While building applications for Amazon Fire TV, there are a number of available options and frameworks that you may select. All these options and frameworks depend upon your skills such as Java developer, Content developer, or Web developer. It is also dependent on the preference of the platform such as the HTML5 web app or Android.
In this article, you will understand the complete process of converting an Android mobile app to an Amazon Fire TV app.
So, let us start!
| Table of Contents |
| Introduction |
| Set Up the Development Environment |
| Connect to Amazon Fire TV Through ADB |
| Install and Run the Application |
| Conclusion |
Introduction
In order to convert an Android mobile app to an Amazon Fire TV app, there are enormous and similar tools, API’s, and IDE’s that Amazon Fire TV uses. Many Java-based Android developers use these tools and API’s for developing an Android application.
The following three steps are required for the conversion of an Android app to the Amazon Fire TV app.
- Set Up the Development Environment.
- Connect to Amazon Fire TV Through ADB.
- Install and Run the Application.
As we have briefly understood the concept of converting an Android app to a Fire TV app, let us further grab this knowledge for more clarity.
1. Set Up the Development Environment
In order to start with the conversion process of an Android app to the Amazon Fire TV app, the first step for you is to set up the Development Environment.
- Setting Up the JDK
First of all, there is a need for the Java Development Kit (JDK) from Oracle for compiling Java applications on the machine.
If you have the JDK, then, go to Command Prompt or open the Terminal and write java -version. The response will appear like this:
java version “1.8.0_101”
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_101-b13)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.101-b13, mixed mode)
But, if you don’t have the Java Development Kit, you can also download the latest version of the JDK installer for the machine with the help of Java SE Downloads and simply run it.
- Setting Up the Android Studio
First, install the Android Studio, which is the official Integrated Development Environment for every project based on Android.
Although you know very well how to install the Android Studio on your machine, if you still face any issues, you can visit the download page of Android Studio and install it. This page will provide you with more information about how to set up the Android Studio Development Environment on the machine.
- Proceeding Further
In order to connect the development computer to your Fire TV with ADB.
Let us proceed further!
2. Connect to Amazon Fire TV Through ADB
The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is used for connecting the development computer to your Amazon Fire TV stick or device in order to install, debug, and test your applications.
You must ensure that the debugging is enabled on the Amazon Fire TV device before using the ADB.
The following steps will help you in connecting your development computer to the Amazon Fire TV device:
- Enable Debugging on Amazon Fire TV Application
Enabling both debugging and ADB on your Amazon Fire TV device is a must before connecting to it.
- Go to Settings.
- Then, go to Device > Developer Options.
- Turn the ADB Debugging “On”
- Now, also turn the Applications from unknown resources “On”
- This step is optional but it is a wise practice to turn on the USB Debugging as well if your Amazon Fire TV supports USB.
- Setting Up Android Debug Bridge
Android Debug Bridge is considered a command-line utility, which is responsible for managing and running Android applications on your emulator or device. Although ADB will be available during the installation process of Android Studio, Windows users will still need to install a special USB driver.
You can also check to ensure that the ADB is already installed in Android Studio by checking at Tools > SDK Manager.
Click on the SDK Tools tab.
Now, Select the Android SDK Platform-Tools and install it if you have not selected it already.
- Adding ADB to Your Path
In this step, there is a need to add Android Debug Bridge to your PATH in order to run the “adb” commands easily.
PATH is an environment variable, which is responsible for specifying the location of the executables of the program. If you skip adding ADB to your PATH, the running “adb” commands will require you to browse to the <Android SDK>/platform-tools directory in order to run ADB.
- Connecting to a Fire TV Device Through ADB
Here, you can connect to ADB in two ways. It is either through the USB or network. Almost every Fire TV device only permits network connections. So, you can say it, the more common approach.
However, if you still face some issues regarding connecting to ADB, follow the below-mentioned troubleshooting tips:
- You have to ensure that both your computer and Fire TV are sharing the same network.
- During wireless connectivity with adb connect <ipaddress>, you have to ensure that you type the correct IP address only, with all the needed dots.
- Now, close the Android Studio or any other USB cable connections and emulators.
- Stop (adb kill-server) and restart (adb start-server) the server.
- Restart Fire TV (Settings > Device [or System] > Restart).
- Now, you need to restart the router.
- Check if there is any service blocking the Android Debug Bridge.
- Grab some knowledge about ADB on Android.
- You can also search for the error messages that might appear on the screen.
Well done!
Now, let us jump to the installing and running section of your application.
3. Install and Run the Application
In order to debug and test your Fire TV application before submitting it to the Amazon Appstore for launch, you can use Android Debug Bridge for installing and running the app on your Fire TV device.
Also, sometimes Installing your own app outside of the Amazon Appstore is termed as “sideloading” an application.
Conclusion
We hope you will find the blog helpful. After going through this blog, you will be easily able to convert an Android mobile app to an Amazon Fire TV app. Please provide your valuable feedback in the comment section below.
