Fire TV
Put SimplScreens on a Fire TV Stick
A Fire TV Stick plugged into any TV becomes a signage screen you publish to from your phone. The install takes about five minutes and only has to be done once per screen.
Before you start
Check which Fire TV you have
Amazon sells two different operating systems under the Fire TV Stick name. The newest Sticks run Vega OS, which cannot install this app by any method. You can check yours under Settings → My Fire TV → About.
Works with SimplScreens
- Fire TV Stick 4K Plus (2025)
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max — 2nd gen (2023)
- Fire TV Stick 4K — 2nd gen (2023)
- Fire TV Stick HD with Alexa Voice Remote (2024)
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max — 1st gen (2021)
- Fire TV Stick — 3rd gen (2020)
- Fire TV Stick Lite (2020)
- Fire TV Stick 4K — 1st gen (2018)
Not supported
- Fire TV Stick HD (2026)Runs Vega OS, which cannot install Android apps.
- Fire TV Stick 4K Select (2025)Runs Vega OS, which cannot install Android apps.
- Fire TV Stick — 1st and 2nd gen (2014–2019), Basic Edition (2017)Fire OS 5 is too old to run the player reliably.
Got one of the Vega OS Sticks? SimplScreens also runs on Android TV boxes and Google TV devices — tell us what hardware you have and we'll point you at a player that works.
Install
Four steps on the Fire TV
Turn on Developer Options
On the Fire TV, open Settings → My Fire TV → About.
Highlight the top row showing your device's name and press the centre button on the remote seven times. A message confirms you are now a developer.
Go back one screen. Developer Options is now listed.
Developer Options is hidden until you do this, which is why most people can't find it.
Allow installs from Downloader
Open Settings → My Fire TV → Developer Options → Install unknown apps.
Find Downloader in the list and switch it on.
This permission is per-app, so switching it on for Downloader does not open the device up generally.
Install the Downloader app
From the Fire TV home screen, search for Downloader — the orange icon by AFTVnews.
Install it from the Amazon Appstore, then open it.
Download and install SimplScreens
In Downloader, select the URL box and type the address below, then choose Go.
When the download finishes, choose Install, then Open.
Type this into Downloader
simplscreens.com/ftv
Downloader adds the rest of the address itself. There is no www and no https to type.
Pairing
Connect the screen to your account
Open SimplScreens on the Fire TV. It shows a six-character pairing code and a QR code.
In the SimplScreens app on your phone, add a screen and enter that code. The Fire TV switches to your published content straight away, and stays on it through reboots and short internet drops.
To unpair a screen later, press the MENU button on the remote twice.
If something goes wrong
- Downloader says the file can't be installed
- Step 2 hasn't taken effect. Check that Downloader specifically is switched on under Install unknown apps, not just that Developer Options is visible.
- There's no Developer Options entry
- Repeat step 1. The seven presses have to land on the row showing the device name in the About screen, not on a different row.
- The download fails or the app won't open
- Check the device list above. A Vega OS Stick downloads the file and then refuses to install it, which looks like a broken download but is not one.
Still stuck? Contact support with the model name from Settings → My Fire TV → About and we'll work it out with you.
Installing on a computer or Android TV box instead? The direct download is at simplscreens.com/ftv.