6 Must Have Apps for Amazon Fire Tablets
The best things about the Amazon Fire Tablets? – the price; they are incredibly affordable and easy to obtain.
The downside? Well, you can’t actually use the Google Play Store on any of the Amazon products.
This can be a huge bummer if you’re used to having your favorite Play Apps, but want to try out a Fire Tablet. Thankfully, we have some great apps for Amazon Fire Tablets right here that can populate your lonely tablet with some awesomeness.
Why Amazon Fire Tablets? Is this still Joy of Android?
We’re going to get a bit technical here for just a second. You’ve probably heard that Amazon Fire Tablets don’t use a Google-approved version of Android. That much is true, Amazon decided to change Android to suit their needs better, and even though it would have been amazing if they still used Google Play Store, that is not the case.
So why are we covering Fire Tablets that use Amazon’s own operating system? Well, technically speaking it is still Android, just a bit more modified than Google would’ve liked. And to be fairly honest, at the price the Amazon fire Tablets are selling, we’re willing to overlook the fact that they don’t ship with Google’s blessing.
Best Apps for Amazon Fire Tablets
1. Goodreads
This app is a must-have if you are a fan of reading and like free online books. The app has more than 10,000,000 members who have contributed more than 350,000,000 books to the app. This means you can easily read any of the thousands of books hosted on the app. That alone is worth a download but there are more features that will surely help you in discovering Goodreads.
There is a dedicated search button that can help you in finding exactly what you want from the +12 million books. This lets you see what your friends are reading and check out other reviews to make a sound judgment before reading a book. Not only that, but the app also doesn’t require you to sign in for reading or using the basic features of the app. However, signing in will let you access the advanced features such as friend reviews, as well as allow you to review the books yourself.
2. ES File Explorer File Manager
ES File Explorer was our go-to file Explorer on Android and it was even made our list of the Top File Explorer Apps for Android, which is great news for those of you who’d like to keep using it on your Fire Tablet, even though it’s no longer available for Android. This is a fully-featured file explorer that not only allows you to browse files on your device but also does so much more. This Jack-of-all App allows you to install applications, extract zip files, open images and documents, even play music and videos.
Best of all, it is fully integrated with all the popular cloud storage services, allowing you to access multiple cloud storage from within the app. If you regularly install third-party apps on your device, this app allows thumbnails for APKs as well. From functioning as FTP to a Bluetooth browser, ES File Explorer has a lot going for it. We highly recommend the paid version if you want to expand the functionality but quite honestly, the free version is already quite robust.
3. VLC for Fire
VLC Player is one of the most remarkable pieces of free software we’ve ever seen. We’ve been using it on our devices for more than a decade and it has worked perfectly without any problems. Not only is it small in size but it also offers almost every feature you would want from a video player. VLC for Fire is a must-have app if you want to consume any kind of media on your tablet.
To be frank, it would be a huge disservice to Amazon Fire Tablets to not enjoy media on them. It is a completely free video player that can play almost any kind of format on your device. The best part? It works perfectly well with game controllers as well as Fire TV Voice Remote, so you have complete freedom of input. It is surprising that a 17.2 MB app is able to deliver such a wholesome video watching experience.
4. WPS Office – Word, Docs, PDF, Note, Slide & Sheet
WPS Office is a free-to-download app for Amazon Fire Tablets that will add a lot of utility to your device. It is a full office suite that offers word processing, spreadsheet making, and even presentation slide crafting. It is a well-rounded app that you’ll surely need if you’re going to do anything work-related on your new tablet.
The interface is designed beautifully and the app works really well on Amazon Fire devices. I personally used this app for around 3 years on Android and it has never given me any problems whatsoever. It is also compatible with Bluetooth keyboard so if you want to type out an article on the go, this app will provide you the freedom you need.
5. Alarm Clock For Me
The name is quite suggestive – this is an alarm clock app. But this is no ordinary alarm clock – it has a very nicely designed, intuitive interface and it’s very customizable. You can pick what tone to wake up to, tinker with the snooze button, the luminosity, and see a weather report on the screen as soon as you get up.
There is also a pro version of this app that can help you get rid of the ads, and will also get you the option of using your own music to both fall asleep and wake up to.
6. Amazon Fire TV
This app is useful if you own an Amazon Fire TV device and you want to control your tv directly from your tablet. With this app, you can navigate through the shows you want to watch, control the playback buttons, and benefit from a better keyboard and voice search functionalities.
You can also get quick access to your apps and your recorded shows, without having to use the remote control to browse through your options. This app is all about comfort and easier access to the featured of Amazon Fire TV devices.
Get the Devices
Fire HD 8 Tablet (8″ HD Display, 16 GB) – Yellow
Fire HD 10 Tablet 64 GB, Black
FAQs
Which is the best app for Amazon Fire Tablets?
All the presented apps are great and useful for any user, but if we had to only pick one, we’d go with WPS Office, simply because it is an essential app if you want to do any kind of work on your tablet.
Why isn’t the Google Play App Store available on Amazon Fire Tablets?
The OS on these tablets is a modified version of Android, which is not a version approved by Google – so they don’t use the Google Play Store, they have their own version, the Amazon App Store.
What are the Amazon Fire Tablets?
These are some tablets designed by Amazon – their main purpose is entertainment, but according to what apps you use on them, they can get more uses. They’re usually very affordable.
Best Apps for Amazon Fire Tablets – Make the Most of Your Tablet
The Amazon App Store has been growing steadily over the years and almost every major Android app is available there – or at least a version of them is. These were some of the essential apps for Amazon fire tablets that will surely make your tablet into a powerhouse so that these tablets suit your Android-consumer needs better. We highly encourage you to browse the Amazon App Store – there are lots of great apps waiting for you to get them!
So what do you think about these apps? Have you used them before on other platforms? Tell us your opinion in the comments below!
I tried to download the Wonderlist app on my Amazon Fire HD 10 with Alexa and it told me my device is not supported. ???
Hi Bea,
I’m really sorry to hear that. 🙁