Peacock reps are telling Fire TV users to sideload the app
The good news is that Peacock’s support reps are speaking the truth. You can, in fact, watch Peacock on Fire TV devices through a process called sideloading, which involves installing the Android TV version of the app from outside Amazon’s app store. (This is possible because Amazon’s Fire TV devices also run a version of the Android operating system.)
This process is also easier now than it used to be thanks to the work of Elias Saba over at AFTVNews. Here’s how you can set it up:
1. Install Saba’s free Downloader app on your Fire TV. The easiest way is to use the Alexa button on your remote to say “Downloader.”
2. Before you launch the Downloader app, head to Settings > My Fire TV > Developer Options > Install Unknown Apps, then toggle Downloader to “ON.”
3. Launch the app, then enter the number 81035 into the URL field at the top. (If you didn’t follow step two above, you’ll be prompted to let Downloader install unknown apps first. Follow the prompt to visit Settings, set the toggle to “ON” for Downloader, then go back to the Downloader app and repeat this step.)
4. Be patient and wait until you see a prompt asking if you want to install Peacock. Select “Install,” then select “Open” to run the app. You might need to restart your Fire TV for video to play properly.
At this point, you should be able to use Peacocktv.com/tv like normal, with one notable caveat: In the current version, Peacock does not seem to display a home-screen icon, so you’ll only see a gray box with a slashed-out image icon instead. The app itself works fine, though, so just remember that this gray box represents the Peacock app, and consider pinning it to your home screen for faster access.
What if Peacock needs an update?
Having written this kind of tutorial before, I know that when Peacock updates its Android TV app, it can sometimes prevent your older sideloaded version from running. I’ll try to keep this story up to date, but you can also update the app yourself through the following steps:
1. Head to the Peacock.com/tv page on APK Mirror, scroll down to “All versions,” and click the option that shows the most recent date.
2. On the next page, right-click (or long-press) the “Download APK” button and copy the link.
3. Head to the AFTVNews URL Shortener, paste your link into the URL box, and hit “Shorten.”
4. In Downloader, use the newly generated numeric code in place of the one seen in the steps above.
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