Alexander Conroy

Install Android Marketplace and Google Apps on Amazon Kindle Fire

The first thing the Amazon Kindle Fire is Missing is the Google Framework API. Instead of works on Amazon’s API. This limits many different things you can do with your device.

Not only is the fix easy, but doesn’t even require root access to the phone. You just need to enable “install outside applications”.

More advanced applications like the Android Market and Calendar do require complex configurations, so for those of you who just want your apps to work now here is…

The Quick and Dirty Step by Step:

  1. Menu -> Settings ->Device -> Allow Installation of Applications -> On.
  2. Install File Management Software.
    1. Root Explorer, ES File Explorer or DropBox.
  3. Find the App you want to Use on your previous Android device, or online.
    1. Option 1: Install Astro on your Android Device and use the “Backup” feature to create an APK on your SD card
      1. Make sure that you setup Astro to use the SD Card
        1. Click File Manager -> Menu Button ->Preferences ->Backup Directory -> Browse Folder /mnt/sdcard-ext
    2. Option 2: Find an APK Online
  4. Copy the Contents to your PC’s Hard Disk.
  5. Download this file Kindle Google Apps which contains many common Google Apps you probably want to use and also download this key file: GoogleFrameworkServices.apk
  6. Copy the Contents of these  to your Kindle Fire, most importantly GoogleFrameworkServices.apk
    1. You can skip the copying step if you copy your files on your PC to your dropbox folder and open them in your Kindle Fire.
  7. Open ES File Explorer or Dropbox to find the files you have copied.
  8. Open GoogleFrameworkServices.apk and install.
    1. If you are having trouble with this step, try using the Amazon App Store App “EasyInstaller“. Just remembered that worked for me. I did not need root for this step.
      1. Try rebooting your device before installing also, rebooting the Kindle seems to solve a lot of problems when loading the APK’s.
  9. Restart your Kindle
  10. Install Gmail or any other Google app that requires a sign on.
  11. Sign on to Google.
  12. Install the rest of your software. (it will use your primary Google Account.)
  13. Restart your Kindle
  14. Enjoy!
Thanks to XDA Forums for the methods and troubleshooting and Sasha Segan from PC Mag for the initial intro on how to do it!

 

For the more Advanced and Adventurous-

Installing the Google Android Market:

  1. Download and Install Android SDK
  2. Update Android SDK to Latest, including USB Drivers.
    1. If you have trouble updating the Android SDK try closing everything navigating to the folder in command prompt, and running android.bat out of the /tools folder. Thanks Mobile World for this fix.
  3. Configure your %USERPROFILE%/.android/adb_usb.ini to include “0×1949”
    1. Note: If the file or the folder do not exist, you MUST create it! Input it without the “”.
  4. In the command prompt (windows + r, type cmd, press enter) Navigate to your Android SDK Install directory under platform-tools (cd /program files (x86)/android/platform-tools/) and run adb kill-server then adb devices to check and see if your Amazon Kindle shows up.
    1. If the Driver doesnt work replace your android_winusb.inf with this one.
    2. You will then have to update the driver for your device (in Device Manager, look for your Kindle with an Exclamation mark on it, inspect it and click Update Driver…navigate to where the android_winusb.inf is in your Android SDK Directory)
  5. If your Kindle is Visible in ADB Download SuperOneClick v2.1.1
  6. Run it and Root your Phone
  7. Use Root Explorer (Can buy from Amazon App Store) to Copy A Market APK Backup to /system/apps
    1. Click the R/O Button to R/W if you can’t copy properly.
  8. Use Root Explorer CHMOD /system/apps to Full Access (777)
  9. Run the Market APK From the /system/apps directory.
  10. Install the Market APK
  11. Restart the Kindle Fire
  12. You should be able to install applications now!

Installing Google Calendar Sync

Another tough one is Google Calendar Sync. You can just install the App, but it wont connect to your Google Account.

You need these two files:  Google Calendar APK’s

The technique is pretty simple, and similar to the Android Market Installation.
  1. Using Root Explorer you need to copy GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk into /system/apps and change its permissions to 777 or full open.
  2. Then you can run the Calendar.apk and install it.
  3. On Reboot, you should have your calendar syncing with your Kindle! Congrats!
Thanks Technipages for helping me realize I was missing the adb_usb.ini file!

All problems solved! Now it is a real tablet! A really cheap tablet to boot!