Install the Google Play Store on your Amazon Fire Tablet

Finding a good Android tablet is tough, especially if you’re on a budget. Companies like Samsung and Lenovo do their best to convince would-be iPad buyers. Still, no one in tech can beat the bargains found in Amazon’s Fire lineup. Amazon has updated its entire lineup of Fire tablets with improved performance since 2022, alongside introducing its premium Fire Max 11. But specs are only part of the equation. Without better software, these slates are as good as useless.

Getting the Play Store on your Fire Tablet is easy. This guide takes you through every aspect of installing Google’s app store on your device, with instructions for models dating to 2014, up to and including the latest Fire tablets. If you get stuck, take a deep breath and step away for a few minutes. Then, skip to the end of this post to find solutions to common problems we’ve noticed.

What to know before you start

A word of caution

Getting the Google Play Store to run on Fire OS doesn’t take long, and it isn’t difficult. Since Fire tablets run on a forked Android build — at least, for now — substituting or replacing the Amazon Appstore with the Play Store, complete with all the Google apps you won’t find elsewhere, is a cinch. Whether you’re looking for YouTube, Chrome, Gmail, or other apps that failed to make it to Amazon’s app marketplace, this is an essential step for anyone with a Fire device.

Please read this section carefully.

• Remove your Fire tablet’s microSD card if one is installed unless you use adoptable storage (for example, your SD card storage is merged with your internal storage). If you don’t remove the external SD, the Play Store and its required applications may be automatically installed on it, which can cause issues. After finishing the installation, put the microSD card in its slot.
• You can’t manage a Fire tablet through
  Google Family Link
  , even after installing the Play Store. As an alternative,
  set up a Child Profile on your Kindle Fire
  .
  
• Apps installed through the Play Store
  might not work with the Amazon Kids+ plan
  .
• Some apps hide from the Play Store on Fire tablets because Fire tablets are
  not SafetyNet-certified by Google
  . Netflix is an example. For those applications, look in the Amazon Appstore or
  download them from APKMirror
  .

  

Enable installation from unknown sources

We’re using a well-known source

You’ll need to activate the apps you want to install from outside the Amazon Appstore to get started. This action allows you to open and install applications from downloaded APK files, which is how you’ll get the Play Store running. Only download apps from trusted sources, as sideloading is an easy way to subject yourself to vulnerabilities. We’ll install from APK Mirror, a trusted source for APKs across the web.

1. Go to the main Home page on your home screen and tap the
   Settings
   icon, then select the
   Security & Privacy
   category. Older models may say
   Security
   .
2. Tap the
   Apps from Unknown Sources
   section.

   

   

3. Turn on
   Apps from Unknown Sources
   for Silk browser.

   

   

On older models running legacy software, activating Apps from Unknown Sources might be a single toggle, not a per-app choice. This removes the third step above. Turn on the permission in step two to continue. Now, you’re ready to download and install the APKs needed to run the Google Play Store.

Downloading the necessary apps for the Google Play Store

Four simple APKs are all you need

The next step is to download the proper APK files for the Google Play Store. You will install four applications: Google Account Manager, Google Services Framework, Google Play Services, and Google Play Store. The first three apps handle basic account services and add APIs, while the last app is the store.

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Speed up your Fire tablet with these tips and tricks

Because different Fire tablets run different versions of Android with varying hardware (ranging from Android 5 to Android 11), the exact APKs you will install depend on the Fire tablet model. If you’re unsure which model you have, figuring it out is easy.

1. Open the
   Settings
   app.
2. Tap
   Device Options & System
   (or
   Device Options
   ).
3. Look under
   Device Model
   .
4. You also need the Fire OS version, which is listed in the
   System Updates
   menu of
   Device Options & System
   (or
   Device Options
   ).

For the Google Account Manager and Google Services Framework applications, find the appropriate links for your device from the table below and tap the main Download APK button on the linked page. If you have your Fire tablet generation in hand, figuring out the correct version is easy.

It’s important you do not open the files just yet. There are a few more steps you need to complete. If you see a message about a newer version being available, ignore it. The tablet keeps the apps updated after the installation process is over.

When downloading these APKs from APK Mirror, Amazon’s Silk browser may warn you about unsafe files. If you see this pop-up, tap Download anyway.

Google Account Manager

Google Services Framework

You’re halfway done. For these last two applications, click the link for your device, then select the version closest to the top of the list that doesn’t have “beta” in the name. Again, don’t open the files and ignore messages about newer versions being available.

Google Play Services

Google Play Store

Installing the Google Play Store

One APK at a time

With all your apps downloaded, it’s time to install the software.

1. Open the
   Files
   app on your tablet (on older models, it may be called
   Docs
   or
   Documents
   ).
2. Find your device’s
   Downloads folder
   . By default, your Fire tablet opens to the Documents folder. Tap the triple-lined menu in the upper-left corner to find the correct place.

   

   

3. You should see all four APK files. If not, go back and see which one you missed (or download all of them for good measure).

   

4. Switch to the file list view to see the full names of each APK.
5. Open the apps in the order shown below. When the installation is complete, tap
   Done
   .
   
   Do not tap Open. The Play Store will not work if apps are installed out of order. If you have an SD card, take it out during these installations.
   1. com.google.gsf.
      login
   2. com.google.android.
      gsf
   3. com.google.android.
      gms
   4. com.android.
      vending

      

      

6. While installing these four apps, you may see a warning about your personal data’s safety because of your reliance on external APKs. Bypass this message by tapping
   Continue
   .
7. After installing the four apps, hold the
   power button
   and tap
   Restart
   to restart your tablet. Older tablets might only have the option to power off. If so, let the tablet shut down, then press and hold the
   
   power button
   to turn it back on.

   

   

8. After your Fire tablet boots up, open the new Play Store app from the home screen. From there, the Play Store asks you to log in with your Google account, after which you can download and install apps.

   

   

Known issues with Amazon’s 2022 Fire tablets

These problems should be solved, but if they aren’t

Amazon updated its Fire lineup with two new tablets in 2022: the Amazon Fire 7 and the Amazon Fire HD 8. These devices feature improved performance, new colors, and, in the case of the Fire 7, USB-C charging for the first time. However, installing the Google Play Store seems to be an issue. At launch, neither device seemed capable of running the Play Store, even when following the directions in this guide. This concerned us, but it looks as though whatever issues were here are now fixed.

The 2022 Amazon Fire 7 was the first device that gave us issues, but after updating to Fire OS 8.3.1.3, it seems these installation problems are gone. The Play Store started right up, and we could log in to an account in a minute or so. We can also confirm YouTube runs properly, suggesting any bugs have been ironed out. To add credibility to this, users on Reddit see similar results, just as they did with the Fire HD 8 after that device received an update.

When we updated this guide in May 2023, the most recent version of Fire OS for these two devices was Fire OS 8.3.1.8. We factory reset the Fire 7 and re-performed the steps above, and everything is still working as expected. If you have trouble, make sure your tablet is up to date. It could be the difference between accessing the Play Store after 15 minutes and spending an afternoon with non-stop headaches.

How to fix ‘This account already exists on your device’ when signing in

An uncommon error with an easy fix

If you get the error “This account already exists on your device” when signing in to Chrome or another Google app, or if the app doesn’t detect your Google account, follow these steps:

1. Close the app you’re having issues with (for example, swipe it away in the Recents/multitasking screen).
2. Open the
   Settings app
   , tap
   Apps & Permissions
   , then select
   Manage all applications
   . These options might have slightly different names, depending on your version of Fire OS.
3. Look through the list, find the app that’s having issues, tap it, and select
   Permissions
   .
4. Switch all available permissions to
   On
   . Turning on the Contacts permission did the trick in our testing, but consider activating everything for good measure.
5. Open the app again.

In Chrome, you must also open the browser, tap the Settings menu, and tap the Continue as button at the top of the screen.

Still having trouble installing the Play Store? Try these troubleshooting tips

A reset is always an option

Here are some generic troubleshooting tips if your issue is different from the one listed above.

Reboot your tablet

To get everything settled, restart your tablet.

1. Hold down the
   power button
   , and tap the
   Power Off
   option.
2. Turn your tablet back on by holding down the
   power button
   again.
3. After it has booted up, open the
   Play Store
   from the home screen and see if it works as expected.

This is an easy step to miss when setting up the Play Store, and it can go a long way in getting your device back in working order.

Clear app data on your Fire tablet

If you can’t sign in to the Play Store, clear the app’s local data. This resets the Play Store app to its original state and should fix most problems.

1. Open the
   Settings
   app.
2. Select the
   Apps & Notifications
   section (or whatever else has
   Apps
   or
   Applications
   in the name).
3. Tap
   Manage All Applications
   .

   

   

4. Find the
   Play Store
   in the list of apps and tap it.

   

5. Tap the
   Force Stop
   button to stop the Play Store from running.
6. Tap the
   Storage
   menu option and tap
   Clear Data
   (it might also be called
   Clear storage
   ).
7. Return to the
   Play Store app
   and see if your app works as expected.

If that didn’t help, follow the above steps again, but restart your tablet before opening the Play Store. If that doesn’t work, force-stop and clear data for Google Play Services and the Play Store.

Reset your Amazon Fire tablet

If you still can’t get the Play Store to work, your best option is to factory reset your tablet and try again. Make sure you don’t restore from a backup when setting up the tablet unless the backup was made before you installed the Play Store.

Improve your Amazon tablet’s performance even more

Fire tablets aren’t the fastest devices in the world, but you might be able to make yours marginally faster with a few easy steps. Check out our full Fire tablet performance guide for the instructions.