Unlocking Apps: Enabling Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire Tablet - A Comprehensive Tutorial

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• The instructions below have been tested and work with all Fire tablets, including the most recent devices running on FireOS 8.3.2.3, based on Android 11.

Quick Links

• Download the Play Store Files
• Install the Play Store
• If You’re Using a Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen) or Newer
• Sign In to the Play Store

Key Takeaways

• To install the Google Play Store on an Amazon Fire Tablet, you must download the Google Play Store app and its dependencies from a trusted website like APKMirror.com and install them manually. Google doesn’t officially offer the Play Store on Fire tablets, but it does work well.

Amazon Fire Tablets restrict you to the Amazon Appstore, but they run Fire OS, a custom version of Android. That means you can install Google’s Play Store to gain access to millions of Android apps and games, including Google apps like Gmail, Chrome, Google Maps, and more.

The best part of installing the Play Store on your Fire Tablet is that it doesn’t require any in-depth “hacking” like rooting or running scripts from a PC. It’s just a matter of downloading and installing a few APK files from the tablet itself, and you’ll be up and running with the Play Store just like your regular Android phone or tablet ! Let’s get started.

UPDATE: 4/25/24

The instructions below have been tested and work with all Fire tablets, including the most recent devices running on FireOS 8.3.2.3, based on Android 11.

Remove the microSD card if you have one inserted in the tablet. If you don’t do this, it’s possible you could lose data during the Play Store install process. You can put it back once we’re done.

Download the Play Store Files

Before we begin, make sure your Fire Tablet is from 2014 or later. This process may not work with old Kindle Fire tablets as you need to enable “Apps From Unknown Sources.”

First, open the “Settings” app from the “Home” tab on the home screen.

Now go to “Security & Privacy.”

Select “Apps From Unknown Sources.”

Find “Silk Browser” and then toggle on “Allow From This Source.” This is what will allow us to install an app from outside of the Amazon app store.

With that out of the way, we can start downloading the Play Store files. There are four APK files we will need to get the Play Store up and running, and they’re specific to your Fire Tablet.

To find out which Amazon Fire Tablet model you have, go to Settings > Device Options > About Fire Tablet. You’ll see your “Device Model” name here. To see your Fire OS version, go to Settings > Device Options > System Updates.

With the device model in mind, we can download the appropriate files below. Simply copy and paste the links from the tables below into the Silk Browser on your Amazon Fire tablet. We’re just downloading the files at this point, don’t open them yet.

APK Mirror is a trusted source for downloading APK files. However, some of the ads on APK Mirror are deceptive. Look for the “Download APK” button (shown below) that has a file size. The color of the button will match the app’s icon. You should also see a “Verified safe to install” message near the button.

Google Account Manager

Ignore the message about a newer version being available.

Google Services Framework

Google Play Services

On the page for your model, select the most recent version of the APK (not “Bundle”) that is not a “beta.”

Google Play Store

Make sure you are downloading an “APK,” not a “Bundle.”

Install the Play Store

With all the downloaded APK files to your Amazon Fire Tablet, we can begin installing them one by one. Open the “Files” app from the home screen.

Select “Downloads” from the side menu and switch to the list view for the files. You should see the four files we just downloaded.

It’s important to install these APKs in a specific order. For each APK, follow this process: Tap the file > select “Continue” > tap the “Install” button. After it installs, tap “Done.” Don’t open the Play Store yet.

Install the files in this order (the file names on your device will be longer):

1. com.google.android.gsf.login
2. com.google.android.gsf
3. com.google.android.gms
4. com.android.vending

With all the APKs installed, it’s time to reboot the tablet. Hold down the power button and select “Restart.”

If You’re Using a Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen) or Newer

If you’re using the Fire 7 2022 (12th Gen) or a newer Fire tablet running FireOS 8, you may need to manually grant permissions before using the Play Store. Tap and hold the Play Store icon and select “App Info.”

UPDATE: 4/25/24

In our most recent testing, it was not necessary to manually grant permissions on the Fire 7 2022 (running FireOS 8.3.2.3. However, if you run into issues, we’ve retained the instructions below for you to try.

From the App Info page, select “Permissions.”

Select both “Phone” and “SMS” and switch them to “Allow.” You can now proceed with the rest of the tutorial.

Sign In to the Play Store

After following the above instructions, open the Play Store from the home screen and sign in with your Google account. Once you’re signed in, you’ll have a functional Google Play Store, just like on any other Android device. Go forth and download Telegram, Chrome, Gmail, and any other app you can’t find in the Amazon Appstore .

It’s possible that future Fire OS updates may break the functionality of the Play Store. If that happens, we suggest going through the entire install process again and checking if newer APK files are available. If all else fails, you can reset your Fire tablet and start over.

You may experience some problems when trying to use the Play Store right away. The Play Store and Google Play Services will automatically update themselves in the background, so just give it some time. This may take as much as ten minutes.

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