Activate Autostart on Firestick - Fire OS 8 devices
Amazon recently released a new OS update for Firestick – Fire OS 8 devices (such as the 2nd Generation FireTV stick 4K) which has affected TrilbyTV's ability to auto-start on device boot up. This guide will walk you through how to reprogram a Fire Stick to allow auto-launching using developer tools.
NOTE
To reprogram the Fire Stick, you'll need:
- A computer running Windows, Linux, or macOS.
- adbLink downloaded and installed on the computer.
- Fire Stick running Fire OS 8 with the app you want to auto-launch installed.
- Both the computer and the Firestick on the same network
Step 1: Enable ADB Debugging
- From the home screen, navigate to Settings.
- Click My Fire TV (or Device, depending on your version) and click About
- Highlight the first option that shows your Fire TV model and click it seven times quickly. A notification at the bottom will appear saying 'No need, you are already a developer' if successful
- Click the back button to return to the My Fire TV menu
- Click Developer Options and ensure ADB Debugging is enabled
Step 2: Finding Your Fire Stick’s IP Address
- Exit out of Developer Options
- Click About, then click Network. You will see the Fire Stick’s network information. Write down the IP address.
Step 3: Installing Android SDK Platform Tools
- On your computer, download and install the Android SDK Platform Tools
- Create a folder (e.g., Android) somewhere on your computer, such as your desktop, and extract the contents of the Android SDK Platform Tools zip file into that folder
Step 4: Running adb Commands
- Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac)
- Navigate to the folder where the SDK Platform Tools are located:
- Type
cd
followed by the path to the Android folder
- Type
Alternatively, right-click the Android folder and click Open in Terminal to access the folder directly.
- Once inside the folder, type
dir
to list the directory.
Step 5: Enabling Autostart for TrilbyTV
- Run the following commands:
adb connect <IP address>
(e.g.,adb connect 192.168.1.10
).adb devices
to see a list of connected devices. You should see an entry for the FireTV you just connected to.adb shell appops set uk.co.trilbytv.trilbytvplayer android:system_alert_window allow
to grant our app permission.- You may also need to run
adb shell pm grant uk.co.trilbytv.trilbytvplayer android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW
- Restart your device and manually launch our app.
IMPORTANT
- Ensure that your computer and Fire Stick are on the same network.
- If you receive a message saying failed to authenticate to <IP address>, grant access on your Fire Stick by selecting Always allow from this computer and clicking OK. Then in the command prompt, type
adb disconnect
and hit Enter, and follow the command sequence again.