yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Gboard is the default/native keyboard for modern AndroidOS but has problems with FireOS 8 ... too tightly integrated into Google Play Services. Microsoft SwiftKey is a nice alternative as a full function keyboard alternative.

The Google-branded web apps are always reliable on FireOS 8 , if you have decent Wi-Fi bandwidth.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”​

― Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (1961) 🙃
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
FWIW, Fire Max 11 OOTB f/w 8.3.1.5 can also disable OTA Updater apps with ADB/Fire Toolbox commands ... "belts and suspenders".
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Haha. You're preaching to the choir. :) I don't trust ANY of the automated Alexa, OK Google, or Siri home surveillance systems, I don't want them monitoring my activities or recording whatever is said around them. I generally surf in a private browser and I usually discard my cookies regularly in my non-private browser windows. I just don't push that stuff too hard on others. ;) (.....any more)

edit: Besides, Google has all that information already. So does Amazon. They may not like each other publicly, but that won't stop them from buying/selling/trading all the information they have on you to each other so they can build up a better picture of whom they're advertisers are marketing to.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] DB126:
Haven't followed details on underlying FireOS and Play Services builds on the device in question. That said, the 'official' Google GBoard and YouTube apps sources from the 'official' Play Store work fine on my Max 11 running FireOS 8.3.2.1 and GPS version 23.43.13 (150400-577232161). The only 'gap' is GBoard voice typing which is a well known long standing issue on Fire devices
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] davidbrenner1:
Is there a trick to getting push notifications to work? Some system notifications work, but no push. I have even tried putting my gmail account on the Amazon email app to see if that gets push notifications and nothing. Permissions are on, DND is off.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Hi, and welcome to XDA!

Your experience is normal with FireOS. Amazon removed some of the functions of Android and replaced them with their own system firmware. Part of which means that push notifications were replaced by Amazon's own push notification system. No one has found a complete solution to this. I dislike notifications so I turn them off anyway. I get enough of them on my phone. I think there have been a few suggestions in this thread on dealing with this. Have a search through this thread and you might find something that works for you. @Jumbo100 has a note explaining things better here. (y)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
On FireOS 8.3.x , native YouTube app is generally OK; YouTubeTV app hasn't worked well for most.

Gboard install issues for some earlier f/w 8.3.x versions, but appears to be better post-f/w 8.3.1.5.

I've always thought it odd that Gboard voice-to-text/voice recognition doesn't function on Fire tablets; it "hears" but doesn't respond. V2T seems to work for almost all other apps/services, just not Gboard.

As you've documented, the ever-changing mix of FireOS 8 and Goggle Play Services versions on different Fire tablet models keeps Fire tablet modding "interesting". As always, YMMV ... but your setups seem to be "long distance" winners.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] saystanislam:
Hi, has anyone managed to remove/scrub the navigation bar ? On the tablet - Amazon Fire HD 8 (2022) Fire OS 8.

From what I've been able to find out - Fullscreen Mod(Fullscreen Immersive) app removes the navigation bar but creates problems with the keyboard. The keyboard has to be activated every time before use, otherwise it just doesn't appear on the screen.

Has anyone managed to remove the navigation bar and still have the keyboard working?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Full screen/gestures mode is an option for Android 11 (basis for FireOS 8) but has been removed/diabled by Amazon on recent Fire tablet models. So you're stuck with the Nabbar on the native Fire Launcher.

However, you can install another launcher (such as Nova Launcher) which has a "gestures" mode which can hide the Nabbar.

Diabling Fire Launcher and installing another launcher using Fire Toolbox should be easy if you have OOTB f/w 8.3.1.5 still installed on your Fire HD8 12th Gen 2022.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Trouble ahead for YouTube mods ?

Google could kill certain kinds of YouTube Vanced alternatives for good

Google’s experimental Android WebView Media Integrity API could patch a loophole used by Vanced alternatives once and for all

www.androidpolice.com
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaukraut_:
Hi,

does anybody know why the home button circle in the navigation bar is smaller than the triangle and the square.

It has been bugging me for a while. I am on 7.3.2.8. Does anybody know how to fix this issue?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
This has bothered me for a while, myself. I've got a partial solution. Maybe you can find a better icon pack and substitute, but for now the closest to the originals is the Pixel Icon Pack (attached).

Download and extract the Pixel Icons somewhere where you can locate them.

Open Toolbox

Go to Modify System Settings > System UI > System UI Customizer (Execute)

Go to Navigation Bar Modifier tab

Click Custom Navbar Icons

Underneath and to the right, click Choose, then Browse in the dialog that pops up.

Navigate to the folder where you extracted the Icon Pack, double click it (it should display an empty folder), and click OK.

Click OK in the parent box

Click Apply in the System UI Modifiers panel and close out of Toolbox.

That should give you a better Home button. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] saystanislam:
Good afternoon!

Maybe someone has encountered:

Fire HD 8 - 8.3.1.2

Out of the box not activated / did not register with amazon, immediately had amazon auto-updates disabled via fire tools.

And only then switched on wifi

Trying to install Google services, which I take here on the forum (found two links, one with a tutorial and separate 4 files, the other with an archive with 4 files.

After installing google services through fire tools, I click to create an account.

And the tablet tries "Checking info..." but nothing happens further.

Can you please advise me what to do?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Datastream33:
Greetings!

Try force closing Play Store, and google services framework from the Settings app. After that it should allow you to create a new account. If not, maybe try waiting a few minutes to let play services fully update if it isn't already. If that doesn't do the trick then perhaps a re-install of Play Services will? Best of luck and please let us know how it goes. :D
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaukraut_:
Awesome, that helped a lot. I didn't realize that you can change the navigation bar plus layout in the settings. I just modified it than the buttons became all the same (small) size. Without modifying the icon files. But at least they got the same size.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Help me understand what you did. It sounds like you found 2 different links on this forum/thread to acquire old Google Services installer files and were unsuccessful. Google Services is constantly updating and may not work if the files are too old.

What you should have done was use the Google Services installer in the lower-left corner of Toolbox to install fresh files, then wait ten minutes before launching Google Play so that any new or updated files would update themselves. The Google Services installer in Toolbox pulls the most recent files for your model tablet and installs them in the correct order.

What you can do is to uninstall the 4-6 Google Services files/apps on your tablet, then re-install Google Services using the Google Services subtool in Toolbox. That should get you going. If you need to manually install for some reason, you'll need to get specific, current files from a source like apkmirror.com and install in a specific order. Normally that can all be handled by Toolbox. Inquire here if you have problems with the automatic installation. (y)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Yeah, there were initially some problems modifying the navbar icons or positioning after using the Custom Navbar Button method of launcher replacement, but I think that's been all worked out now. I'm glad you found an acceptable solution. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] saystanislam:
Thank you for your advice!

Unfortunately it didn't work out.

Even after a complete reset of the tablet, waiting 30 minutes:

If I run it through fire tools - Add Account

It's always "checking info".

If I click on play market on the tablet itself, the app just doesn't start.

What I did:

1. I reset the tablet to factory settings.

2. without activation and without wifi activated developer + adb

3. In fire tool disabled adverts on lock screen (and OTA automatically)

4. Installed Google services through fire tools those that downloaded themselves and downloaded

Rebooted the tablet

5. Disabled Battery Optimisation for Play services via fire tools

Rebooted the tablet

6. Waited 30 minutes

7. In fire tools I clicked add account

What am I doing wrong?

Fire HD 8 2022 — 8.3.1.2
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] saystanislam:
Solution to Google Service and Navigation Bar issue - Fire HD 8 2022 firmware 8.3.1.2 (don't know if it will work with other firmware and models):

1. Download the latest version of Fire tools

2. From Amazon website download android file transfer (it's in the manual update section)

3. Download firmware 8.3.1.3. I downloaded it from softpedia - attention Firmware should be 8.3.1.3 for HD 8 12th gen. Don't get it mixed up!

4. On the tablet without amazon registration and without connection to wifi, activate Developer Options

5. Switch on data transfer mode in the tablet, connect it to the laptop and throw the downloaded firmware into the root of the tablet.

6. Go to the update section on the tablet and update it to 8.3.1.3.

7. After rebooting, still do not go through registration or activation and do not connect to WiFi ! This is important. Switch on ADB in Developer Options.

8. Open Fire tools disable OTA Updates

9. Install Google Services via Fire tools and reboot the tablet

10. Switch off energy saving mode for Google services via Fire tools

11. click in fire tools to add google account

12. Register google account already in the tablet

+

Hide Navigation Bar

If you have a Mac with adb configured, enter the following command:

./adb shell cmd overlay enable com.android.internal.systemui.navbar.gestural

Navigation bar becomes a thin strip, the tablet activates gesture control mode.

Thank you all very much for your advice and help!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] twehrle:
Hello. I am seeing the same issue as @saystanislam. New Fire HD8 2022 release, 12th generation, 8.3.1.2. I also noticed when FTB downloads Google services for install, it states downloading 11th gen x64. I am wondering if FTB is installing the wrong version of Google services.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Known Google Play Services incompatability with FireOS 8 prior to f/w 8.3.1.3. You'll need to upgrade your device f/w to at least f/w 8.3.1.3 to get Google Play Services to work.

Manually installing f/w 8.3.1.3 will give you a good starting point to begin your FTB mods , allowing for the most FTB mod options. @blaacksheep has known "clean" working versions of f/w 8.3.1.3 for download under his sig.

Fire Toolbox downloads a "base case" Google Play platform for your specific Fire tablet model and then allows Google to update to cuuent GPS versions. Standard FTB protocol requires waiting for Google to auto-update the Google Play infrasttucure before signing into your Google account. The GPS files downloaded by FTB may be common to several different Fire tab models, but will work for your specific device.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Nice find for setting full screen/gesture control mode using ADB command shell. Haven't seen that before. 👍
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
I have 2 versions that I downloaded directly from, Amazon when they first became available. They are for Fire 7 12th gen, and Fire HD8 12th gen. Use the correct version for your tablet. (y) They are located as the last 2 files on this page.

I always just waited for a few minutes, then opened Google Play and signed in there. That has always worked for me.

From what I gather, it's safe to go up to f/w v8.3.1.5, but you'll need to locate that version because Amazon doesn't keep old f/w versions available on their support site. If you use OTA to update your tablet, you'll lose the ability to turn off OTA updates and to replace your launcher without using workarounds. Amazon OTA updates always put the latest f/w available on your tablet.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] saystanislam:
Hi! If I install Netflix from Google play, when I play a video, the image jerks as if every 5 frames are mixed up.

But if you install Netflix through fire tools, the problem disappears.

Why is this happening?

And one more question, has anyone tested fire hd 8 and fire hd 8 plus (+1gb ram) how noticeable is the difference between them?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
1. Okay, good.

2. Why is this necessary? You can just connect your tablet to your computer in file transfer mode to move files between your computer and your tablet. Depending on firmware version, ADB might only connect in PTP (picture) mode for Toolbox to work. In PTP mode, file transfer can only occur using Push or Pull ADB commands. Best practice is to use File Transfer mode to move files, then change to PTP mode to work with Toolbox.

3. This is only necessary if you have a very early firmware version ( <8.3.1.3 ) on your tablet. I would suggest you get the firmware file(s) from my signature if you need them because they were sourced directly from Amazon's tech support page.

4. Okay.

5. Again, you don't need any additional software to transfer files between your computer and your tablet. It will connect out of the box and transfer files in File Transfer Mode with your filer browser.

6. If you do indeed need to update your firmware, once you've transferred the f/w update file to the root of your tablet's storage, on your tablet go to Settings > Device Options > System Updates. Don't connect to wifi. Your tablet should discover the f/w update you've just put there.

7. You need to stay in offline state (not connected to wifi). If you are presented with the initial setup procedure, when you get to the screen that asks for the password for your wifi, select "cancel" or "skip" at the bottom and you'll get asked the same thing again. Do it again. You've now bypassed the whole registration and wifi setup.

8. Good.

9. Good.

10. Okay.

11 & 12. These last 2 steps aren't necessary. Just open Google Play Store and it will walk you through the sign-in.

Much of this info is contained in the first post of this thread. I would highly suggest reading all of it as it contains valuable information on the setup procedure and the conventions of the developer (Datastream33) and users (us). :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
This is because Toolbox installs the Amazon version of Netflix, not the Google version. FireOS is a modified version of Android with certain API's replaced with their own non-compliant software. In most cases you won't notice, but some things misbehave or flat out don't work. That's why you should always check Amazon's app store for your software needs before going to the Play Store. Software published in Amazon App Store will always work whereas Google Play Store apps may not work correctly.

I have both Fire HD8 and Fire HD8+ tablets from 2020 (10th gen). Both of them are on similar f/w that requires the workarounds to get rid of the launcher. The 1 GB extra RAM is VERY noticeable. The 3 GB version is MUCH more responsive than the 2 GB version. It's well worth the extra bucks. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] hauber:
Windows 11 - Amazon Fire Max 11 (13th gen) running 8.3.2.1. Have restarted PC /Tablet etc. Any advice?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] saystanislam:
Thanks for the comprehensive answer! The pip(Netflix) is not working for the same reason! Right?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] mirek54:
I always update Netflix from apkpure.com and it is working without any problems.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
Looks like a problem connecting up with ADB.

Do you have Developer Options and USB Debugging enabled on tyour tablet yet?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] hauber:
Yes, developer options and USB debugging are enabled. The tablet makes noise and charges when plugged in so I know it's not a cable issue. Other things I've tried:

- Different USB ports.

- Factory reset the tablet.

- Uninstalling and redownloading Toolbox version 32.4.

- Running toolbox as admin.

- Restarted PC a few times (windows 11).

Not sure where to go from here. I'm no longer seeing that error after factory reset of the tablet. Just no device detected in the toolbox with the tablet plugged in and charging. When going to reinstall the application or power down it showing adb is running. The PC won't restart without force closing. Setup (shown below) can not close adb.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
This definitely sounds like an ADB connection issue. Some tablets/computers give people trouble authorizing and connecting the first time. Here are some things you can try to get the 1st connection.

Either open a command prompt (cmd) and type in "adb kill-server" or reboot your computer to make sure ADB isn't running.

Reboot your tablet

On your tablet, open up 'Developer Options' and then 'Revoke USB debugging authorizations'. (It's the line below 'USB debugging'.)

Make sure your tablet is awake and the display is on. You can increase the time your tablet stays on under 'Display' if needed.

Connect the USB cable to your tablet and computer.

Launch Toolbox on your computer. You should get a dialog on your computer that says 'awaiting authorization'.

Look at your tablet. You should have a dialog that says 'authorize'. Before authorizing, you want to tick the box that says 'Always trust this connection' at the bottom. Then authorize the connection.

If you don't get the 'awaiting authorization' dialog, swipe down from the top of your tablet and look for the line that says '* System - Connected as xxxx'. If it says 'Charging this device via USB' or 'Connected as Media Device', tap the dialog twice and change the connection type to PTP mode (Camera) and let Windows discover it and load drivers. Some firmware versions won't connect to ADB in file transfer mode.

That should do it. If you don't get the 'awaiting authorization' dialog, there's probably a driver issue i.e. you don't have the right driver installed. Windows 10/11 should have installed the proper driver for you but sometimes it doesn't.

If you need further help, let us know. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] blaacksheep:
Do you mean Picture In Picture? If so, yeah it's FireOS that limits what your tablet can do. It also doesn't streamcast very well if at all, and split-screen is hit or miss. It's what you get on a sub-$100 tablet. If you set it up without too much stuff on it, it'll do pretty well though. :)
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Alehandrew:
Hello! I have a Fire HD 8 (10th generation) with OS 7.3.1.8 that has had the toolbox installed since I got the tablet 2 years ago.

I've installed an app (Vooks) through the play store since it doesn't seem to be available on the Amazon appstore. I can't seem to get it on a kids profile, only the main adult account with the play store. I might be missing something obvious. Any help? Thanks!
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
TL;DR no obvious fix or solution.

On newer Fire tablets, only apps installed from Amazon App Store can be shared with Kids profile; apps installed from Play Store or sideloaded generally can't be shared/installed on Kids profile.

There are several XDA user mooding threads on the subject, but I'm not sure how well this kind of workaround works, and they all seem a little kludgey.

In general outline form, you have to :

- install a file manager to transfer files to Kids profile

- manually download and install another copy of Google Play Services infrastructure onto Kids profile

- download a compatible app launcher to Kids profile to access apps

- download install wanted apps to both Parent and Kids profiles (?)

Effectively, the Kids profile becomes a tablet-within-a-tablet Google Play environment.

Even if this kind of setup works, the limited system resources on your tablet would probably be stressed to the max.

There may be other workaround solutions, but they're not obvious or well known.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] LordUnderling:
I just wanted to report that Linux Fire Toolbox 4.0 successfully installed and ran on a new clean install of Lubuntu 23.10 Linux. This is the most recent release and not an older LTS release.

I did run into a hickup but I don't know if this was because of FTB or because I may have skipped a step.

Knowing that some Python3 modules needed to be installed, I did so manually through the package manager.

While it's not necessary to completely reboot Linux, it may be necessary to log out and log in again so that changes to such things as $PATH will be recognized.

I forgot this step and merely opened a new command-line window after installing Python3 modules. This may not have been good enough.

The FTB installation process didn't recognize this but was able to do its own install after I supplied the necessary password.

After that everything worked fine despite some of the FireOS apps becoming protected system apps with FireOS 8.3.2.0.

I would suggest that, for those of us willing to manually install necessary Linux components, the FTB readme file indicate what Linux components need to be installed for FTB to operate.

But the FTB installation program did work and FTB does work.
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] KAZ1RT:
If it is on the latest version and I only cared about some google play apps (Fire hd 10 2021) would it still be fine if it was updated to the latest version?
[Fire HD 8 and HD 10 Android Development] Jumbo100:
For Fire HD10 12th Gen, 2021 , the latest FireOS f/w version for OTA update is 7.3.2.9

If you're only concerned with Google/Android apps (and have not applied any significant FTB mods) f/w 7.3.2.9 is good to go. btw, my "stock" Fire HD10 (2021) just OTA updated last Thursday and everything is normal with Google Play Services; no anomalies noted.

Of course, if you have made any major FTB mods (especially with pre-f/w 7.3.2.2 ) , do not update f/w to protect your existing FTB setup.