Streaming > Streaming Devices How to Update Apps on Fire Stick Keep apps up to date on your Fire TV By Elise Moreau Elise Moreau Freelance Contributor University of Ontario George Brown College Elise Moreau is a writer that has covered social media, texting, messaging, and streaming for Lifewire. Her work has appeared on Techvibes, SlashGear, Lifehack and others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on December 15, 2021 Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Streaming Devices Fire TV Roku Chromecast Apple TV What to Know Automatically update apps: Settings > Applications > Appstore and turn Automatic Updates On.Manually update apps: Apps > the app you want to update (press three-horizontal-lined button on remote). Then More Info and Update.To upload sideloaded apps, you can use a third-party program like adbLink to connect your computer to your Fire Stick. The apps you use on your Fire TV Stick are always being improved upon by their developers—whether it's fixing bugs, or adding new features. To get the best experience from your apps, it's important to make sure all your apps are up to date. The easiest way to ensure you always have the latest version of your apps is by turning on automatic updates, but you can also manually update them. If you have sideloaded apps on your Fire TV, you can update them by using a third-party program on your computer that connects to your Fire TV. How to Automatically Update Apps on Fire Stick Turning on the automatic app update setting on your Fire TV means you won't have to manually update your apps. From your Fire TV's Home screen, select Settings (gear icon) to the far right of the horizontal menu. Select Applications. Select Appstore. Turn Automatic Updates On. How to Manually Update Apps on Fire Stick If you don't have automatic updates turned on, follow these instructions for each individual app you want to update manually. From the Home screen, select Apps (three squares and a plus sign) to the far right of the horizontal menu. Highlight the app you want to update (don't select it). On your Fire TV remote, press the button with three horizontal lines on it. Select More Info. If an update is available, select Update beside the Open button. How to Update Sideloaded Apps on Fire Stick Sideloaded apps are apps you've downloaded from outside of Amazon's Appstore. Because they're unavailable from Amazon, you can't update them as easily as official apps, but you can use a third-party program on your computer to get around it. First, make sure your settings are configured properly on your Fire TV. From the Home screen, select Settings (gear icon) to the far right of the horizontal menu. Select My Fire TV. Select Developer Options. Turn On ADB Debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources. Press the back button (arrow) on your Fire TV remote. Select About. Select Network. Write down your IP address on a piece of paper. Visit the adbLink web page on a computer, which you'll use to link your Fire Stick to your computer. Scroll down the page to download and install adbLink for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Once installed, open adbLink and click New. Enter a Description like "Fire Stick" and your IP address in the Address field, then click Save. Click the Select device dropdown and select the Fire Stick you just added, then click Connect. If the connection is successful, you'll see your connected device and connection status appear in the boxes at the top. Download the APK file for the app you want to update. Click Install APK to select the APK file from your computer and then click Yes to install it. Your app will be updated the next time you access it from your Fire TV. FAQ Do I need to update apps on Fire Stick? Yes. Apps may not work properly if they are not up-to-date. Most apps will update automatically by default. How do I check for updates on Fire Stick? To update your Fire Stick, go to Settings > Device > About > Check for System Update. After the update is downloaded, select Install System Update. How do I download apps on Fire Stick? To download new apps on your Fire Stick, select the Apps icon on the home screen, choose the app you want, and select Get. You can also search for apps from the home screen by pressing Left on the directional pad on your remote. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit