In this guide, we will show you the steps to sideload apps in Amazon Echo Show 15 using ADB Commands. While there are quite a few smart displays out there, but the fact that the offering from Amazon comes with a built-in Firestock gives it the differentiating factor and makes it stand out from among the crowds. Moreover, since it is based on the Android platform, it opens the door to a plethora of tweaks, including the ability to sideload apps from third-party sites.
This usually comes in handy if the app of your choice isn’t available in the Store or is region restricted or if you are planning to downgrade an app to its earlier version. However, with the December update, Amazon seems to have disabled the ability to sideload apps in Echo Show 15. Then with the February update, it has speculatively banned the Downloader as well as the Files app.
To be fair, such a move makes no sense whatsoever. While there are risks involved in sideloading apps, however, the users who would do so are already aware of the potential risks involved. Moroever, the first step of sideloading involves enabling Installation from Unknown Sources, which could only be enabled once users understand the risks.
So having your platform based on an open-source OS but then restricting it with unnecessary boundaries hardly makes any sense. Fortunately, there still exists a nifty workaround using ADB Commands through which you could sideload apps on your Amazon Echo Show 15. So without further ado, let’s check it out.
Table of Contents
How to Sideload apps in Amazon Echo Show 15 via ADB commands
The below instructions are listed under separate sections for ease of understanding. Make sure to follow the same sequence as mentioned. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.
STEP 1: Install Android SDK
First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.
STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging in Amazon Echo Show 15
- Head over to Settings > My Fire TV > select Fire TV Stick.
- Now press the OK button on your remote 7 times. This will enable Developer Options.
- So go to Developer Options and enable ADB Debugging.a
- Then go to Settings > About > Network > and note down the IP Address.
- It should be something along the lines of 192.168.1.3:5555. The value before the colon [192.168.1.3] is the IP address whereas the value after that [5555] is the Port Number.
STEP 3: Connect Amazon Echo Show 15 to PC via ADB Command
- Head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in its address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch Command Prompt.
- Now type in the below command in this CMD window [make sure to replace IP accordingly].
adb connect IP
- You will now get an Allow USB Debugging prompt on your screen, tap on Allow/OK.
- Then once again execute the above command and this time, you should get the “already connected to IP” [if you get any error message, then simply execute the above command once again].
- Now type in the below command to verify the ADB Connection between your Echo and PC
adb devices
- You will now get your IP Address and port number, followed by the ‘device’ keyword. This signifies that the connection has been successfully established.
STEP 4: Install Apps via ADB Commands on Amazon Echo Show 15
- To begin with, download the desired app [APK File] and transfer it to the platform-tools folder on your PC.
- Then open CMD inside this platform-tools folder and execute the below command [make sure to replace IP and appname accordingly].
adb install appname.apk
- For example, if we are installing an app named YouTubeold on Echo with IP 192.168.1.3:5555, then the above command will transform to-
adb install Youtubeold.apk
- The app will now be installed on your Echo and you could access it from the app drawer.
- However, if the above command didn’t work out, then try out the following command [replace IP:Port with the entire IP address, including the port number]:
adb -s IP:Port install appname.apk
So these were the steps to sideload apps in Amazon Echo Show 15 using ADB Commands. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.