Kodi is a very popular multimedia application among users of all platforms. The reason for this popularity is its availability on almost all major operating systems. With recent developments in Chrome OS, new Chromebooks can now run the Kodi app from the Google Play Store. However, Play Store support or, in other words, Android app support is not widely available for all Chromebooks, especially older ones. So if you are one of those Chromebook users who got left out, don’t worry. In this article, I provide you with easy ways to install Kodi on Chromebook with or without support from Google Play Store.
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Install Kodi on Chromebook
In this article, we are going to discuss three different methods that you can use to get Kodi on Chromebook. The first method requires a Chromebook that supports Google Play Store. The following two methods are for users with older Chromebooks that don’t support the Google Play Store. Feel free to jump to the section you want.
Install Kodi on Chromebook from the Google Play Store
1. Open the Google Play Store on your Chromebook and search for Kodi. After that, install it like any other app.
2. When installation is complete, open it and grant the necessary permissions
3. You can now add your media sources and run it as you do in Windows or other platforms. The good thing is that you can install add-ons, Kodi repository and all the rest without any limitation.
4. If Google Play Store is not available on your Chromebook, open Settings, then click on the hamburger menu in the top left corner
5. In the menu, click on “Google Play Store”.
6. Click here on the “Activate” button to activate the Google Play Store on your Chromebook.
Install Kodi on Chromebook without the Google Play Store
Play Store support on Chromebook is fast becoming a standard feature. However, some older Chromebooks don’t like Android apps on Chromebook. If your device is one of them, you don’t have to worry. There are a number of ways you can use Kodi on Chromebook without using the Play Store. Here is how you can do it.
Note: we use ARC Welder, a developer tool for converting an Android app to a Chrome OS compatible app. Since it is used for testing purposes, there may be some lag and overall performance issues.
1. Download the Kodi APK file from the official website. Click “Android” and select your Chromebook build. If you don’t know which version to choose, install the Cog (Free) extension to find out which version is your Chromebook.
2. Next, install the ARC Welder (Free) extension from the Chrome Web Store. Unlike other Chrome extensions, the file size is huge and around 200MB. Please be patient while the download is in progress.
3. After this installation, launch ARC Welder and click on the “Choose” button.
4. Select now the directory where the Kodi APK file is downloaded and click the “Open” button.
Note: do not try to choose the APK file here.
5. Then click on “Add your APK” on ARC Welder.
6. Now select the Kodi APK file and click on the “Open” button . The APK file will take some time.
7. Then you will be given a bunch of options. Make sure the “Landscape” orientation and the “Tablet” form factor are selected. Finally, click on the “Test” button.
8. Kodi will launch automatically, but it may take some time to fully load. After a while, Kodi should work fine on your Chromebook.
Note: To use Kodi through ARC Welder, you need to manually add the APK file every time and then test it.
Install Kodi on Chromebook as a Chrome Extension
To use Kodi through ARC Welder, you need to manually add the APK file each time and then test it. This process is time consuming and inconvenient. So, to solve this problem, we can create a plugin that would open Kodi via ARC Welder . And users can access the Kodi extension from the app drawer just like any other app. Here are the steps to follow.
Note: When testing the Kodi APK file on ARC Welder, a single folder with all the files needed to create an extension is created. We are going to use this exported folder from ARC Welder to create a Kodi extension. So be sure to test the APK file before moving on to this section.
1. Open the Chrome browser and click on the 3-dot menu. Then, click on “More Tools” and open “Extensions”.
2. Activate the “Developer mode” in the upper right corner. A new submenu will appear at the top, click on the “Load without packaging” button.
3. Now locate the APK file directory and the exported file from ARC Welder. Select the folder and click the “Open” button.
4. Kodi will be instantly added to your app drawer. Now you can use it as an app.
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Install Kodi on Chromebook and don’t miss the entertainment
This is how you can install Kodi on Chromebook regardless of Google Play Store support. You can use the easiest way if your Chromebook is Play Store compatible and enjoy Kodi as usual. And if your device doesn’t support Android apps, let ARC Welder create a virtual Android runtime environment. It will allow Android APKs to run on Chromebook without any issues. Anyway, if you liked this post on Kodi or have any similar hacks to share, let us know in the comment section below.
