Sideloading Apps

Chapter 1 How to Sideload Apps on Nvidia Shield Downloader is an app that can be used with the Nvidia Shield, a STB that runs the Android TV

operating system, as well as other Android-based devices. The Downloader app is available on

Google Play. Sideloading typically means installing an application in APK (Android Package)

format onto an Android (Google’s operating system) device. APK is the package format used by

Android devices to distribute and install mobile apps. (running the Android TV operating

system)

1. From the Google Play Store, download the app downloader-v1-1-4.apk (or a more

recent version).

2. Go to Settings. Check APK Auto-Install and Automatically Open Web Pages in

Browser.

3. Open Nvidia Shield. Click the Settings icon.

4. Scroll to and click Security & restrictions.

5. Confirm that Unknown sources is turned on.

6. Click OK to allow unknown sources.

7. Go to the Home screen of the Nvidia Shield and select Google Play Store and open

it, and click the search icon.

8. Scroll to find the Downloader app and select it.

9. Click INSTALL. After installation is complete click OPEN

10. If you don’t want to install the browser, skip to Step 13. Otherwise. go back to the

home screen. Tap the select button on the remote. Type the browser URL. Click Go.

11. Click Install.

12. Click Browser in the left column. Click OK. Install your app here using the browser by

typing the URL. Or, as an alternative method go to Step 13.

13. In the Downloader home page, type the desired URL, and tap Go.

The app downloads.

14. Tap Install.

Chapter 2 How to Sideload Apps on Android STB

1. Open the Android STB. Click Settings.

2. Scroll to Security & restrictions.

3. Confirm that Unknown sources is turned on.

4. Click Browser.

5. Put the browser into mouse mode by tapping the pointer on the remote. Tap the

select button to highlight the current URL. Use the navigation buttons on the remote

to type the URL in the address bar.

6. After the download is complete, return to the home page and click Apps.

7. To locate the downloaded file in the file browser, click Local Disk. Navigate to the

Download folder and click on it.

8. Click on the Downloader file to open it. Click Install. Click Open.

9. Click Allow.

The Downloader app has successfully been loaded on to the Android device.

10. In the Downloader home page, type the desired URL, and tap Go.

The app downloads.

11. Tap Install.

Chapter 3 How to Sideload Apps on the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV stick technically runs Android. The Downloader app provides an

easy way to sideload applications (often referred to as jailbreaking) on the Amazon Fire TV or

Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Enable Third-party Apps

1. Go to the Fire TV home page by pressing .

2. Navigate to the Settings tab and highlight Device.

3. Under DEVELOPER OPTIONS, select Apps from Unknown Sources.

Now you’ll have to search for the apps you want. You can either load them from your

Android phone or browse the Internet from your Fire TV, or load them from cloud

storage.

Option 1: Load Apps from your Android Phone

The Apps2Fire app on the Play Store allows you to transfer any app that’s already installed on

your Android phone over to the set-top box. Your phone must be on the same network as your

Fire TV device.

1. Under DEVELOPER OPTIONS, confirm that ADB debugging is enabled (ON). ADB is

the Android Debug Bridge Utility.

2. Open the app on your phone. Tap the three-dot button in the upper-right corner.

Select Setup.

A screen displays and shows the devices on your local network, identified by their IP

address and device name. If there is a question about the correct device, use the Fire TV

remote to navigate to Settings > Device > About > Network.

3. Select the desired app, then tap Install to send it over the network to your Fire TV.

The app will install in the background and appear on the home screen.

Option 2: Download Apps from the Internet to your Fire TV

If an Android phone is not available, you can manually download the apps from the Internet to

your Fire TV.

1. From the Settings menu, navigate to the Fire TV home page.

2. Use the Search tool to find and select Downloader to get the app from the Amazon

Appstore.

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3. Use your remote to navigate and to type URLs or search terms.

Once you’ve selected a file, the Downloader app will automatically begin the

installation process. Highlight and select Install to start, then Done to finish. Your app

will appear on the home page and under Apps.

Option 3: Download the App to your Computer When you already have the files you need, this option lets you download those files to your

computer, then move them to cloud storage. From you Fire TV you can search for ES File

Explorer.

1. Highlight ES File Explorer, and download the app.

2. From the navigation column select Cloud and select your preferred cloud service

where your files reside.

3. Select the cloud service. Log in and connect to your files.

4. Follow the prompts to download and install the files.

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