How to Upgrade TIVRA
TIVRA comes two ways: from Google Play, or as a download from tivratv.com that you install yourself (sideloading). Both are the same app. This page explains how they differ and how to update each one.
Which one do I have?
Open TIVRA and go to Settings › About. The version shows at the bottom, for example TIVRA 3.3.7 · build 165. Compare it with the two version numbers on the home page: the download button shows the sideload version and the Google Play button shows the Play version. If your build number matches the Play one and you installed from the Play Store, you have the Play version. If you used the Downloader app or opened an APK file, you sideloaded.
Google Play vs. sideloading
| Google Play | Sideload from tivratv.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Gets new versions | After Google finishes reviewing each release, usually days and sometimes longer. Play is normally one version behind. | The moment we publish. The website always has the newest version. |
| How it updates | By itself, in the background, when the TV is idle. | You install the update. Settings › About › Check for updates does it in two presses. |
| Setup | Search "TIVRA" in the Play Store and install. | Allow unknown sources once, then download. Five minutes the first time. |
| Your settings, providers, favorites | Identical. Both versions are signed with the same key, so updating or switching keeps everything. Your account syncs it all anyway. | |
| Best for | Set and forget. | Getting fixes and features first, and devices without the Play Store (Fire TV, onn, most Android boxes). |
Why Play lags. Every TIVRA release goes to Google for review before it reaches the Play Store. We cannot speed that up. When a new version is on the website but not yet on Play, the home page says so in the download section.
Updating a Google Play install
You normally do nothing. Google Play updates TIVRA on its own when a new version clears review. To update sooner:
- Open the Google Play Store on your TV or phone.
- Search for TIVRA and open the listing, or go to Manage apps & games.
- If an Update button shows, press it. If it says Open, you already have the newest Play version.
Want the newer website version on a Play install? Sideload it over the top (see switching). Your data stays.
Updating a sideloaded install
The quickest way is from inside the app:
- Open TIVRA and go to Settings › About.
- Press Check for updates. If you are current it says so. If not, it downloads the new version.
- When the installer appears, press Install, then Open. TIVRA restarts on the new version with everything in place.
If the installer does not appear, your TV is blocking installs from TIVRA. Turn that on once (the "unknown sources" step for your device below), then check for updates again. You can also download the file with the Downloader app exactly as in the first-time steps; installing over the old version keeps your settings.
Sideloading for the first time
Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube
- Install the Downloader app from the Amazon Appstore.
- On the Fire TV: Settings › My Fire TV › Developer options › Install unknown apps, and turn on Downloader. If Developer options is missing, go to Settings › My Fire TV › About and press the device name seven times.
- Open Downloader and enter the code 3059562 (or the address
tivratv.com/downloads/tivra-latest.apk). - When the download finishes, press Install, then Open. You can delete the downloaded file when asked.
Android TV and Google TV (NVIDIA Shield, onn, Chromecast with Google TV, Sony, TCL, Hisense)
- Install the Downloader app from the Google Play Store on the TV.
- Open Downloader and enter the code 3059562 (or
tivratv.com/downloads/tivra-latest.apk). - If the TV asks, allow Downloader to install unknown apps: Settings › Apps › Security & restrictions › Unknown sources (on some TVs: Settings › Device Preferences › Security & restrictions), then turn on Downloader.
- Press Install, then Open.
Android phone or tablet
- In the phone's browser, open tivratv.com and press the download button.
- Open the downloaded file from the browser's downloads or the notification.
- If the phone asks, allow your browser to install unknown apps, then go back and press Install.
Sign in with the same account you use everywhere else. Providers, favorites, profiles and layout settings come down from your account on first launch.
Switching between Play and sideload
Both versions are signed with the same key, so one installs over the other and keeps your data. Two things to know:
- Sideloading over a Play install works whenever the website version is newer than yours. Google Play will update it again later once Play catches up to a newer version, which is fine.
- Going from sideload to Play only works when the Play version is the same or newer than what you have. If Play is behind, the Play Store shows nothing to install; wait until it catches up, or stay on sideload.
Android never lets an older version install over a newer one. That is the only case where you would have to uninstall first, and uninstalling clears local data on that device. Your account restores it after you sign in again.
If something goes wrong
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| "App not installed" or "Can't install" | Most often the device is low on storage. The installer needs room for the download plus the unpacked app, so a Fire TV Stick or small box can fail even when it still shows a few hundred MB free. Free up space first: delete apps you don't use, clear the cache of large apps (Settings › Applications › Manage installed applications on Fire TV; Settings › Apps on Android TV), and remove downloaded files from Downloader. Then try the install again. Other causes: installing an older version over a newer one, or a download that was cut short. Check the version on the website against Settings › About, and download again. |
| Install button is greyed out, or nothing happens | Unknown sources is off for the app doing the installing (Downloader, your browser, or TIVRA itself). Turn it on in the settings path for your device above and try again. |
| Downloader says the file can't be found | Check the address: tivratv.com/downloads/tivra-latest.apk, or use the code 3059562. |
| Play Store shows no update | Google has not finished reviewing the new version. The website's download button is always current. |
| Something looks wrong after an update | Fully close TIVRA and open it again. If it persists, Settings › About › Send diagnostics, then tell us what you saw. |
Fire TV Stick and other 32-bit boxes: the website download is one universal file that works on every device, so there is nothing to choose.
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