Sideloading is used to transfer an APK filess to your Kindle Fire to allow the installation of apps that would not normally be available. Check the Kindle Fire page to see which apps just requiring sideloading and which require root access. Let’s get started.
Step 1 – Prep the Kindle Fire and Computer
First let’s prep the Kindle. Tap the upper right corner of the screen where you see the gear icon, then click “+More”:
Now scroll down and tap on “Device”. Near the bottom of the screen tap on the “Allow Installation of Applications From Unknown Sources” from “Off” to “On”:
Click on the “Home” button to take you back to your home screen.
Now head on over to the Amazon App store and install ES File Explorer.
Step 2 – Gather your APKs
There are a few different ways to do this. There are a number of sites out there that will let you download the APKs, but I always recommend NOT to do this. You never know if people have modified the files for malicious reasons or not. The best way is to gather them from your phone. On your phone install the ASTRO file manager or if you are rooted you can also use Titanium Backup. If you are trying to gather some of the Google Apps you will have to be rooted and use Titanium.
Step 3 – Transfer to your Kindle Fire and Install
The best way to transfer the APKs is using dropbox. The easiest way to get dropbox installed on your Kindle Fire is to go to http://dropbox.com/android on your Kindle Fire. After the download just simply tap the top menu and click on the downloaded APK to install.
Now use dropbox to download and install the APKs. If you transfered the APKs from your computer use ES File Explorer to browse to where they are located and install.
Please note the following apps need some kind of root access (initially) to work 100% (or at all):
- Android Market
- Google Calendar Sync
- Google Contacts Sync