Article updated March 3rd, 2023
Amazon’s Fire Tablets are affordable devices perfect for browsing the web, watching Netflix or Amazon Prime exclusives, and playing light games on the go.
Customized software is the most significant difference between the Fire tablet and all Android devices. Fire OS is designed to push Amazon’s lineup of products and services. You’ll find similar apps that aren’t official Google ones, but that is not the same thing, and they lack all the same functionality.
Unfortunately, it also leads to a significant problem: the device does not offer Chrome or the Google Play Store. That means you are limited to apps available in the Amazon AppStore, which DOES NOT include Chrome.
If you’re ready to get Chrome on your Amazon Fire Tablet, this definitive guide will get you both the Google Play Store and Chrome. Why not get the interface you’re used to? Work with all your customized extensions, bookmarks, and settings. You’ll also get to sync your data from and to other devices with Chrome.
1. What You’ll Need
First, let’s start by saying this guide can be done on your Amazon Fire tablet alone. Earlier Fire models required the Play Store to be pushed to your device from a Windows computer using ADB, something that no longer has to be done. Instead, you’ll need some rudimentary knowledge of how Android installs apps outside the standard app store and some patience as you download and install all four required packages.
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Things You Need to Know about Your Tablet
Aside from the prerequisites above, you need to know information about your Fire tablet, including the following:
Depending on the age of your tablet, you may need to download different apps than a device running older software with older hardware.
Check your Amazon order history or wherever you purchased the item to identify the Fire tablet version, release year, and generation. You can also search your email for an order confirmation.
You can also view Amazon Fire tablet specs to get the Android variant used for Fire OS in addition to the model year, generation, and version.
If you received a used Fire tablet as a gift or purchased one second-hand, such as on eBay or Mercari, you can find your Fire tablet based on the model number. This page provides everything you need about your used or new Amazon Fire/Fire HD tablet. To get your model number, check the back of the tablet or access “Settings -> Device Options” and look at the bottom section.
2. Enable Apps From Unknown Sources
The first thing to do on your Amazon Fire tablet is to dive into the settings menu and enable installations from unknown sources. Although Amazon modified Android to create Fire OS, the operating system is incredibly similar to Google’s own, including how third-party apps are installed outside of Amazon AppStore.
To open settings on your device,
3. Download Four Google APKs
Next up is the big part. Because Google Play isn’t installed on your device, all apps sold through the Play Store won’t run on your device without Google Play Services. Apps like Gmail or Google Maps check for authentication through that app.
For starters, you need to install the entire Google Play Store suite of services onto your device, which amounts to four different applications: three utilities and the Play Store itself. Ensure you download all four APKs, then install them in the order listed below. All these files are downloadable using the Amazon Silk browser on your device. The APK files you need depend on your Fire HD tablet and the Fire OS version.
The site you’ll use to download these APKs is called APKMirror. It’s a trusted source for free APKs from developers and Google Play, and it acts as a utility for any Android user looking to download or install apps manually.
File 1. Google Account Manager
Note: Download the correct app below, but DO NOT install it yet.
You need Google Account Manager 7.1.2 for the following devices:
You have an Android 6.0 or higher variant for the above devices. Once installed and running, Google will automatically update as needed for the above app.
Here’s how to get it:
Note: Don’t forget that all Fire tablets must have Fire 5.1 or above. For Fire OS 5.6.0.0, see Troubleshooting and Tips.
You need Google Account Manager 5.1 for the following devices:
You have an Android 5.1 or higher variant for the above devices. Google will automatically update as needed for the app once it is installed and running.
File 2. Google Services Framework
Note: Download the correct app below, but DO NOT install it yet.
The next app is Google Services Framework. As with Account Manager, the version you need depends on the device you’re running. However, because Google’s framework app targets various versions of Android, it is recommended that you download a version compatible with Android 5.1.
Note: Don’t forget that all Fire tablets must have Fire 5.1 or above. For Fire OS 5.6.0.0, see Troubleshooting and Tips.
File 3. Google Play Services
Note: Download the correct app below, but DO NOT install it yet.
Next up is Google Play Services. This app will allow other apps like YouTube, which you can’t find in Fire OS, to be authenticated and used on your device. Installing this app is more complicated than installing the other three APKs because some models are 32-bit while the rest are 64-bit.
For the Google Play Services app, you should avoid the beta releases by looking for the most recent, stable version on the list (beta versions are marked as such).
Note: Don’t forget that all Fire tablets must have Fire 5.1 or above. For Fire OS 5.6.0.0, see Troubleshooting and Tips.
64-Bit Fire Tablets
32-Bit Fire Tablets
You need Google Play services 19.6.68 (020300-281397792) (020300) for the following devices:
If you just bought your Fire 7, Fire HD 8, or Fire HD 10, you can download this APK here. Anyone who owns a Fire HD 8 or Fire HD 10 from 2016 or later can also download this version.
If you own a Fire 7 tablet purchased before June 2019—in other words, an 8th-generation device or older—you should download this version here.
Both iterations of Google Play Services are identical in every way except for which type of processor they’re created for. If you download the wrong one, don’t stress too much. We’ll cover what to do in a moment below.
File 4. Google Play Store
Note: Download the correct app below, but DO NOT install it yet.
The final of the four apps is the Google Play Store itself. This is the easiest of the four downloads, as all file versions work on Android 4.1 and above.
Note: Don’t forget that all Fire tablets must have Fire 5.1 or above. For Fire OS 5.6.0.0, see Troubleshooting and Tips.
Download the most recent version here.
For the Google Play Store, you should try to use the newest app version available for your hardware. APKMirror will alert you when there is a more recent version, which will be listed on the webpage below the information.
If you don’t feel comfortable figuring out which version listed on the APKMirror page is the correct version for your tablet, download the linked versions, and Google Play will update the apps for you following a full install.
Installing the APK Files
Once you’ve downloaded the four files listed above onto your Fire tablet using the Silk browser, swipe down from the top of the screen to open your notifications. You should see a complete list of the APKs you downloaded in the last step, each with its notification, sorted by newest to oldest. If you followed the steps above and downloaded each in the proper order, the fourth download should be on the top of the list (as the newest) and the first download on the bottom (as the oldest) so that the order appears as such:
Note: DO NOT choose “Open” on the four apps once installed—select “Done” instead.
How you install these apps is very important. Start by tapping the Google Account Manager (oldest download) at the bottom of that list. The installation process will begin; hit Next at the bottom of the screen, or scroll to the bottom to hit Install. The Account Manager will start to install it on your device. You’ll be alerted of the failure if anything goes wrong during the installation. Ensure you’ve downloaded the correct Android 5.0 version of Account Manager, and the file should install. Newer versions will not install on the device.
Repeat this process for all three remaining apps in oldest to newest order, beginning with Google Services Framework, then Google Play Services, and then Google Play Store.
If you wrote down the filenames as previously suggested, installing all four in the correct order should be easy—in case the downloads got shuffled or the wrong one got downloaded at some point.
Note: DO NOT choose “Open” on the four apps once installed—select “Done” instead.
When each app finishes downloading, a display will appear, citing the installation is complete. On both the Google Play Services and Google Play Store listings, there will be an option to open the app (on the Services Framework and the Account Manager apps, that option will be grayed out). Do not open these apps; instead, hit Done and continue following through on all four applications.
As a final note, both Play Services and the Play Store take some time to install, as they’re large applications. Allow the apps to install, and don’t try to cancel the installation or turn off your tablet. The entire installation process for all four apps should take no longer than about five minutes.
If your version of Google Play Services fails to install correctly, you may have downloaded the wrong version for your processor. Try downloading the other version before continuing with the guide.
4. Reboot and Log Into Google Play
Once all four applications have been downloaded onto your tablet, complete the process by restarting your Fire tablet. Press and hold your device’s power button until a prompt asks if you wish to turn off your tablet. After your device is powered off, press and hold the power button again. When the tablet has booted back to your lock screen, you can finish the process by setting up Google Play.
Head into your list of apps and select the Google Play Store from the list (do not select Google Play Services). Instead of opening the store, it will open Google Account Manager to obtain your credentials. You’ll see the tablet getting set up for use, and then Google will ask for your Gmail address and password. Finally, the device will ask if you wish to back up your account’s apps and data to Google Drive.
Whether you wish to do so is up to you, but it’s not necessary for this step. All told, Google Play should take about two minutes to install. Once logged in and you completed the setup process, you’ll be dropped into the Google Play Store, the same app used on most Android devices.
5. Install Google Chrome (and Other Apps)
Now that Google Play is installed on your tablet, it works just as it would for any Android device. So, to install Google Chrome, all you have to do is open up the Play Store, search for Chrome in the search bar at the top of the display, then select Install from the app’s listing. That’s it—no complex workarounds, no plugging your tablet into a computer. As far as Google Play is concerned, your tablet is just another standard Android device.
Once the app has been downloaded and installed onto your tablet, you can use it like any other application. It will show up in your app drawer and the list of recent apps on your device, making it easy to access.
Any application not available on Amazon’s Appstore can be downloaded through this method, just as you would on any other tablet. You can even install third-party launchers to change the look and feel of your software or download the official Gmail and YouTube apps to watch content on your Fire tablet easily.
Troubleshooting and Tips
For most users, the above steps should be good enough for getting the Play Store on your brand-new Fire Tablet. Some users may experience issues, especially on older devices or devices running older software. If that sounds like you, check out these optional guides for getting the Play Store working on your tablet.
Installing a File Browser from the Amazon App Store
This should be an optional step for most users. Still, specific Amazon devices have had trouble installing the necessary APKs onto their tablets without installing a file manager onto your Fire tablet from the Amazon App Store first. If you’re having an issue getting the files above to install on your device, we recommend installing File Commander, a free app that makes it easy to view files. It’s nothing special, but for this process, we don’t need anything too powerful to finish installing the Play Store.
Alternatively, you can also use the Docs application on your device, which comes pre-installed and includes the ability to browse local files instead of using an application like File Commander. Docs will allow you to browse your Downloads folder and select the app installation files one at a time if you accidentally swiped them away from your notification tray or if you’re having difficulties installing the apps on Fire OS 5.6.0.0.
Installation Problems on Fire OS 5.6.0.0
If you’re still on Fire OS 5.6.0.0, the following instructions apply to you. However, since newer versions of Fire OS do not have this issue, we recommend ensuring your software is up to date rather than dealing with these issues. If you cannot upgrade your operating system, look through the guide below for assistance.
Several readers have commented that the installation buttons on these displays have been repeatedly grayed out during installation on Amazon’s newest tablets (the 7th generation Fire 7, Fire HD 8, and Fire HD 10) and, more specifically, on Fire OS version 5.6.0.0. If you installed the Play Store before this update, we’ve seen no issues using the apps as established above. Indeed, we also saw installation difficulties on a brand-new Fire HD 10 running Fire OS 5.6.0.0, which is how we began testing this update to look for a workaround.
There’s good news and bad news on this front. First, there are several reported workarounds, both that we’ve seen when testing the installation process and from readers online. You can find these workarounds on the XDA forums. The bad news is that all of the potential fixes don’t seem to be reliable. Still, we got the Play Store up and running on a Fire tablet that had never had it installed before; it just took some patience and a little luck.
The problem with Fire OS 5.6.0.0 is that Amazon has disabled the installation button on their devices with this new update. This means that no matter where you click on the screen, you won’t be able to install the app, forcing you to cancel the installation and return to your locked-down Amazon ecosystem.
All four apps listed above seem to have this issue on Fire OS 5.6.0.0. Thankfully, there’s an easy workaround to this. Once you’re on the installation screen with the grayed-out icon, turn your device’s screen off, back on again, and unlock your device. Scroll to the bottom of the app installation page again, and you’ll see that the Install button is working on your device again.
An alternate workaround involves tapping the multitasking/recent apps icon once, then re-selecting the app installation page from your “Recent apps” list. Then you should see the “Install” button lit up in orange.
This isn’t a perfect workaround, however. Though we did get this to work on our device using both of the methods described above, and several users on the XDA forums have reported the same solution, a minority of users have reported that both the screen lock workaround and the recent apps button method did not work for them. Once again, the fine users at the XDA forums have found a few workarounds to this, too:
Again, we didn’t have a problem installing the apps on a new device using the above method of turning the display off and on, but if you do run into difficulty, try using those select methods to get the apps running on your device. And thanks again to the folks at XDA for figuring out how to get these methods working again.
Finally, we tested installing all four APK files on Fire OS 5.6.1.0 and above. Newer versions have no issues installing, and the Install icon was never grayed out. If you’re looking to install these four applications and are still running Fire OS 5.6.0.0, try updating your Fire OS software to 5.6.0.1, then to 5.6.1.0. The updates take a while, each taking about fifteen minutes, so make sure you have time to update your tablet.
***
With Chrome installed, you can log into your account and sync your bookmarks, recent tabs, and more right to your Fire Tablet. This method isn’t just excellent for installing Chrome. It’s a great way to add a lot of new functionality to your tablet, whether in the form of new apps previously unavailable on the Appstore or by changing how your tablet works through third-party launchers and new customization options only available through Google.
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