Dec 9, 2011

How To Install Google’s Android Market On Your Kindle Fire

Eric Tips And Tricks 9 adb, adb devices, adb kill-server, adb_usb.ini, Amazon Appstore, Android, Android Market, Android SDK, android_winusb.inf, File Expert, Google, Google Apps, Java Development Kit, MarketOpener, micro-USB, Microsoft .NET Framework, root, rooting, SuperOneClick, USB, Vending.apk

Nearly all of Google’s apps are available through their own Android Market for free so installing that is the key to getting access. I’m going to walk you through rooting your Kindle Fire, installing the Android Market and earlier versions of the Google Apps, then unrooting your device so you can still access Amazon Video.

WARNING

Read through all of the instructions and make sure you understand them before starting. Don’t follow these directions unless you understand them fully and know what you are doing. You run the risk of bricking your device and making it unusable. Do so at your own risk. We will not be held liable for any damage you cause to your device.

These instructions are from a PC perspective but it should translate easily to Mac.

How To Root The Kindle Fire

Download and install the Java Development Kit
Download and install Microsoft .NET Framework
Download and extract SuperOneClick
Download and install the Android SDK
When the SDK Manager opens and asks you which packages to download keep the defaults and make sure Google USB Driver package under Extras is checked.
Find your .android directory (Windows it’s \Users\(Your Account Name)\.android). Open adb_usb.ini in a text editor like Notepad, add a new line to the end and add:
```
0x1949
```
and save it.
Go to the directory where you installed the Android SDK (example, C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk), go to the \extra\google\usb_driver\directory and open android_winusb.inf in a text editor. Underneath both [Google.NTx86] and [GoogleNTamd64] copy the following and paste it in:
```
;Kindle Fire
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006&MI_01
```
Connect your Kindle Fire to your computer with a USB to micro-USB cable. I have found sometimes this is all you have to do and sometimes you have to tap Disconnect on the Kindle Fire. Leave it alone for now. If the next step fails try again after tapping on Disconnect.
Open up a command prompt and navigate to the platform-tools directory of the Android SDK (example, C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools\) and type adb kill-server, Enter, adb devices, Enter. You should see it return a List of devices attached followed by some numbers and “device”. If it doesn’t list any devices go to Control Panel, open Device Manager and look for the Kindle Fire. Right click it and select Update -> Browse My Computer For Driver Software and navigate to the directory that has the android_winusb.inf you edited in step 5. Click Next. Once it installs the new driver retry step 8
Open the directory where you extracted SuperOneClick to in Step 3 and run SuperOneClick.exe, click “Root” and leave it alone. It will take a few minutes and will tell you when it’s done. When it’s done close SuperOneClick.
Open up a Command Prompt like you did in step 10, navigate to the same platform-tools directory and type adb kill-server and Enter.
Eject your Kindle Fire. Reboot it and you are done.

Installing Android Market

On your Kindle Fire go to Settings -> More -> Device and turn on Allow Installation Of Applications From Unknown Sources
Download and extract the collection of Google apps
Download the updated Android Market app, Vending.apk
Download MarketOpener.apk
Go to the Amazon Appstore on your Kindle Fire or computer and download and install File Expert to your Kindle Fire.
Connect your Kindle Fire to your computer with a USB to micro USB cable.
From the Google apps collection copy GoogleServicesFramework.apk and the updated Vending.apk to your Kindle Fire’s download directory.
Eject your Kindle Fire
On your Kindle Fire run File Expert, go to Menu -> More -> Settings -> File Explorer Settings and check the Root Explorer option. Allow the popup for Superuser.
Go back to the main File Expert screen. Navigate to My Files -> SD Card ->Download. Tap on GoogleServiceFramework.apk and install.
Long tap on Vending.apk and choose Cut.
Navigate back to the main screen again and go to My Files ->System -> App. Click on Menu -> More… -> Mount -> Mount As Read Write.
Tap on the Paste icon.
Long tap on Vending.apk and select the Permission option. You want check marks in Owner/Read, Owner/Write, Group/Read, and Others/Read. Tap Apply.
Tap Vending.apk to install
Navigate to My Files -> SD Card ->Download. Tap on MarketOpener.apk to install.
Restart your Kindle Fire.

How To Unroot The Kindle Fire

Download and extract SuperOneClick
Connect your Kindle Fire to your computer with a USB to micro USB cable.
Run SuperOneClick
Click Unroot and leave it alone. It will take a few minutes and will tell you when it’s done. When it’s done close SuperOneClick.
Eject and disconnect your Kindle Fire.

There you have it!

Now that you have the Google Market you will be able to install most of Google’s apps as well as everything else available on the Android Market. We will post instructions on the few Google apps that don’t install cleanly as we figure them out.

Please remember that the apps on the Google Market are not designed for the Kindle Fire. There will be some hiccups (such as Spotify’s controls being covered by the Kindle Fire UI).

Sources:
PC World PC World
Android Authority

Artwork:
DeviantArt member bharathp666

9 Comments

Andrew
Dec 11, 2011 @ 10:36:21

Hi Eric,

Thanks so much for posting this guide. I’m having one problem with installing Android Market, and perhaps you can help me out if you have a minute. The problem is that when I use File Expert to try to cut and paste the items onto the internal storage of the phone, the paste command doesn’t actually work. I am being careful to mount as R/W before pasting, but the Vending.apk doesn’t transfer. Any suggestions?

- Eric
  Dec 11, 2011 @ 11:36:34
  
  I have not encountered that issue so I can only provide a few tips from the mistakes I made along the way:
  
  Make sure you successfully rooted the device. Try doing it again and if SuperOneClick warns you that it is already rooted you are good to go and you can cancel out, otherwise go through the process again.
  
  Make sure to do a full reboot after rooting.
  
  Run File Expert, go to Menu -> More -> Settings -> File Explorer Settings and double-check that Root Explorer is checked and you allow it to access the Superuser program. Without that it can’t truly mount system directories as Read/Write.
  
  I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. Let me know if you are still encountering problems or if you figured it out.
  
Wuahn
Dec 12, 2011 @ 18:09:07

Same problem here. Everything seems to work fine until the cut/paste operation on vendor.apk. SuperOneClick insists that the system is rooted. Root Explorer is checked in File Explorer and says it has super user permissions. I cut vendor.apk and paste into the system/app folder. The screen seems to refresh like something happened but vendor.apk isn’t in the file listing and is still in the downloads folder. No error message is seen. I’ve tried every variation of your procedure that I can think of.

Thanks.

- Eric
  Dec 12, 2011 @ 23:05:07
  
  Make sure you mount the directory as Read Write when you navigate to it (second half of Step 12) before pasting or else it won’t let you paste since the directory is Read Only by default.
  
  - Matt
    Dec 13, 2011 @ 11:25:48
    
    Same problem as the two above, and I tried mounting it as Read-Write too. Any suggestions?
    
Eric
Dec 13, 2011 @ 12:32:42

The problem is that File Expert seems to be the only file manager that Amazon let’s you install on the Kindle Fire that has root functions. I actually prefer Root Explorer but it’s a paid app and I don’t have a clean and simple way to sideload the apk without also rooting another Android device.

When you try to Mount As Read Write do you get a message (a “toast” as it’s called in Android terms) that says “File Expert has been granted Superuser permissions”?

If you have GO Launcher EX installed can you go into that, then open the Superuser app. Is File Expert listed as Status: Allowed?

- Wuahn
  Dec 13, 2011 @ 12:53:19
  
  File Expert just couldn’t do it for me. I was eventually able to move vending.apk to system/app using adb shell commands directly. I am now able to open and browse the Android Market but it looks like I still need to tweak the permissions of vending.apk since it seems to hang whenever I actually try to download anything.
  
  Thanks.
  
6.2.1 Is Here! Improvements All Around But Kiss Your Root Goodbye - The Unofficial Kindle Fire Blog
Dec 20, 2011 @ 09:01:18

[...] 6.2.1 is slowly (very slowly) making it’s way across the Kindle Fire universe bringing with it major improvements and fixes. It is also unrooting devices and preventing people from re-rooting using the easy SuperOneClick method. [...]

Amit Mahajan
Apr 30, 2012 @ 00:40:29

I have carried out all the steps, however on clicking the Android Market Icon i get the message” The application Market Opener (process ws.munday.KFMarketIcon) has stopped unexpectedly. Pls try again

Even after reinstalling i am getting the same message

Pls help