"This article will teach you how to set up the Amazon Fire TV Stick and prepare this streaming device for testing."
Table of Contents
Motivation
The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a media streaming device that lets you stream videos, install apps, play music, and more on your TV. It's an HDMI stick slightly larger than a regular USB stick, and all you need is an HDMI port on your TV. It connects to any wifi network or your mobile hotspot. The Fire TV stick has a remote control with voice commands.
It is based on the Android platform; you can install Android apps, turning your regular TV into a smart TV. There are many pre-installed apps to match your localization. It also has its own Amazon-integrated app store from which you can download apps and sideload other Android apps supported by the Fire Stick.
Create your Amazon Account
To initialize your Fire TV Stick, you must have an Amazon account.
Go to https://www.amazon.com/ to register an account.
Select the Sign-in button and proceed with the Create your Amazon account button.
Fill out the registration form with a valid email ID, and you will receive an OTP on the same email address to verify your account.
After successful account verification, your Amazon account is ready and can be used to get started with your Fire TV Stick.
Set Up Your Fire TV Stick
Ensure your wifi connection is turned on and you have created an Amazon account beforehand.
Connect your Fire TV to your TV and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the setup.
Connect your Fire TV to the HDMI port on your TV, and then plug the power adapter into a power outlet.
Use the USB cable to connect the power adapter and your Fire TV.
Insert batteries into your Fire TV remote control.
Turn on your TV and switch to the correct HDMI input.
If your remote doesn't pair automatically, press the Home button until "Press Play Pause to Begin" appears on the screen (about 10 seconds).
Select Language.
The system will detect the wifi connection.
Select your wifi Network and Follow the onscreen instructions to establish a wifi connection.
The system would check for software updates: updates will be downloaded and installed when available. Optimizing system storage and applications process takes a few minutes.
How to Sign in with Amazon Account
On your computer:
Go to www.amazon.com/code
Log in with valid credentials for the desired country account.
If prompted, approve the notification sent to the registered email address.
After successful approval, enter the code displayed on the Fire TV. This should complete your registration.
When asked if you would like to register the Fire TV stick for your account, press Continue.
Follow the onscreen instructions for Parental control, Volume Setup on the Remote, and Profile.
Your Fire TV Stick is initialized and ready to explore.
Installing apps on your Fire TV for testing
After initializing your Fire TV Stick, let's learn how to install a customer app for testing.
For streaming testing, there are two different ways to install the apps available for testing on the Fire TV.
Install the App via an Amazon App Link
The customer provides us with an Amazon link that needs to be opened on your desktop/mobile device browser and leads directly to the page of the respective App on the Amazon website (login required).
Click on the Amazon Link provided on the Test Overview page.
App Page on Amazon Website: Click on Deliver Button. This will Download and Install the App on your Fire TV Stick. After the App is Installed on Fire TV Stick, a notification popup will appear. The App is ready to Test.
Download an APK via a Link
The customer provides us with a link on the test Overview page to download the APK file directly to our device. Here we will see how to download the APK file to a desktop device and then transfer it to the Fire TV Stick via a USB cable.
Connect your Fire TV to the HDMI port on your TV, and then connect the Fire TV Stick to your Desktop using a USB cable. This USB cable is a power supply for the Fire TV Stick and a data transfer cable.
Now, Download the file to your desktop device via the link provided on the test overview page. Navigate to the Download Folder of the Desktop > Copy the APK file you just downloaded.
Select the Fire TV Stick device on your Desktop> Select the Download folder, then paste the APK file.
On your Fire TV Stick: install and open File Explorer.
Select and open the Download Folder.
Select the APK File you just copied from the Desktop.
The next step is to follow the onscreen instructions and install the App.
After installing the App, select Open: Your App is ready for testing!
Allow the installation of an APK on the Fire TV Stick for the first time
In this section, you will learn how to enable the Developer options to allow third-party apps to be installed on your Fire TV Stick.
The first time you try to install a third-party APK, you may encounter an "Installation Blocked" popup because the Fire TV OS does not allow the installation of apps from unknown sources for security reasons. This usually means an app from somewhere other than the Amazon Appstore. To get around this, you need to allow Android to install apps from unknown sources on your Fire TV Stick.
To install apps from unknown sources, you will need to Turn On "Apps From Unknown Sources" in the Developer options on your Fire tv Stick.
Navigate to the Settings section and Open My Fire TV.
Select the About option.
Tap the Fire TV Stick option repeatedly until you see the message that you are a developer.
Go back to My Fire TV screen and open Developer options.
Turn on "ADB Debugging" and "Apps from Unknown Sources".
A warning message "Apps from unknown sources" is displayed; select "Turn on".
The Developer Options screen should look like this.
Extra tips for your Fire TV device
When you press and hold the Home button on your remote, the current date and time are displayed on your screen. This is useful when recording a screencast or shooting a video from an external device.
To Clear the cache/data on the Fire TV Stick or to Uninstall the App: Open Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > Select the desired application, then select the appropriate option to clear cache/data or uninstall the App permanently.