On a Fire TV stick
-
Install Downloader
Search the Amazon Appstore for Downloader. It is free, has an orange icon and is published by AFTVnews. Install it and open it once before continuing.
-
Find Developer Options
Go to Settings › My Fire TV › About, move down to the line naming your device, and press OK on it seven times. A message says developer options are on.
On older Fire OS builds Developer Options is already visible in Settings › My Fire TV and this step does nothing. Skip it.
-
Allow installs from Downloader
Go to Settings › My Fire TV › Developer Options. Open Install unknown apps and turn it on for Downloader.
Older builds have a single switch called Apps from Unknown Sources instead. Turn that on.
-
Type the code
In Downloader, stay on the Home tab, select the URL box, and type 2439353. Press Go.
The file is a few tens of megabytes and lands in under a minute on most connections.
-
Install it
When the download finishes, Fire OS shows the app's permissions and an Install button. Choose Install, then Done.
Downloader then offers to delete the file it just fetched. Say yes, twice. The stick has very little storage and there is no reason to keep it.
-
Open it
Castaway TV is now in Apps & Channels. It can take a few minutes to appear on the home row, because Fire OS caches that row and refreshes it on its own schedule. Launching it from the Apps grid works immediately.
There is no account, no sign-in and no email. The app opens empty and the first screen asks you to add a playlist or an add-on.
On Google TV or another Android TV device: the same Downloader app is in the Play Store. Allow installs from it in your device's security settings (usually Settings › Apps › Security & restrictions › Unknown sources), then type the same code.
The first fourteen days run as Castaway Plus. Nothing to activate and no card to enter. On day fifteen it steps down to the free tier and keeps working.
Any paid subscription or premium upgrade unlocks application features only; it does not include, or provide access to, any channels, streams, or media content.
Then what
You add your own sources. Castaway TV ships with no channels and no catalog. Add a playlist link or a provider login for live TV, and add the add-on catalogs you already use for on demand.
Typing a long link is optional. The add-on and playlist screens show a QR code. Scan it with a phone on the same network and type the link there instead.
Updates find you. A new build puts a small marker in the corner of the home screen. Every build publishes a SHA‑256 and the app checks it before it will install one. The update check sends no identifier of any kind.
If something goes wrong
-
Downloader says the download failed
Check your connection and confirm the code is 2439353, then try again. If it still fails, contact [email protected].
-
Fire OS blocks the install
Go back to Developer Options and confirm Install unknown apps is on for Downloader specifically, not for some other app.
-
The app is installed but not on the home row
Open Apps & Channels and launch it from there. Fire OS refreshes the home row on its own schedule and a newly sideloaded app can take a few minutes to show up.
-
It opens and there is nothing in it
Add your own playlist or add-on to get started. Castaway does not include channels or media.
Updating
Do nothing. The app checks for a newer build and tells you once, in the corner of the home screen. If you would rather force it, running the Downloader code again fetches the current release and installs over the top; your playlists, add-ons and watch history stay where they are.
Removing it
Go to Settings › Applications › Manage Installed Applications › Castaway TV and choose Uninstall. Everything the app stored goes with it: playlists, add-ons, watch history, settings. Nothing is left behind on the stick and there is nothing to cancel anywhere, because there was never an account.
If household sync was on, the encrypted copy on the relay stays readable only to TVs that hold your key, and is dropped after six months without a sync.
Runs on any Android TV or Google TV device with Android 6 or newer, and is tested on the Fire TV Stick 4K and 4K Max. Older Fire TV sticks on Fire OS 5 are below the minimum. TV and remote only: there is no touch support and no phone app.