You may be learning how to upgrade Kodi media player out of necessity, or just as a means of caution to keep the platform up and running. Here’s why you should keep Kodi updated to the latest version, and a complete guide for you to do it.
Media consumption has seen a meteoric rise in the past decade, with plenty of diversity among the platforms available for watching movies and TV shows. By the end of the 1990s, users were still hooked on to rental services such as Blockbuster, and it wasn’t until YouTube and its growth under Google, which finally realized the dream of online streaming entertainment. Simultaneously, the progress in the gaming industry led to the creation of the XBMC, a media player developed by a group of tinkerers who wanted their Xbox console to be capable of media playback.
A decade later, the Kodi media player has become a standard platform for compiling a library of content not just on the local drive of the device, but through connected media servers. But the cherry on top of it all has been the invention of Kodi add-ons, which have supercharged the media platform to connected with streaming services, enjoy groovy music, and enhance productivity on the big screen. Being an open-source media player that gives power to the user, Kodi media player has been the foundation of the modern age of cord-cutting phenomenon, even allowing live TV streaming.
Why Upgrade Kodi Media Player?
After you’ve learned to install the Kodi media player and enjoyed the freedom that it brings of compiling all of your entertainment videos in one place, there can be certain altercations. Once a few months or a year of using Kodi have passed, you may notice that some of your regularly used Kodi add-ons don’t seem to function the way they used to, or simply fail to launch at all. Even rebooting the Kodi media player app or updating the Kodi add-on may not always resolve the issue, especially when the version of Kodi itself hasn’t been updated.
Unlike most mobile apps and services available for Android, the Kodi media player does not come with a built-in updating system by default. Hence, you will need to learn how to upgrade Kodi to make sure that you have unrestricted access to the most entertaining channels that the platform has to offer. The process can be done directly from the computer itself, depending on the device that you’re trying to update Kodi for.
Kodi Leia v18.5 – Features of the Latest Version
The latest version of the Kodi media player, considering the stable version that is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and other platforms is Kodi Leia v18.5, and here’s what it has to offer:
Playback and Display: There was an issue regarding the subtitle playback on the earlier version of the Kodi media player. The latest update has resolved the problem with the external sources for fetching the subtitle files.
PVR: The two major issues with the PVR feature of Kodi, specifically the EPG database storage issues, along with the PVR Start/Stop Service feature issues have been fixed.
Interface: Some regulatory changes to the Estuary and the GUI of the media player has been completed, which encompasses the label changes, icon names, scroll bar and more.
General: Upgrades for the Android OS version of the Kodi media player for windowing have been made, along with the secure decoder and the SDK versions. There have also been optimizations made for the iOS Kodi compatibility, including support for the newer Apple iPhone 11 and the iPad 7th generation.
How to Upgrade Kodi Media Player
The media streaming system is available for a bunch of different platforms ranging from desktop devices to mobile phones. We’ve done our best to cover the steps to update the Kodi media player on each of the most popular platforms, with detailed instructions down below. Since Kodi does not come with an automatic update feature built-in, you need to manually download the latest version of the app and install it all over again each time.
Update Kodi on Windows
Since Kodi media player is available as an official app on the Microsoft Store, you can choose to download it directly from the app store as well. However, we’ve added the links for Kodi Leia v18.5 for Windows down below for you to get right away:
Kodi Leia v18.5 for Windows – 64-Bit
Kodi Leia v18.5 for Windows – 32-Bit
All you need to do is download the .exe file of the Kodi app and install it to your computer, which will replace the currently installed version of the app.
Update Kodi on Mac OS X
You can download the Kodi app for your iMac or MacBook in the form of a disk image directly from the website.
How to Upgrade Kodu on iOS
To use Kodi on an Apple iPhone, iPad, or iPod, you need to have the device jailbroken to manually install the app since it is not officially available on the Apple App Store.
Kodi Leia v18.5 DEB FILE (ARM)
Kodi Leia v18.5 DEB FILE (ARM64)
Update Kodi on Android OS
Similar to the way you would install the Kodi app on Windows, the Kodi app for Android can either be manually updated through the APK files. Since the Google Play Store has also listed the Kodi media player, you can complete the process on how to upgrade Kodi directly from the app store too.
Kodi Leia v18.5 on the Google Play Store
Kodi Leia v18.5 for Android ARMV7A (32-Bit)
Kodi Leia v18.5 for Android ARMV8A (64-Bit)
Update Kodi on Fire TV Stick
Since the Fire TV does not come with the Google Play Store installed, you need to manually install the Kodi APK file on your streaming device. Just like that, every time that you want to update the Kodi media player, you will have to grab the latest APK file manually and sideload it to your Fire TV Stick. If you do not have the option to install apps from Unknown Sources enabled already, you need to do that first:
- Right from the home screen on your Fire TV Stick, head over to the Settings tab.
- Go over to the Device tab and then navigate to the Developer Options tab.
- Here you will be able to view the tab that reads Apps from Unknown Sources and select it to turn the feature ON.
With the Unknown Sources enabled, you can now download the latest version of the Kodi media player and install it on your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
- Head back to the main menu and then look for the Apps section.
- Using the search menu, find the app called Downloader and install it to your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
- Open the Downloader app and go to the Home section to enter the URL.
- Type in the following URL in the empty box – http://www.kodi.tv/download and hit the Go button.
- On the screen that you see on the TV, click on the Android icon using the Amazon Fire TV Remote.
- Choose the ARM7A (32BIT) version that you see under the Release section.
- The file download of the Kodi APK will now begin, so give it a few moments to complete.
- Once the APK file is downloaded, click on Install to upgrade Kodi on FireStick TV.
The older version of Kodi that was installed on your Amazon Fire TV Stick will now be replaced with the latest version.
How to Upgrade Kodi on Xbox One
The Xbox One has been integrated with a version of the Windows 10 operating system, which allows it to be an ideal home entertainment system. This also makes it easier to install Kodi media player on Xbox One, since it is available officially on the Xbox App Store.
- Turn on the Xbox One console and access the Main Menu
- Make sure that the Xbox One is connected to the internet and you’re logged into your Live account.
- Tap on the Search button and type in “Kodi” and select the Kodi icon when it appears.
- Press the Get button and wait while the Kodi app is installed on your Xbox One console.
- Once the app has been installed, you can hit the Launch button to start the Kodi app on your Xbox One console.
ExpressVPN + Kodi = Entertainment Guaranteed
So you’ve decided to try out the numerous add-ons available for Kodi media player, even if some of them may lie in the gray area. We’re not here to judge, but before you go ahead and start using some of the popular unofficial Kodi add-ons that are available, you need to be prepared for it. For most of the Kodi add-ons that offer premium entertainment content for free, you should have your guard up and employee a VPN service. By keeping your viewing experience anonymous at all times using a VPN, you can keep your online activity hidden from your ISP and prevent being flagged.
We recommend using ExpressVPN for Kodi due to the range of features that are tailored for you to have a satisfying viewing experience. Several Kodi add-ons are region-restricted to the United States, so enjoying them may not be possible for users residing in other countries. ExpressVPN offers remote servers in more than a dozen countries across the globe, so you can set up a virtual location and browse anonymously from anywhere at any time. With military-grade encryption that has been put in place by ExpressVPN, you don’t have to worry about your browsing activities being flagged by your ISP or the federal authorities.
Since ExpressVPN is also available as a cross-platform service just like Kodi, you can install it on your Windows PC, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and even streaming devices such as Amazon Fire TV and Android TV devices. Because you’re going to use Kodi for media streaming, you need a VPN service that does not hinder the data transfer speeds. Compared to most VPN services out there, ExpressVPN has been tested to have little to no effect on the upload and download speeds across the different servers, making it the right choice for streaming entertaining content.
Final Words
Once just a means to use the original Xbox as a multimedia player, to becoming a giant in the industry of online media management – Kodi media player has blown up exponentially. Out of all the entertainment platforms out there, Kodi is among the only open-source offerings that have been steadily growing each year. The crackdown on of Kodi streaming boxes and add-ons hasn’t put a dent in the popularity of the Kodi media player, thanks to the long list of devices that it supports.
Did this guide help you learn how to upgrade Kodi media player on all of the popular platforms that it can run on? If there’s any assistance you need to update the Kodi app on your device, reach out to us in the comments section down below, and we’ll be sure to help you out.
Husain Parvez
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