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Is there a way to install either the Android Market or Google Play on a Kindle Fire (Android 2.3 and Kindle version 6.3.1) without first rooting it? I have access to a Windows 7 computer with Admin privileges, but no USB cable (I do have ES File Explorer running an FTP server, so I can easily send and receive files via FileZilla on the computer).

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  • I don't think that will work. Android has elevated permissions for system apps and I guess that Google Play needs them, so you need to install it to /system and that requires root.
    – ce4
    Commented Aug 10, 2012 at 7:52

2 Answers 2

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You don't need to root your Kindle Fire for this -- as long as the following source is still valid: Install Android Marketplace and Google Apps on Amazon Kindle Fire. As that howto speaks about "Android Marketplace" (and not "Google Play"), it may not be up-to-date -- but I doubt the change of the name affected the procedure of installation.

A more up-to-date tutorial is Install Android Play Store on Amazon Kindle Fire - The Easiest Way, but that involves rooting the device. Maybe it has to do with the framework and a newer Android version, which makes rooting a necessary step.

EDIT: You may also want to take a look at these video tutorials: How To Install Google Music / Play On Your Kindle Fire! and GApps on Kindle Fire Without Rooting. Looks like you can still have Google Play installed this way without rooting.

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  • The link you gave explains that you have to root the Kindle Fire to install "Android Market."
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Jul 22, 2012 at 21:42
  • Which link? I gave 4, and one of them even explicitly states: GApps on Kindle Fire Without Rooting (Play Store is part of Google Apps/GApps). The other links are for completeness; if you use a Google Search on the topic you will find approx. 90% of the answers insist you need root. So in case the one telling otherwise does not work, the questioner can check-up the alternatives and see if they may be acceptable.
    – Izzy
    Commented Jul 22, 2012 at 22:02
  • The first link. Anyway, none of the Google Apps require root, but the Play Store (it is not considered one of the Google Apps) does.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Jul 22, 2012 at 22:07
  • You may be right about that: I just read about the Legacy Play Store, and even that (a patched older Market-App) must be placed in the system partition, which cannot be done without root. Strange, I did not remember having my Archos rooted when I side-loaded market etc. In this case my apologies. @KevinOrr If you consider my answer inappropriate and not helpful to you, I can have it removed -- just say so. Or we can leave it stay if you think you might consider these alternatives...
    – Izzy
    Commented Jul 22, 2012 at 22:16
  • @Izzy No it's good -- I just wanted to know if "there is a way", and there isn't (not without root, anyway). So +1 to both answers but I'm accepting yours for more info.
    – KevinOrr
    Commented Mar 16, 2013 at 17:40
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The necessary .apk files for Google Play Store, Services Framework, etc., must be installed in /system/app and doing so requires root access. So, you must root the Kindle Fire in order to do so.

However, you don't have to leave the Kindle Fire rooted. After you've installed it, you can always unroot the device (though I'm not sure why you'd want to do that).

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