Amazon Instant Video is a surprisingly solid Netflix-competitor — particularly if you’re already an Amazon Prime member, which makes much of the content free.
Until today, though, the service had one glaring fault: If you wanted to watch it on an Android tablet that wasn’t Amazon’s Fire HD, you were pretty much out of luck. That fault is finally fixed.
Amazon released a new app this morning that brings the Instant Video service to the countless Android tablets of the world that aren’t Amazon branded.
One caveat: just like when they opened the service up to Android phones, the process for getting the Instant Video app on your tablet is a bit convoluted. Amazon wants you going through its Appstore instead of Google Play. If it’s not already set up on your device, it’ll require some mucking around in settings to get it working.
How to install it:
- On your device, check the option that allows downloads from “Unknown sources.” It’s usually under Settings > Security.
- Go to this URL: http://www.amazon.com/getappstore
- Install the Amazon Appstore
- Open the Amazon Appstore, find the page for the Prime Instant Video app. Install it.
Note: when you’re not using the Amazon Appstore, you should consider disabling that “Allow Unknown sources” option. Tapping around blindly with that option checked is a pretty easy way to find malware installed on your device.
This process isn’t too bad, but it’s not nearly as pretty as “Open Google Play, install app”. And the users certainly don’t seem to like it much: This method led the existing Instant Video app for phones to rack up over 4,000 one-star reviews.
But hey, Instant Video works on your tablet now!
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