Aptoide for Kodi Add-on: How to Install and Use
It can be frustrating to find that the app you want to download is not available in your app store. Apple, Google and Amazon are all guilty of restricting just what can and can’t be installed on various devices, which is an unfortunate commonality. Thankfully, there is a viable solution in Aptoide–an alternative app store offering over 800,000 apps (many of which can be found nowhere else) for smartphones, tablets, and Fire TV devices.
And now, Aptoide is available for Kodi as a third-party add-on, enabling users to browse and download apps from their favorite Kodi-equipped device with ease. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about Aptoide for Kodi, including how to download and install it, what you can expect to find there, and how it performs.
Always use a VPN with Kodi
Every discussion about Kodi needs to begin with a mention of security and privacy. While the platform is legal and completely safe to use, it rubs copyright holders and ISPs the wrong way, since some third-party add-ons may connect users to restricted content. What’s more, authorities tend to label all Kodi traffic as suspect, and may take preemptive action against even law-abiding users.
With a virtual private network (or VPN), every packet of data you transmit from your device will be wrapped in an obscuring layer of cryptography known as encryption. What’s more, your provider manages a network of proxy servers to receive this secure data, and pass it onto its original destination bearing a false IP address, making it impossible to trace back to you. Not only does this keep you anonymous and safe, it allows you to bypass geographical content restrictions with ease.
There are a whole host of VPNs claiming to be the best provider for Kodi. You could spend hours shopping around to find the right one. Or to save time, you could just opt for the undisputed king of Kodi VPNs:
IPVanish – Best VPN for Kodi users
IPVanish is the perfect VPN complement to Kodi. It offers state-of-the-art online security, with unbreakable 256-bit AES encryption available as standard to all users. There is a massive network of servers in excess of 1,000 servers, located in more than 60 countries all over the world. That means you can access geo-blocked content from just about anywhere, while staying completely anonymous.
Kodi is primarily a streaming service, and IPVanish ensures a buffer-free experience with lightning-fast and stable connections across their whole network. There are never any restrictions on bandwidth, nor limitations on file types to stop you from doing exactly what you want to do online. No matter what device you use for Kodi, you’ll rest easier knowing IPVanish has you covered with a dedicated version of its software tailored to your operating system.
When taken into consideration with its strict no-logging policy, this wealth of features easily makes IPVanish the top choice for Kodi users everywhere.
IPVanish offers a 7-day money back guarantee which means you have a week to test it risk-free. Please note that Addictive Tips readers can save a massive 60% here on the IPVanish annual plan, taking the monthly price down to only $4.87/mo.
How to install Aptoide on Kodi
Before we take a look at what exactly Aptoide has to offer, let’s quickly rundown how to install the Aptoide add-on onto your Kodi device. The good news is that, even though Aptoide is an app store, the installation process is pretty much the same as with any other add-on. You just need to download the Firestickplusman Repository, followed by the add-on itself. To help you get things set up, we have created a simple step-by-step guide for you to follow:
- On the Kodi homepage, click or tap SYSTEM (the cog icon) > File Manager > Add Source > None
- Type the following EXACTLY: https://fspmkodi.com/repo/ and select OK.
- Highlight the box underneath and give this media source a name like Firestickplusman and then click OK.
- Go back to your home screen.
- For Kodi 17 Krypton or later: Select Add-ons > Add-on Browser (open box icon)
- For Kodi 16 or earlier: Select SYSTEM > Add-Ons
- Select Install from Zip File > Kodi Solutions > repository.firestickplusman-x.x.zip and wait for the add-on enabled notification.
- Select Install from Repository > Firestickplusman Add-ons > Video Add-ons > Aptoide for Kodi > Install
- Wait for Add-on enabled notification.
- When you first open the Aptoide add-on, it will ask you to Setup a Download Location. Once you have done this, an exciting new world of Android apps awaits.
What is Aptoide?
Aptoide is an alternative app store for those looking for a greater range of apps or for apps not carried in official app stores. It first launched back in 2010 as the brainchild of Paulo Trezentos, a Portuguese developer. It got off to a slow start, but merged with the Bazaar Android site in 2012, and grew significantly following successful funding rounds in 2013 and 2015.
Aptoide showed its strength in 2015 by launching a legal case against Google in the EU, claiming that Google’s restrictions on third-party apps were anti-competitive. The case is still ongoing, but those restrictions have not stopped Aptoide from morphing into one of the biggest unofficial apps stores out there. There are now several versions of the Aptoide app store available, including Aptoide for smartphones and tablets, Aptoide TV (especially for smart TVs and related devices), Aptoide Kids (tailored for kid’s smart devices) and even Aptoide VR.
The Aptoide platform is available in more than 40 different languages, hosts around 800,000 apps, and has seen in excess of 6 billion downloads from its estimated 200 million users. This is despite the fact that Aptoide still has to be sideloaded onto most devices. The latest version of Aptoide is a Kodi add-on, which will allow users to easily download apps onto any device already running Kodi.
How does the Aptoide Kodi add-on work?
The best Kodi add-ons are the ones that keep it simple, and the Aptoide has wisely done just that. When first opened, it offers you a main menu with just four options to choose from:
- Most Popular – A rundown of the 100 most popular apps in the Aptoide app store, including all the main social media, messenger, and photo editing apps, several well-known games, and a few exciting new apps you may not have come across before.
- Games – Here you can find all of the games available on Aptoide. There are a lot, so for ease of searching the Kodi add-on breaks them down into categories such as Education, Word, Strategy, Adventure, Action, Role-playing, Casino, Puzzle, and Sports.
- Applications – This tab is home to everything that cannot be classified as a game. Again, this section is nicely broken down into categories such as Dating, Maps, Educational, Photography, Weather, Health and Fitness, Social, Sports, and Entertainment. These categories can contain all sorts of different types of apps, so there is much to explore.
- Search – This handy function will help you to search for apps both by name and content-type. It is much more efficient than trying to find a specific app manually.
Once you find the app you want to download, all you have to do is click on it, and the file will download into your chosen location folder. Click on that file and you can begin to install the app. You will find all of your favorite Android apps on Aptoide, but it is well worth exploring some less familiar apps too. Aptoide hosts a lot of apps which cannot be found in the official Google or Amazon app stores. Many of these apps are really useful and lots of fun, and well-worth seeking out.
Aptoide Kodi add-on – pros and cons
Pros
Aptoide is beautifully designed, easy on the eye, and dead simple to navigate. All of the apps are categorized into distinct groups, which makes it easy for users who want to browse. There is minimal setup involved in using the Aptoide add-on too. The only manual setup required is to specify a download location, and even a novice will be able to follow the onscreen instructions to do that. Once that is done, everything else works automatically and with one click. The search feature is particularly helpful in combing through the massive selection of apps, allowing users to search by both the name and the type of app.
Cons
The main menu and submenus are simple enough, but the app listings themselves are listed in no obvious order. They are not alphabetical or chronological and as a result, users have no choice but to browse the entire list even if they know exactly what app they are looking for. Some users won’t mind this and will enjoy browsing. But for others, it could be a source of frustration. The search feature does offer a good solution for those looking for a specific app, but making the app listings less random would be a definite improvement. Aside from this small fault, though, there is very little to complain about with Aptoide.
Conclusion
The new Aptoide Kodi add-on is a great way for users to download all their favorite apps onto their device, and then some. Installation isn’t a difficult process, but we’ve further simplified it in our comprehensive guide. We’ve given you a taste of the types of apps you can expected to find on Aptoide, and shown you how to stay safe when using Kodi in general with a VPN.
Have you tried the Aptoide Kodi add-on yet? Did you encounter any problems? Are there any apps on Aptoide that you would recommend our readers download? We always welcome your thoughts and opinions, so share them with us using the comment box below!
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