It can be fun to watch the latest clips from your favorite TikTok celebrities on your big screen, not to mention the fun and embarrassing films you make with your friends.
If you have an Android TV box, downloading TikTok is as simple on your TV as it is on your Android smartphone. Just grab it from the Google Play Store.
But, while Amazon Fire TV is built on top of the Android operating system, it has its own way of working, which means nothing works quite the way that it does on Android.
There are actually three different ways you can get TikTok onto your Amazon Fire TV. Which is best for you depends on how you want to use the applications. But we’ll go through the details of each option below.
More On TikTok App On Amazon Fire TV
When you are downloading apps for your Amazon Fire TV, you won’t be using the Google Play Store. Instead, you need to use the dedicated Amazon Store.
But there, you won’t find a copy of the TikTok app. Instead, you will find something called More On TikTok, which you can easily download and install on your Amazon Fire TV just like any other app in the store.
But this is not the full version of the TikTok app. Rather, it is a view-only version of the app, which has other limitations.
The app curates playlists of the most popular content on TikTok, but you can’t contribute any content via this app. That makes sense, as your TV is unlikely to have a camera that can let you do that anyway.
However, you also can’t watch the live-streaming content that is available on TikTok. Considering this is some of the content you are most likely to want to watch on the big screen, this seems like an oversight.
Side Load The TikTok App On Amazon Fire TV
If you do want to download the original TikTok app directly onto your Amazon Fire TV, you can work around the Amazon store restrictions by sideloading the app as an APK.
The TikTok APK is available here.
While there are a few different ways you can do this, the first thing you need to do is enable your device to download and run programs sourced from locations other than the Amazon Store. To do this, simply:
- Go to your settings page
- Choose device
- Choose Developer Options
- Set Apps from Unknown Source to ON
- Accept the warning message
The simplest method is to then download the Downloader app from the Amazon Store, where you can enter the APK link to download TikTok as an APK.
Learn More
A third option, and probably the simplest if you already have the TikTok app on your smartphone, is simply to mirror your smartphone screen onto your TV screen using a screen mirroring application.
This does mean that what you get will be less optimized for your big screen, as it will imitate the dimensions of your smartphone on your TV screen. But, it is the most convenient option if you want to be able to easily switch between watching and creating as you find yourself inspired.
You can cast directly from your phone to your TV screen using Wi-Fi direct, or you can download one of the various apps available for the purchase such as:
- AllCast for Fire TV – a free app that works with pretty much all types of devices
- Screen Mirroring – a free app, which is the best choice if you want to cast from an iOS device to your TV
- AirScreen – a versatile and reliable app, but while it is free to download, you will probably need to make a few in-app purchases to get it working for you
The Verdict
Getting the TikTok app working on your big screen is a pretty straightforward process, but if you have an Amazon Fire TV device, there are a few extra hoops to jump through to get it working the way that you want.
Depending on how you want to use the app, try one of the three methods above to start enjoying TikTok on your TV.
Do you have any experience sideloading to Amazon Fire TV or using screen mirroring? Share your experiences with the community in the comments section below.
