Amazon recently pushed out a firmware update for their FireOS operating system and the build number is OS 5.6.0. It is primarily applicable to the new HD 10, Fire 7 and a myriad of other tablets released in the past two years. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but this app breaks the ability to sideload in apps not from the Amazon App Store. When you try and load in your own apps the install button is greyed out. This is a serious blow to developers who have not submitted their own apps to the Amazon ecosystem or for users who have 3rd party app stores loaded on their tablet.
Workaround #1
- Start installing your apk, and get to screen where Install is greyed out.
- Press the power button to put your device to sleep.
- Press the power button again, and unlock your device.
- The Install button should activate when your device unlocks, allowing you to install your apk.
Workaround #2
- Goto Apps and Settings and then background processes
- Find WhisperPlay Daemon and cancel the two processes
- You have to do this with every app you want to install
Workaround #3
- Open the installer, then open the Amazon App Store (don’t cancel the installation, just hit the home button) then open the installer again and the install button should be lit up.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
