It’s also a little easier to sideload Android applications from your PC (which you can download from sources other than the Amazon Appstore or Google Play), replace Amazon’s Alexa voice service with Google Assistant, and perform other tweaks to customize the software on your Amazon Fire tablet. Other changes implemented recently include support for disabling the lock screen, support for disabling Amazon’s “Device Dashboard” icon for folks that aren’t using Amazon’s smart home features,” and improvements to the Fire Toolbox automatic updater. Backup all data on your tablet to your PC, or restore from a previous backup.įire Toolbox v28.7 is the most recent version of the utility as of July, 2022, and it includes new and updated features that brings initial upport for Amazon’s 12th-gen Fire 7 tablet running Fire OS 8, bug fixes, a new workaround for installing third-party app launchers (after Amazon made it much harder to do that with a recent software update), improved device detection, and more.
Disable some or all of Amazon’s pre-installed apps (I suggest using the manual option and just checking the apps you know you don’t want or need).Change your screen density options (to make text and graphics look larger or smaller).Update: Recent builds of Fire OS won’t allow you to fully replace he default launcher, but you can hijack the home button so that pressing it will open a third-party launcher app.
Change the default launcher app (you can use something like Nova launcher to make Fire OS look more like stock Android).Install the Google Play Store and Google services.
Fire Toolbox combines many of those tools into one application and makes the process a little more user friendly thanks to a graphical user interface with a series of menus that you can explore.Īmong other things, Fire Toolbox lets you: While you cannot install custom ROMs on most recent Fire tablets, Fire Toolbox provides you with a way to make Fire OS feel more like stock Android.įolks have been finding ways to modify Fire tablets for years, typically with command line tools. That’s where the unofficial Fire Toolbox app comes in.ĭeveloped by xda-developers forum member Datastream33, Fire Toolbox is a Windows application that makes it easy to hack a Fire tablet by doing things like installing the Google Play Store, replacing the default Fire OS home screen and launcher, sideloading apps, removing pre-installed apps, and making other changes to Amazon’s tablets. While Amazon’s Android-based Fire OS is probably fine if all you need is a simple device for web surfing, watching videos, and maybe playing some light games.īut Fire OS doesn’t ship with the Google Play Store and Amazon doesn’t make it easy to change your keyboard, lock screen wallpaper, or many other settings. Amazon Fire HD 8 (2020) with Google Play) Or you can use a third-party utility like Fire Toolbox to modify the look and behavior of Amazon’s tablets. They’re also somewhat hackable – if you don’t like the limitations that Amazon puts on the tablets, you can use install the Google Play Store by downloading and installing a few apps.
They often go on sale for even lower prices – ahead of Black Friday, Amazon is selling Fire tablets with prices starting as low as $35 for a 7 inch tablet, $45 for an 8 inch model, or $75 for a Fire HD 10.īut despite their low prices, Fire tablets tend to have decent displays, good battery life, and acceptable performance (considering the low price tag). With list prices starting as low as $50, they’re cheaper than any iPad, and more affordable than most Samsung tablets. How long will my Fire Tablet get security updates?Īmazon’s Fire tablets offer a lot of bang for the buck.