How to update Kodi on all your devices and platforms

Kodi, main screen

It was previously known as XBMC (Xbox Media Center), and it began as a free implementation of the center of this famous Microsoft console. Kodi is a software to implement a multimedia center, or media center, so you can have music, images, video, Internet and some accessories gathered in a single program. This software has been written using the C ++ language, along with Python plugins. Furthermore, it is a free and open source project under the GNU GPL v2 license.

Es multi platform, so it can work on several different devices and operating systems. It can run on GNU / Linux, as well as on Android, BSD, macOS, tvOS (Apple TV), Windows, and iOS. In addition, it has been ported to run on various architectures, such as PPC, ARM, x86, so you can also run it on SBC boards such as the Raspberry Pi.

If you haven't tried it, I recommend doing it. And if you already have it and you don't know very well how can it be updated, here I show you a guide to do it step by step without any problem so that you have it up to date on all your devices.

To keep up to date with all the news that Kodi includes and know if there are new updates, I recommend you follow the official count of the project on Twitter.

Update Kodi step by step

According to the platform where you have installed Kodi, the update procedure for this software may vary slightly. However, by following these steps you can do it quite easily and without problems.

If you don't have Kodi installed on your device yet, I recommend downloading this software from the official website of the project or from the app stores of your Google Play and Apple App Store devices. In the case of opting for the web, go to the link that I have left you, scroll down and find the section where the icons of the different supported operating systems appear and click on yours ...

In Microsoft Windows

Kodi on Windows

If you have Kodi installed on a computer with Windows, you can follow these steps to update to the new version of this software:

  1. Go to the official website de Kodi.
  2. Click on the blue button that says Download.
  3. Scroll down until you find the icons for the platforms for which this software is available.
  4. Click on the Windows logo.
  5. Now you can click on Installer corresponding (32 or 64-bit).
  6. That will start the download of the latest version. Wait for it to download.
  7. Go to the folder where it was downloaded, normally Downloads.
  8. Run the .exe that you have downloaded to start the installer.
  9. Click on install and follow the steps of the installer until finished.
  10. Now you will have the latest version, which will be replaced the previous one you had installed. Instead, your settings will remain intact, they will not be erased.

On GNU / Linux

Kodi on Linux

In case you have an operating system GNU / Linux (It can be similar in BSD), you can follow these other steps if you want to have the latest version of Kodi. If you use a particular distribution, you can use the package manager with the official project repo, for example Debian or based on debian with APT. But to have a generic method that works for all distros, follow these steps to install the latest version from source code:

  1. Install the Git package if you don't have it already installed. For example, for DEBs, use the command "sudo apt-get install git" without quotes.
  2. Now get the Kodi project source code in its latest stable version. To do this, you can run the following command without quotes: "git clone -b Krypton git: //github.com/xbmc/xbmc.git". Replace Krypton (v17) with the codename of the latest version, like Leila for v18, etc.
  3. If you have all the dependenciesIf necessary packages are installed, you can proceed to the next step. If not, try running this command "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get build-dep kodi" without quotes.
  4. Now scroll to where the source code was downloaded from git with the command "cd xbmc" from the current directory.
  5. Then run the first script with the command "./bootstrap" without quotes.
  6. Next step would be to run the other script to configure: "./Configure"
  7. And then you can run "make" without quotes to start build.
  8. Then run "sudo make install" to to install.
  9. Now you will have the latest version of the Kodi software.

There could be differences between one version and another, so I recommend you always read README files that come with the source code.

On macOS

Kodi on Mac logo

If you have a Mac with the operating system MacOS from Apple, you can do this other procedure:

  1. Go to the official website de Kodi.
  2. Click on the blue button that says Download.
  3. Scroll down until you find the icons for the platforms for which this software is available.
  4. Click on the macOS logo.
  5. Now you can click on Installer 64-bit.
  6. That will start the download of the latest version. Wait for it to download.
  7. Go to the folder where it was downloaded, normally Downloads.
  8. Run the .dmg that you have downloaded to start the installer. To do this, you just have to drag the downloaded Kodi icon to the Applications icon of your macOS.
  9. Now you will have the latest version, which will be replaced the previous one you had installed. Instead, your settings will remain intact, they will not be erased.

On Android

Android with Kodi

If you have a tablet, mobile, or Android TV Box, you can do the following so that you always have the latest version of Kodi:

It can also be done by downloading the .apk package and activating the installations from unknown sources in the security options of the configuration of your Android system. However, I do not recommend it.

  1. Just go to the app Google Play.
  2. Search the app Kodi.
  3. If there is a new version available and it has not been updated automatically, then the Uninstall button will have turned into a Refresh button.
  4. Wait for the new update to download and install and you're good to go.

Do not delete the app from the previous versionr, and that way all the configurations, addons, and others that you had in the previous version will be preserved. If you remove the app to install a new version, then it will be removed.

On iOS

iOS Kodi

Instead, for devices iOS from Apple such as iPhone, or systems based on it, such as iPad and Apple TV, you can follow these steps:

  1. Download the app Cydia Impactor and a Kodi .ipa file on your PC or Mac.
  2. Then connect via USB cable your iPad or iPhone to your computer. Close iTunes if it opens automatically.
  3. Open Cydia Impactor and drag the .ipa file to it previously downloaded.
  4. Select the device on which you want to update Kodi and click Home. This will begin the installation process.
  5. Now enter the username and password of your Apple ID.
  6. Then when the process is done, go to setup menu from your mobile device.
  7. Go to General and then Profiles. Find the profile with your ID there and click on it.
  8. From there, give the Kodi app permission so that it can be used from your iOS.
  9. Finally, you can open the app and use it with the last version.

On Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B +

Finally, if you have a Raspberry Pi, it can be the same as in the case of GNU / Linux if you have chosen to install the software on Raspbian or any other distro. On the other hand, if you have used a system such as OpenELEC, LibreELEC, etc., based on Kodi, you will be able to update from the panel of the operating system itself, although in this case it will depend on the developers of these systems and not on the officials of the base project ...

  • LibreELEC / openELEC: If the automatic updates configuration option is enabled, it will update without us doing anything. But otherwise, you will have to do it manually. For the manual way, you must go to System, System Information, look for the IP of the device and then use this IP to enter it in the browser of your PC to connect from it and be able to update it. You can also use SSH to connect (in that case, scroll with the cd command to /storage/.update). In any case, what you should do is download the .tar with the system update in the Update directory and once there, restart the device.
  • Kodi App: in that case, you can follow the same steps as for GNU / Linux. *

I hope I have helped you, now you should be able to update your Kodi without problem on all your devices ...


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  1.   Santiago said

    In Linux Mint 20.1 almost at the end of step 6 I get an error message:
    meson.build:799:2: ERROR: Problem encountered: Python (3.x) mako module> = 0.8.0 required to build table.

    When executing sudo make install the following message appears:
    make: *** There is no rule to build the 'install' target. High.

  2.   ana said

    Thank you very much for your help, it has been very useful.
    Could you tell me the best addons to watch movies with children, thanks