This is the Frequently Asked Questions for Android.
Template:XBMC FAQ
General FAQ
- See also: XBMC all platforms FAQ for FAQs that apply to all versions of XBMC.
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Will this really do 1080 and all that stuff the desktop can do?
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- Yes! This is a full port of XBMC! It is not a thin client or lite version!
- Note: Hardware video decoding support is very limited right now, so most devices will have to use software decoding. Expect support for hardware decoding to improve with time.
- The initial aim for the Android port is to get XBMC working on inexpensive Android set-top-boxes. Phones and tablets will be supported as well for those who want XBMC on-the-go.
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Installing/getting XBMC for Android
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Is XBMC for Android different from normal XBMC?
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- The current version of XBMC for Android is based on pre-Frodo (version 12) and is based on the same code as XBMC for all the other supported platforms. This is an unstable development version.
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How do I find out what version of XBMC am I running?
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- XBMC main menu > System > Lower submenu > System info. Note the alpha version and/or build date.
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Video and audio formats XBMC for Android can playback
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- XBMC for Android supports all the same formats that other platforms do (such as desktop OS).
- Due to the weak processing power of most ARM processors, for smooth playback most Android hardware will require proper hardware decoding. (See #Requirements below)
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- You can connect to media that's being shared from a computer, HTPC, or NAS device on your local network.
- You can access media on the internal memory, SD cards or from USB ports (hard drives, USB stick drives, directly or via hubs, etc).
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- XBMC for Android is a full version of XBMC and will be able to use all non-platform specific add-ons and skins. More feature rich (CPU demanding) skins like AEON Nox might not run smoothly on lower powered systems, so keep to "lighter" skins for those boxes.
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- Some Android set-top-boxes come with a remote and an IR port which XBMC can use.
- Any Keyboard such as wired, wireless, bluetooth (if supported in your Android ROM). This includes "keymotes" such as a Rii, Boxee remote, most "air mouse" keyboard remotes, and others that appear as a normal USB keyboard to the system.
- Web interfaces, including add-on interfaces.
- XBMC smartphone and tablet remote apps.
- Other IR remotes can be used with IR receivers such as the Flirc.
- Some Android devices support CEC - Editor note: help us write up some good info on CEC. What it is, how to use it, etc.
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It is highly recommended for users to not make any hardware purchases in anticipation of running Kodi on Android without first researching the device you want to buy. Before you do buy, make sure multiple people have verified that it works! If in doubt, do not buy any hardware!
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- Kodi v17 and later requires Android 5.0 or higher.
- x86 (Intel) or a NEON-compatible ARM-processor, (for example: Nvidia Tegra 3 and newer are fully supported by Kodi, while Tegra 2 and older are not).
- The main aim for the Android port of Kodi is to foremost target media-players/set-top-boxes/sticks that connect to a large screen television and uses a standard remote control as its main interface device, (that is the same market as for HTPC).
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- Google TV devices are currently not supported.
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How to hide the Android navbar
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- Since Android v4 (aka, Ice Cream Sandwich), Android has changed how their navigation bar works. On some Android devices that do not have physical buttons, the navbar cannot be normally hidden, but only "dimmed". Some Android set-top-boxes have this "no buttons" flag set, and will not hide the navigation bar when using XBMC or any other full screen videos.
- To remove the navbar:
- You can use "HideBar" (Has a free version, and is open source if you wish to compile yourself)
- A custom Android ROM can be installed to correctly handle the navbar on set-top-boxes.
- There's some other tricks you can do if you have rooted the device Editor note: I keep hearing this, but haven't found any of these tricks yet. If someone finds one then please note it here.
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Where can I get more information?
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Troubleshooting
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Getting more help with XBMC for Android
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The userdata folder and debug log is located on external storage/sdcard at one of the following locations (depending on your device):
- userdata folder
- /Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/.xbmc/userdata/
- /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/file/.xbmc/
- /data/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/files/.xbmc/
- Be sure to have hidden folders set to be shown in your file explorer.
- debug log
- /Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/cache/temp/xbmc.log
- /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/cache/temp/xbmc.log
- /data/data/org.xbmc.xbmc/cache/temp/xbmc.log
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Performance: video buffering, stuttering, choppiness
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- Note: Remember that hardware video decoding, which will be required on most devices for smooth video playback, is still very limited at this time. (see #Requirements)
- Avoid using wireless. A lot of Android devices have weak wifi, even those that advertise as being wireless-n. It may be possible to use a USB-to-ethernet dongle on some devices.
- Switch to a different network protocol (especially if you are using SMB), i.e. NFS, FTP, WebDAV, etc.
- Try sharing the media on another device to rule out a device-specific (or network) issue.
- Turn off thumbnails, XBMC > Settings > Video > File and deselect 'generate thumbnails'.
- h.264 Hi10P will not work as there are no ARM processors powerful enough to software decode it, and no hardware decoders exist for it.
- If your TV/receiver supports it, enable various audio passthrough options to reduce the load on the CPU.
- If RSS feed is enabled, disable it in settings. This makes the main menu a bit faster.
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