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9" and Kindle Fire 2 with Windows - Noob (Simple) Version. The main group steps are outlined with A, B, C while the sub-group steps are outlined with 1, 2, 3. We attempt to keep this tutorial updated regularly - adding information from the end users experience. We have recently upgraded the storage servers to increase uptime, you now have two options for the downloads both are ad free. Option one is a Dropbox Storage Server and Option two is a Ubuntu One Storage Server, if one is under maintenance you may use the other download link. When you are done with the tutorial, please take the time to post feedback, this is very important to us - without your feedback, we have no way of knowing if we are doing our job. Finally, if you feel we did a decent job, please think about donating to us using the "Donate to Me" button - this is how we make a living, without your kind donations we would no longer be able to do this for a living.
Prerequisites:
1. Kindle Fire HD 7", Kindle Fire HD 8.9" or Kindle Fire 2 7"
2. ES File Explorer or Root Explorer from Google Play.
Some Android apps on Google Play claim to be incompatible with various devices. There’s a good chance that these apps will run fine on many of these devices – you can bypass this check with root access.
Some apps won’t actually work after you install them, but many will. This also solves problems with applications that will install but refuse to play – for example, Boat Browser with the “this device is incompatible” message.
A) Editing Build.prop
The build.prop file contains a few strings (bits of text) that identify your Kindle Fire as KFTT. If you edit this file, Google Play and other apps will think you’re using a different device than you actually using. Be very careful when editing this file – we’ll just be editing a few tiny parts of it. If you edit other parts, you could cause serious problems with your device.
First, launch the ES File Explorer app. Open its Settings screen and enable the Root Explorer and Mount File System options. You may also want to enable the Up to Root option on this screen, so you can easily tap the Up button and navigate to your root directory.
Step 1: Navigate to the /system/ directory on your device and locate the build.prop file.
Step 2: You should create a copy of the original build.prop file elsewhere – long-press on it, select Copy, and then Paste it into another folder – say, your /sdcard/Download folder.
Step 3: Now you’re ready to edit the file. Long-press it, select Open As, select Text, and select the ES Note Editor application
Step 4: Look for the ro.product.model and ro.product.manufacturer lines. These are the important ones.
Step 5: Change these lines to pretend your device is another model. For example, to imitate a Nexus S, use these lines:
ro.product.model = Nexus S
ro.product.manufacturer = samsung
Step 6: After making this change, tap the menu button and select Save.
B) Final Steps
Step 7: Go into the Settings screen, select Applications, select Manage Applications, tap the All category, and select the Google Play app. Clear its cache and data, and then restart the Kindle Fire.
Step 8: Open Google Play and you should be able to download apps that claim they’re not compatible with your Kindle Fire. Applications, Games and Browsers that detect your device should also work, too – Gameloft games seem to be particularly guilty of this. Some apps may still not install or work with your device for other reasons — for example, Google Chrome won’t work on pre-Android 4.0 devices, Bluetooth Tether fails on the Kindle. Some apps may be restricted to certain countries so do not break these rules.
Step 9: Most applications from Google Play Store are installed in the /data/app folder. There are many cases where the application will fail when first launched. If you experience an application that suddenly Stops, move the application to /system/app and change the permissions to User: Read Write | Group: Read and Others: Read. Then reboot your Kindle. If the application continues to fail, please open a post in this thread and we will have our developer work on a solution.
Hi prokennexusa
- I just tried this on my KFHD7"
- After changing the two lines and clearing out the Store app cache and data, I restarted and went back to Play.
- The three apps I was looking for were still not available to me (Fandango, Boat Browser and Chrome)
- I actually downloaded another app store (1Mobile Market) and downloaded all three apps which I installed and ran without problem.
- Also, I thought that perhaps it was not enough to change the two lines you mentioned (product model & manufacturer) so I tried this again with additional changes to brand (changed to samsung) model (changed to nexus s) and device (changed to nexus s) and then I saved the file, cleared cache and data from the google play store and again sought to gain these three apps which were are "not compatible" with my device.
- Unfortuntately, the Play store did not change the status for those apps --they all remained "not compatible" for the device.
- One good point I gained out of this so far is that I have found another pretty good market to get apps to sideload on my KFHD7.
- One question (please!), can I leave the build.prop identities (model, manufacturer, brand, name, device) in their changed state (samsung/nexus s) or is it better to revert them back to the Amazon Kindle for some reason?
Thanks!
Install Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
markbc01 said:
Hi prokennexusa
- I just tried this on my KFHD7"
- After changing the two lines and clearing out the Store app cache and data, I restarted and went back to Play.
- The three apps I was looking for were still not available to me (Fandango, Boat Browser and Chrome)
- I actually downloaded another app store (1Mobile Market) and downloaded all three apps which I installed and ran without problem.
- Also, I thought that perhaps it was not enough to change the two lines you mentioned (product model & manufacturer) so I tried this again with additional changes to brand (changed to samsung) model (changed to nexus s) and device (changed to nexus s) and then I saved the file, cleared cache and data from the google play store and again sought to gain these three apps which were are "not compatible" with my device.
- Unfortuntately, the Play store did not change the status for those apps --they all remained "not compatible" for the device.
- One good point I gained out of this so far is that I have found another pretty good market to get apps to sideload on my KFHD7.
- One question (please!), can I leave the build.prop identities (model, manufacturer, brand, name, device) in their changed state (samsung/nexus s) or is it better to revert them back to the Amazon Kindle for some reason?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
markbc01,
What I think is happening is the vendors are given two options on how to read the model one reads the build.prop data while the other executes a simple 'android.os.Build.MODEL' request. It looks like most vendors are turning to the latter. They may also query the device fingerprint.
This is great info, this is what we were hoping for:good: - your feedback so we can improve the process and make it work 100% of the time. Give us 24 hours to look at all angles and then we will post an update that will solve your problem.
Leave the build.prop data as is, there is no disadvantage leaving the name changed.
Many free versions such as all of the Angry Birds games are still incompatible from the Play Store even with this edit, yet they work perfectly fine if sideloaded, guess that's more to do with the fact Amazon App Store only having the paid versions & asked Google to block them.
Install Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
Gilly10 said:
Many free versions such as all of the Angry Birds games are still incompatible from the Play Store even with this edit, yet they work perfectly fine if sideloaded, guess that's more to do with the fact Amazon App Store only having the paid versions & asked Google to block them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gilly10,
You nailed it. Amazon and Google have a very tight relationship. As a matter of fact, if you watch the traffic when you purchase something from Amazon Software App Store, you will see something very interesting. The purchase traffic routes through Amazon but the download request is processed on the same server array as ................. you guess it, Google.
instagram still won't let me install cause its still reading its not compatible
Sent from my KFTT using XDA Premium HD app
prokennexusa said:
Gilly10,
You nailed it. Amazon and Google have a very tight relationship. As a matter of fact, if you watch the traffic when you purchase something from Amazon Software App Store, you will see something very interesting. The purchase traffic routes through Amazon but the download request is processed on the same server array as ................. you guess it, Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually just looked Amazon do have the FREE versions but only of the first 4, Star Wars is the only paid app without a FREE version, strange they would block the rest, puzzling!
meddle70 said:
instagram still won't let me install cause its still reading its not compatible
Sent from my KFTT using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A sketchy workaround (because who knows where they're sourcing their apks) would be to install blackmart, aptoide or similar alternative market and install it from there.... What I can say that it works, but I don't fully endorse it because again, I don't know where they source their apps.
Hi,
Changing the two lines caused a license problem with Swype keyboard... any of you experienced this ?
Sent from my KFTT using xda premium
iCoN3o said:
Hi,
Changing the two lines caused a license problem with Swype keyboard... any of you experienced this ?
Sent from my KFTT using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it says it's unregistered or something a long those lines, only thing to do is put back the correct details that you changed or if you copied the build.prop beforehand copy it back to system/ & reboot.
Kindle Fire HD and 2 First Aide Software - Noob (Simple) Version
iCoN3o said:
Hi,
Changing the two lines caused a license problem with Swype keyboard... any of you experienced this ?
Sent from my KFTT using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iCoN3o,
This makes sense, the reason? Swipe Keyboard thinks you have copied the software, here is a fix. Go into More+ > Applications > Installed Applications - find Swipe. Clear the Cache and User Data, then remove Swipe.
Then install our software and wipe the User Data and Cache : Kindle Fire HD and 2 First Aide MAJOR UPDATE 02/14/2013 at 21:48 Rev4.2.22
Reboot the Kindle. Go to Google Play Store and reinstall Swipe. The issue will disappear.
Kindle Fire HD and 2 First Aide Software - Noob (Simple) Version
Gilly10 said:
Yeah it says it's unregistered or something a long those lines, only thing to do is put back the correct details that you changed or if you copied the build.prop beforehand copy it back to system/ & reboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gilly10,
Actually it is an easy fix. Swipe thinks you have copied the application to a new Android, here is how you fix the issue:
Go into More+ > Applications > Installed Applications - find Swipe. Clear the Cache and User Data, then remove Swipe.
Then install our software and wipe the User Data and Cache : Kindle Fire HD and 2 First Aide MAJOR UPDATE 02/14/2013 at 21:48 Rev4.2.22
Reboot the Kindle. Go to Google Play Store and reinstall Swipe. The issue will disappear.
Thanks ! That worked.
Sent from my KFTT using xda premium
Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
iCoN3o said:
Thanks ! That worked.
Sent from my KFTT using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iCoN3o,
Thank you for taking the time to post feedback. We do appreciate it, thank you!
Install Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
meddle70 said:
instagram still won't let me install cause its still reading its not compatible
Sent from my KFTT using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meddle70,
This method works on about 60% of the vendors. It depends on how the vendor reads the make and model. There is another method will will be posting that will take care of the issue 100% of the time, give us a few days and we will post the additional work.
Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
Gilly10 said:
Actually just looked Amazon do have the FREE versions but only of the first 4, Star Wars is the only paid app without a FREE version, strange they would block the rest, puzzling!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gilly10,
The reason may have to do with the contract that Amazon has signed with Google Play, since there appears to be little rhyme and reason.
Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
meddle70 said:
instagram still won't let me install cause its still reading its not compatible
Sent from my KFTT using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meddle70,
We have a signed copy of Instagram on our server we were using for testing, here is a link to Instagram 3.4.0: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/54456659/Instagram_3.4.0.apk.zip
Pleas extract Instagram_3.4.0.apk.zip ad Instagram_3.4.0.apk then install on your Kindle. You may use ES Explorer to install Instagram_3.4.0.apk by clicking on the Instagram_3.4.0.apk program and wait for "installed successfully". Once you have installed Instagram_3.4.0.apk be sure to move Instagram_3.4.0.apk from /data/app to /system/app check the permissions of Instagram_3.4.0.apk in /system/app they should be: User: Read Write Group: Read and Others: Read - be sure to reboot prior to using Instagram 3.4.0.
If you run into any issues with the installation, just post the question here or in our Backup/Recovery thread.
Google Play Incompatible Android Apps Noob (Simple) Version
helix4u said:
A sketchy workaround (because who knows where they're sourcing their apks) would be to install blackmart, aptoide or similar alternative market and install it from there.... What I can say that it works, but I don't fully endorse it because again, I don't know where they source their apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
helix4u,
We are a little confused? Can you please clarify?
This is for Google Play and we do not use any APK"s in this tutorial. This tutorial allows you to install programs from Google Play that is accidentally blocked due to "incompatible" message. We have found this message is erroneous about 80% of the time, so we decided to find a way around the issue. Now there may be issues with certain packages that require Jelly Bean, this will not work for the packages designed for Jelly Bean but this workaround does work for the other packages.
prokennexusa said:
helix4u,
We are a little confused? Can you please clarify?
This is for Google Play and we do not use any APK"s in this tutorial. This tutorial allows you to install programs from Google Play that is accidentally blocked due to "incompatible" message. We have found this message is erroneous about 80% of the time, so we decided to find a way around the issue. Now there may be issues with certain packages that require Jelly Bean, this will not work for the packages designed for Jelly Bean but this workaround does work for the other packages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My reply was directed toward someone who had a problem with a specific application where the application was still claiming to be incompatible in the play store. I offered a workaround that does not use the play store, but instead uses an alternative market application. My comments about APKs were in reference to the applications provided by these alternative market applications.
There's an even easier way now. side load market helper.
http://codekiem.com/2013/02/13/market-helper/
This app "fools the android market into thinking you have a nexus 7, or a galaxy S 3 or a couple of others.
Root is required. Change is temporary and won't touch your build prop.
I've tested it and it works as advertised.