You’d think we’d all know how to close apps by now, but sometimes different systems do things in different ways. Sometimes it’s good to have a quick refresher on how a specific device behaves.
Today, I will cover managing and closing apps on the Amazon Fire tablet.
Apps on the Amazon Fire tablet
Apps are the secret ingredient that makes tablets and smartphones more useful. They rely on those installed by the provider to offer everything from security to games and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Some will be offered by established companies, while others will be launched by amateur developers. Everyone does something a little differently or in a slightly different way.
Amazon Fire uses a modified version of Android called Fire OS. While it’s not much different, it certainly seems that way. The advantage is that if you know how to use an Android device, you can probably use an Amazon Fire. If you can use the Google Play Store To upload applications, you can do the same with Amazon Appstore.
Amazon Fire operating system
The main difference, apart from appearance, is that Amazon Fire OS does not use the Google Play Store but its own Amazon App Store. The reason Amazon Fire is so cheap is because it is used as a loss leader to get it into the Amazon ecosystem. By making the Fire cheaper, more people will buy them. The more there are, the more likely you are to purchase an app, book, movie, or other digital product from Amazon. That’s where they make their money.
Manage and close apps on Kindle Fire
To view apps on Amazon Fire, turn on your Amazon Fire and navigate to the home screen. Most installed apps will have an icon here so you can access them quickly. Take a look around you and see what you have.
- To launch an app, tap the icon. It should open and start working immediately.
- To delete an app, touch and hold the icon. Select Remove from device when it appears and confirm your choice.
- To close apps, select the square icon at the bottom of the screen to display all open apps. Select the x at the top right of each to close.
Installing new apps on Amazon Fire tablet
To install a new app on your Amazon Fire, use the Amazon Appstore. This is the official place to get new apps. It’s not the only place, but I’ll cover that in a minute. Some versions of the Kindle Fire will already have it installed, others will not for some reason.
If your Fire does not have it installed, here we explain how to get it.
- Select Settings on your Amazon Fire.
- Now select Security and enable Unknown Sources by checking the box.
- Open the browser and navigate to http://www.amazon.com/getappstore.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen and select the download to install.
- Accept the terms and conditions and allow the installation.
- Navigate to the app store once installed.
Even if any app you install from the Amazon Appstore is authorized, you’ll still need to enable Unknown Sources in settings. If you do not do this, some applications will not work correctly and may cause problems.
Force Quit Apps on Amazon Fire Tablet
Then, you need to use the square icon at the bottom of the screen to open all open apps and tap the white ‘X’ at the top right of each one to close. But what happens if they don’t close or you think there are more applications running than are shown? Open apps can slow down your Kindle Fire and drain your battery, so ideally you only want to run the ones you need.
- Select Settings from the Amazon Fire home screen.
- Then select Apps > Manage all apps.
- Then select Running applications.
- Select an app to close and select Forced stop.
- Select OK When requested.
- Rinse and repeat for all the apps you want to close.
Depending on your version of Amazon Fire, the menu options may be slightly different. The above relates to newer devices, since that’s what I have. You may need to scroll down the home page and select Apps from the drop-down menu. You can filter by running apps from there and force them to stop.
Add Google Play Store to Amazon Fire Tablet
I mentioned earlier that you can load the Google Play Store on your Amazon Fire to fully unlock its potential. Check out this article to learn how to do it.
I highly rate the Amazon Fire tablet. For its price, there are few better tablets out there and once you get the hang of it, it’s very easy to use. I hope this guide helped you get the most out of your Amazon Fire tablet!
