You probably are reading this because you have already tried the Apple Store to search for Kodi. Am I right? Well, what if I say there is a sneaky way to side-load or install Kodi on Apple TV in 2017? This tutorial is all about it so make sure you sit tight while I uncover the secret recipe.
Kodi is the best open source media player which is now used by almost everyone who is technologically sound. One of the main reasons for the same is the ease to install it on any devices you own. Obviously the customisations and third-party addons make it super loveable by all since you can do almost anything using them.
Where as, if we talk about Apple TV (a digital media player) runs on iOS and one can stream content on it using the big providers like Netflix, Hulu, ESPN and more. Now how about a combo of Kodi & Apple TV? This could be a dream come true and I am here to do so for you all. In this guide, I will show you exactly how to run Kodi on Apple TV (Generation 4 & 2) by following simple steps. Ready? Let’s go!
Contents
Can you Download Kodi for Apple TV?
The answer to this question is NO. There is not an official Kodi iOS app released on the App Store for non-jailbroken Apple devices and hence you cannot download & install it directly. However there is a workaround which I will be sharing in this article which will allow you to stream Kodi content on your Apple TV without jailbreaking it.
Which Apple TV is Compatible with Kodi?
These methods which you can follow to use Kodi on your Apple TV are reliable and don’t need major customisations to your device as well. The compatible versions for this method are:
- Apple TV 4
- Apple TV 2
Unfortunately, you cannot use this solution on your Apple TV 3 and Apple TV 1. Though we will surely update you on a way out if we find one later on.
How to Install Kodi on Apple TV 4
The process to do so is a little lengthy and tricky but I will try to present it in the most easy way to follow. However a little know-how to use an Apple device is necessary. Now you can do this using either a Mac or a Windows PC and below are the procedures for both of them.
1. Using a Mac Computer
In order to simplify this process, downloading some applications on your Mac and having some other technical stuff is a good idea. I am listing them below with the download links so if you don’t have them, you can install them quickly.
Prerequisites
- XCode 8 or later version (download for free)
- iOS App Signer utility for Mac (download for free)
- Latest Kodi deb file for tvOS (download for free)
- An Apple Developer account (create here for free)
- A USB-C to USB-A cable to connect your Mac to Apple TV (I use this one)
NOTE: The apps which you will sideload with a free developer account will only last 7 days, after which they will have to be re-signed and re-sideloaded. A full developer account (costs $99) will enable you to sign and side-load apps for up to 1 year)
Method
Once you have all the requirements, you are now one step closer to start using Kodi. Now just follow the below steps to set up the platform to run Kodi on Apple TV using your Mac computer:
- Connect your Apple TV to the Mac computer using the USB-C to USB-A cable
- Launch Xcode on your Mac and select “Create a new Xcode project” from the main menu.
- From the left hand side menu, go to tvOS > Application and then select “Single View Application“, click on Next
- Now, enter the relevant information in the fields “Product Name, Organization Name” (can be made up in anyway) and “Bundle Identifier fields” (which are usually made up in a reverse domain name style, for example: com.application.kodiappletv). Once this is done, click on Next
- In the next step, you will see an error message in the main Xcode window stating “No matching provisioning profiles found”. Click on “Fix Issue” and Xcode will resolve this issue on it’s own. (You may need to sign in with your Apple ID within a prompt and your provisioning profile will be created once you login)
- Select Apple TV from the drop down found alongside the ‘play’ and ‘stop’ buttons on the top left of the screen
- Now, launch the iOS App Signer app on your Mac and select the relevant “Signing certificate“
- Choose the project name you entered in step 4 under the “Provisioning Profile“
- Besides the “Input file” field, there will be an option to “Browse“, click on that, locate the Kodi deb file you downloaded and choose it
- Leave the New Application ID & App Display Name fields untouched
- Now click on Start and the iOS App Signer will create the Kodi IPA file which you can install on your Apple TV
- Once the process is complete, go back to Xcode and go to Window > Devices and select your Apple TV from the menu on the left
- Click on ‘+‘ under the Installed Apps heading on the right hand side
- Locate the .ipa file in the iOS App Signer and selecting it will install it on the Apple TV
- You will now be able to see the Kodi app icon on your Apple TV 4 home screen
2. Using a Windows PC
You should follow this process if you are using a Windows PC (works also with a Mac PC in the same way as above). Below are the requirements you should have to make it easier:
Prerequisites
- Cydia Impactor (download for free)
- Latest iTunes software (download for free)
- Latest Kodi deb file for tvOS (download for free)
- 7Zip (download for free)
Method
- Open the Kodi .deb file from 7zip software on your Windows PC
- Extract the .deb file
- Now extract the extracted data.tar file with 7zip in this step
- Extracting the data.tar file will give you a folder named data
- Open the data folder and you should see a folder named Applications which will contain a folder called Kodi.app
- Inside the Applications folder, create a new folder named “Payload“
- Now drag and drop the Kodi.app folder into the Payload folder
- Now open the Payload folder from the 7Zip software and click on Add button
- Set the Archive format to zip and name to “Kodi.ipa“
- Click on “OK” and this will create the Kodi IPA file, ready to be installed on your Apple TV
Now that you have the Kodi IPA file, you need to install it on your Apple TV using the Cydia Impactor software. Follow the installation process laid out below to do so:
- Connect your Windows PC to the Apple TV using a USB-C to USB-A cable
- Open Cydia Impactor and confirm that it is able to detect the connected Apple TV
- Now drag & drop the Kodi.ipa file created above into the Cydia Impactor window
- A prompt will ask you to enter your Apple ID
- Enter the Apple developer ID you created for free/paid
- Click on “OK” and Cydia Impactor will now start installing Kodi to the Apple TV
- Once it’s done, you will be able to access Kodi from the home screen on your Apple TV
How to Install Kodi on Apple TV 2
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that if you own an Apple TV 2, you are a lucky person. The Kodi installation process for this device is lot simpler & less tedious. However it has it’s downside as well.
The latest Kodi build and addons won’t be supported on the Apple TV 2, though you can use Kodi 14.2 Helix as the last working Kodi version on Apple TV 2. You can do this by using a Mac computer and the terminal, so without any further ado, let’s get started.
- On your Mac computer, open “Terminal“
- Enter the following command: “ssh root@YOUR.ATV2.IP.ADDRESS“
- Replace “YOUR.ATV2.IP.ADDRESS” with your Apple TV 2 IP address and press Enter (you may be asked a password, if you haven’t changed it, the default password is alpine)
- Now enter the following commands and execute them, ONE LINE AT A TIME
- apt-get install wget
- wget -0- http://apt.awkwardtv.org/awkwardtv.pub | apt-key add –
- echo “deb http://apt.awkwardtv.org/ stable main” > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/awkwardtv.list
- echo “deb http://mirrors.kodi.tv/apt/atv2 ./” > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xbmc.list
- apt-get update
- apt-get install org.xbmc.kodi-atv2
- reboot
The final command will restart your Apple TV 2 and you will see that Kodi app is installed on it. Now you can easily stream movies, TV shows, cartoons and any live TV to watch your favourite stuff anytime on your Apple TV 2.
Conclusion
Whoosh! That’s the end of this lengthy guide. If you did follow the above guide properly, you are probably by now enjoying Kodi on Apple TV (4th or 2nd generation) with a popcorn tub in your lap.
Please comment below if you are facing any problems or difficulties while following any of the steps above. I am here to help you out, free of cost. Well, in return I would like you to share this guide with your friends so they can also benefit from this. Stay tuned for more such guides. Cheers!
