yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Check your device FireOS f/w version.

Gen 12 Fire tablets need f/w 8.3.1.3 or later to establish a stable Google Play infrasttucure platform; OOTB f/w for your device may have an earlier version.

Note that f/w 8.3.1.9 and later is considered "restricted" for some FTB mods. See OP#1.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Sorry ... We can't help much here.

Fire Toolbox is not designed for custom ROM recovery; that's what TWRP is for.

Hope you can find a solution on another XDA thread.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] someoneelse999:
On my new Fire Max 11 (8.3.2.1) I had a little play around and got contacts syncing by sideloading a different contacts sync app:

Google Contacts Sync 11-6684105 APK Download by Google LLC - APKMirror

Google Contacts Sync 11-6684105 APK Download by Google LLC - APKMirror Free and safe Android APK downloads

www.apkmirror.com

So far the calendar app just crashes as soon as you click "got it" in the welcome screen.

Is there some way I can look at debug info? I'm a bit out of the loop with hacking!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] DB126:
You will be significantly challenged to get (and keep) Google contact and calendar sync working on FireOS. I use the web app for calendar management and rely on my phone for alerts. Contact sync works a bit better but it's janky enough to avoid IMO.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] someoneelse999:
Ah thanks for the reply.

I guess that's fair enough, I knew what I was getting in to with the Fire and trying to de-amazonise it.

Maybe a topic for another thread, but has anyone tried using the Toolbox to install alternative launchers? If I point the wizard to an alternative .apk (such as Poco 2) I get:

the Toolbox wasn't able to find the launchable activity
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] slcdroidpunk:
Searched thread, but could not find the right links for the play services file that I seem to be missing (not sure why download fails)

edit: [[ In the end, I just updated GooglePlayServices manually - It isn't like I don't know how to side load an APK - I just like using FTB! ]]

Tablet: HD10 11th generation.

OS 7.3.2.9

FTB Linux Python 3.10.12

Installed FTB in Linux. Everything was going great. Got to the google services step, said it was downloading ( ok ) but then failed to unzip because archive was missing.

I can't find the URL/file to assist manually. Re-running gets same result.

When re-running FTB, there was a notice about updated playservice links ... but ... still failed.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] slcdroidpunk:
One more question - I think the first time I used FTB the NavBar hack was still manual so I had the actual application loaded and could make changes to the settings. Now that FTB did it, I have no way to manage that app - in particular the color/transparency isn't great - I can't see the buttons anytime the app in the background is white. I thought I could change/manage that before, but now there is no installed application I can find to change the settings. ( nor anywhere in FTB to adjust either ). Any suggestions?

TIA and Happy New Year!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] MerkurXR4:
Hi - I am a novice with this but have been running a home system with five Fire HD8 tablets successfully for two years. I just got a new tablet which I have used the Toolbox to remove bloatware etc. I am stuck when I get the the step where I need to go to the Google PlayStore. I click the Google playstore icon, the app opens but when I click 'Sign In', nothing happens.

Is this a known shortcoming and is there a work-around? It works on my older tablets OK. I used v33 of the toolbox and the HD8 tablet is running v8.3.1.1 I need to get to the PlayStore to install Chrome, , File Explorer and Fully Kiosk.

Thanks and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all,

Paul
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
You can either use Toolbox, or Developer Options to turn on "Night Mode". In Developer Options, it's the second last setting before Debugging. Change it to Always On. In Toolbox, it's under Modify System Settings > System UI > Night Mode. Turn it on.

That will make the default background dark on most apps and keep your buttons visible. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] MerkurXR4:
UPDATE: I uninstalled and re-installed the Play Store using the Fire Toolbox. (v33).

Now when I click the PlayStore 'Sign In' button, on the tablet a screen appears saying 'Checking info'. Then I get the normal Google Sign In screen. If I sign in with the email and password and 2FA I get an error 'Couln't sign in. There was a problem communicating with Google Servers.'
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] asforme:
Trying to use this for the first time today in Manjaro Linux. The Toolbox installer says it can't identify my distro's package manager and has empty OS-RELEASE: info.

OS-RELEASE:

This is the contents of my /etc/os-release, IDK why the installer is having trouble with it.

NAME="Manjaro Linux"
PRETTY_NAME="Manjaro Linux"
ID=manjaro
ID_LIKE=arch
BUILD_ID=rolling
ANSI_COLOR="32;1;24;144;200"
HOME_URL="https://manjaro.org/"
DOCUMENTATION_URL="https://wiki.manjaro.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://forum.manjaro.org/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://docs.manjaro.org/reporting-bugs/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://manjaro.org/privacy-policy/"
LOGO=manjarolinux
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Manjaro is one of the distros that hasn't yet been fully coded for in the installer. I ran Manjaro in a VM and successfully installed Toolbox, but you have to do all the Python dependencies manually. It also requires a virtual Python environment, and I can't remember if I had to create that manually also. If you're comfortable manually installing the dependencies, see the Dependencies.txt file in the installer. I tried out at least a dozen different distros and I can't remember what Manjaro required without reviewing my notes and messages with Datastream33. Since it's the holiday weekend, I can't do it tonight but will help you out next week with what I had to do to get it installed. BTW, you want the Python v3.11 download. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] asforme:
I went ahead and did this, made a venv, activated it, and installed the dependencies listed in Dependencies.txt, but the installer still gives the same error and won't let me continue.

Is there a switch or something I need to do to start_install.sh to let it know that I already installed the dependencies?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yeah. There's a "skip dependencies check" switch in the installer. In the first screen of the installer, click the gear icon beside the 'next' button. It has 2 options in it. Check them both and then close and proceed. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] DB126:
You will likely need to update FireOS to at least 8.3.1.8 and preferably to 8.3.2.x to enable Google sign-ins. Note: some Amazon components can not be easily disabled on higher FireOS builds. Not a big whoop IMO but do your homework as there is no rollback option.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] asforme:
The OS-RELEASE popup closes the installer when I click 'OK' so I don't get a chance to click the gear icon.

If I move that popup out of the way to click the gear icon, nothing happens. Then when I close the OS-Release popup, the options window opens and I can select those options, but when I close that options window the whole installer exits.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yeah. I had the same trouble with it. It's one of the bugs that I was wanting @Datastream33 to take care of. I forgot what I did, but I did get it installed. I don't know when he'll get time to put out a new version, but I know it's possible to get through. When I fired up my Manjaro VM it was installed so I apparently succeeded. Keep trying different things and you may figure out what works. I'll review my notes and try to find my Manjaro installation note file. I'll let you know what I find.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] MerkurXR4:
Thanks for this. I did some searching and it seems that Amazon are finding ways to get around using the tablets for anything other than their original intended purpose. Damn!

I run five of the older versions of the Fire tablets and the tools in the XDAToolbox were great in setting them up. I run the tablets with the Fully Kiosk browser and ActionTiles and it has me concerned that if I upgrade to FireOS 8.3.1.8 to allow the Google Store to run, I may have pop-up ads or other Amazon components that cannot be disabled. Has anyone else found a work-around? Maybe by not using the Play store or any of the Google products?

Paul
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Perhaps a few points to help clarify (maybe) :

- Google Play infrasttucure installs and runs on FireOS 3.1.3 or later, but has limitations compared to "full Android".

- some apps (particularly the Google-branded apps) have much improved stability/compatability with f/w 8.3.2.0 and later, but still may not be 100%. YMMV.

- Amazon began "system restricting" some apps from f/w 8.3.1.9 and later which cannot be manipulated with simple ADB commands and require FTB "workaround" processes to execute mods. The workarounds are effective but require more work to implement, are rather cumbersome, and use up valuable limited system resources.

- blocking OTA updates is necessary to protect your FTB mods from being overwritten and wiped out.

- several methods to block Amazon servers are available depending on your circumstances.

- Amazon lockscreen ads can be removed with an FTB mod.

- alternative software is available to install Google Play Store apps, but does not require installing Google Play infrasttucure. Aurora Store is installable from FTB.

The decision to upgrade f/w should be made carefully since f/w upgrades cannot be reverted, even with a factory reset.

The mods on newer Gen 12/13 tablets are basically the same processes you used on your older Fire tablets, but FireOS 8 is much less "forgiving" than FireOS 7 to modding.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] kubaikhan4042:
Hi Guys,

Using the stock out of box f/w 8.3.1.5 on the firemax 11 I want to use amazon prime video but am unable to launch the app. I did not disable any apps from the toolbox or register my device yet. It's practically a clean tablet with no login yet and the only thing ran from toolbox was Disable OTA updates, Install google services and install nova custom launcher. Do I need to register my device to use prime video. I'm scared that if iI register my device it will get updated or block toolbox from working in the future?

Thanks!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yes, you need to register your tablet with Amazon to use their services like Prime or Kindle Store. The easiest way is to launch Shop Amazon and sign in. Signing in (registering your tablet) does not make you any more prone to OTA updates. That will happen even without signing in if you haven't disabled the OTA updates or blocked the servers. If you've disabled OtA updates or blocked the servers, then you're reasonably safe from unforeseen updates. (y)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Nora Without A Plan:
Hey everyone,I hope you're all doing well.

I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to navigating my Echo Show 15, and I could use some assistance.I've got this Fire Tool Box program that I'm eager to use to install a specific app on my Echo Show. However, I've hit a bit of a roadblock. I understand I need to activate USB debugging in the developer options, but I'm having trouble finding that specific point. My Echo Show is running Fire OS 7.5.6.1 and even though I've managed to enable developer options, the elusive "USB Debugging" option is playing hide and seek with me. Any kind souls out there who could guide me through this? Maybe share some steps or tips? I would truly appreciate it.

Sorry for the strange English, I am from Germany and had to translate this above.

Thanks a bunch in advance!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Fire Toolbox is designed for Amazon Fire tablets only.

If you need help modding your Amazon Echo device , try one of the other XDA threads here:

Amazon Echo

Discussion about all aspects of the Amazon Echo hands-free Bluetooth speaker /Amazon Alexa Voice Service.

xdaforums.com

Sorry we can't be of more help.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Hi, and welcome to XDA!

I'm not sure what the USB Debugging option is called on the Echo Show. The proper selection will probably contain one of those words though. I'm also unfamiliar with the German language options in FireOS so I can't direct you to exactly where the option is. The best I can do is tell you it's the first switch in the second section called 'Debugging' on the English language version of FireOS. The main problem is that Toolbox is it's written specifically for Fire tablets and not for Echo Show devices. If you were to find the USB debugging option and turn it on, Toolbox would not recognize the Echo Show device and wouldn't launch. I could suggest a couple of other tools to use on Echo devices, but you would still need to turn on USB Debugging for those tools too. If you are able to turn on Debugging, you'll have to manually install Google Play store and services. After that, you might try looking at ADB App Control for modifying your Echo Show.

Edit: @Jumbo100 beat me to it. :) Check out the link in his post for more specific information on Echos.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] asforme:
Been trying for a while and have been unable to come up with any tricks to by pass that OS-RELEASE check.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
FYI

Potential new zero-day security threat to Google account ecosystem:

Dangerous new malware uses cookies to break into Google accounts

This new zero-day exploit involving cookies helps cybercriminals bypass Google’s account protection measures

www.androidpolice.com

Malware abuses Google OAuth endpoint to ‘revive’ cookies, hijack accounts

Multiple information-stealing malware families are abusing an undocumented Google OAuth endpoint named "MultiLogin" to restore expired authentication cookies and log into users' accounts, even if an account's password was reset.

www.bleepingcomputer.com
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Nora Without A Plan:
Thanks a lot. This helped me googling the right stuff. Now I know it's a lot too difficult for me 😅 Amazon removed the possibility to use this developer option. And a this point I'm giving up, but will this watch from time to time.

Anyway, thanks to all for replying my post!!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
I'm re-installing my VM of Manjaro-kde-23.0.2 so I can document what I need to do to get it installed. I'll use the installer from the OP. Then I'll PM you a notes file on what to do. :)

Edit: Ughh. I had to download a newer version of Manjaro because it was taking too long to figure out why I couldn't update because of dependency problems. I have other things that I need to get done so it won't be until later when I have time again. Sorry about the delay.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] selaudeveloper:
Hello, thank you for the software, whatever I can help I will contribute.

One question, when I select Custom Launcher can I select an apk, in this case if I select the YouTube apk, when the Fire tablet starts, does it automatically open YouTube?

Or in this case does the apk need to be a "launcher application" (like Nova Launcher)?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Hi, and welcome to XDA!

You probably want a 'real' launcher app as your launcher. It's where your device goes to when you close everything else. YouTube wouldn't be a good app to default to because you can't launch anything else from it. You would be stuck there. You need a launcher app to literally launch anything else.

Nova launcher is a good choice. It's fairly 'vanilla' and most like pure Android. You can check out other launchers like Niagara or Evie. Some are better at supporting shortcut widgets than others. Those 3 are the lightest weight launchers that are popular. Microsoft launcher is available too, but it uses more resources than the others. If you have a 3rd party launcher that you want, Toolbox can set that up too. It's really your choice. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] selaudeveloper:
Thanks for the answer.

In case I want to start an application developed in Flutter in kiosk mode, that is, it will not be closed.

But I need this application to start when the tablet starts. The app is an event ticket point of sale.

So if I select it in the apk when it boots automatically it will be opened, is that it? That's exactly what I need it for, the tablet will only be used for that
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] ej8989:
Hello. How do I enable the lockscreen? I have a Fire Tablet HD 8 10th Gen. I disabled the lockscreen thru Fire Tools V33.0 and I can't find any option to enable it again.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
As a precautionary aside, make sure that the point-of-sales (POS) app you're considering is fully compatible with FireOS and Amazon AWS infrastructure.

Most Android POS software relies on the strict data security protocols of Android OS and the Google Play Framework infrastucture. This ensures that all financial transactions are secure. The bank apps , for example, use this process to keep everything "safe".

But note that Fire tablets and FireOS are considered as insecure devices for Google Play Framework and deemed to be insecure for financial apps.

Amazon has modified part of the security coding in FireOS to accomodate the Amazon ecosystem. Apps coded specifically for FireOS/Amazon AWS are secure ; apps coded for Google Play probably aren't.

The POS app you're considering was coded in Flutter and will (probably) be fully compatible with Android/Google Play , but may be incompatible with Amazon FireOS/Amazon AWS.

The app may install (and run) on your Fire tablet but may be still be cyber security vulnerable , at best ; poaaible it may crash.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
I'm not a developer or programmer so take it for what it's worth. Isn't the 'kiosk mode' an app itself? You could set the kiosk mode app to run as the "launcher" and set the default program to run in kiosk mode to be the Flutter program you need. Isn't that more direct? It's probably because I'm not a programmer or that I don't stay up to date on popular apps.

Play around and if you have negative results just reset. Get it the way you like/need. Do it before you transfer large amounts of data to it. ;)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Speedy X17:
Hey man what's up

Hey
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Hey!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] selaudeveloper:
In this case, the app does not have payment inside, just booking the event, which will be free
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] selaudeveloper:
I will do the tests and then return with the update, if desired.

I've seen people creating launchers with Flutter. So I can create a launcher with Flutter where only my app appears to open:

Thx
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
FYI as Reference

Latest timelines for Software Security Updates for current Fitri tablets (Gen 12/13) :

Fire Tablet Device Software Security Updates

Fire Tablet Device Software Security Updates - Amazon Customer Service

Fire Tablets receive guaranteed software security updates until at least four years after the device is last available for purchase on our websites.

www.amazon.com
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] AbhinavJain:
Sure, @Jumbo100 . It is my pleasure to contribute to the project (the only limitation is that my Fire HD 8 is now already mounted in my car as a navigator, and therefore, I an not able to provide screenshots).

---

Quick Guide to get Google Play Infra working on Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet (2022 / Gen 12)

Prerequisites/Worked on:

Fire Toolbox v33.0

Default Fire HD 8 OS (v 8.2.1.3)

Steps:

Follow the Fire Toolbox procedure (i.e., add wrong wifi password and skip the setup)

Bonus note: In case you missed the above step and added the wifi password (like I did first time), there is still some hope if you haven't restarted the tablet yet. The tablet will automatically download the OTA update and this can be verified by going into the settings. 1) Straightaway do a factory reset (all data and settings will be lost), 2) As soon as the tablet boots, skip the setup, 3) You may see a notification with a progress bar about system update as the earlier OTA update file might be in the system, 4) before the progress bar finishes, do a factory reset again , 5) Skip the wifi setup and you will remain on 8.2.1.3

Although not necessary, disable OTA updates from Toolbox v33.0.

Grab the firmware of your choice from the above sources (I used 8.3.1.3) and download on your computer. It will be a *.bin file and about 1.2GB in size.

Change the USB connection to file transfer mode, and copy the downloaded .bin firmware file to the root of the internal storage (here root doesn't mean '/' folder but the base folder of the file system where folders such as "Android, Download, DCIM, etc" are).

Go to settings and the system update option . It should say system is ready to update (it will not show any version number).

If it doesn't say so, then please check whether the file is correctly placed. Please ensure that the wifi was not connected at all after the reset, or else it may be a higher version. Else repeat the 'bonus note' steps above to be sure.

Reboot to trigger the update. Once updated, you may do a factory reset again. but keep skipping the wifi

Run the Fire Toolbox to disable OTA and updates. Only after this step connect to wifi.

Install Google services through Toolbox. Reboot and the Google play services should work straightaway (may have to wait several minutes in case the services are updating).

The tablet was not connecting to my Samsung Phone's bluetooth, so I safely updated (manually like above) to 8.3.1.4 (this is the final version that is said to be working as of now).

What's working

Complete Debloat of Amazon apps

No ads on lock screen

Default launcher changed without the Automate workaround (default launcher disabled).

Google Play store and services (including maps)

All this without rooting :cool:

Hope this helps. And kudos to @Datastream33 for developing the tool and other members for supporting it.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Excellent work ... so very much appreciated ! It's generous contributions like yours that keep this community vibrant ... It's all about sharing.

Great guide for an "in place" f/w upgrade and should be generally applicable to to any Fire tablet model.

BTW, Fire Toolbox is a solo dev project by @Datastream33 ... all the accolades belong to him 👏🏻 ; the rest of us just try to support him the best we can.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] bibikalka:
I am trying to apply RethinkDNS on Fire 4K Max. I tried to launch Settings/VPN through Activity Launcher, and there is no such option on Fire 4K max. Are there some adb commands that could help to ensure that RethinkDNS always on without going through Settings/VPN dialog? Ideas?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] WwwGuy:
@Datastream33 your last update V33 has issues in system backup menu, when doing any type of backup, it let do it, but after it is made, and you want to go to that menu, app going to shut down itself, tried using 2 windows 10 pcs, unfortunately can't get other systems to test. Downloaded previous version 32.3 and everything is working, but backup made in V33 can't be explored in 32.3 I made full backup, see difference in backup_info.txt file after it update restoring started, Overall thank you for this program, I used it since my first Fire Tablet in 2017 or 2018, now used it to back up full device, do factory resset and restore.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Delete.