Kindle Fire HDX Gets an Updated OS — Here’s How to Install it Now

Amazon customers everywhere rejoiced upon the release of a new tablet â€" the company had been riding the Kindle Fire HD for a fair amount of time. With the Kindle Fire HDX, in both 7 and 8.9-inch sizes now officially out in the general population, the retailer can turn its attention to the details of its highly customized Android operating system. And it is doing just that, with a new update.

The roll out of Fire OS 3.1 is gradual, but if you don’t want to wait then you can go ahead and grab the update now, but there are some specific steps you will need to follow to make it work, and BlogsDNA takes no responsibility for you device if things happen to go poorly.

First, you will need to download the update, by visiting www.amazon.com/kindlesoftwareupdates â€" a word of warning, as the file is 795 MB.

Once you have grabbed the file, then plug your Kindle Fire HDX into the computer and launch Explorer. The tablet should show in the left column, listed simply as “Kindle”.

Locate the file you have downloaded â€" it’s called “update-kindle-13.3.1.0_user_310079820.bin” â€" and drag it to the Kindle. Make sure you place it within internal storage, but not within any of the folders that are contained there.

Now, unplug your tablet from the PC and access its Settings, by swiping down from the top of the screen. Click on Device and then tap System Updates. Finally click Update and the device should immediately find the file and begin installing it.

The process is surprisingly fast â€" much quicker than the average Android update. The Kindle Fire HDX will reboot while this is going on, so don’t panic when this happens.

Once the rather quick process is complete, you’ll find a few new goodies in version 3.1 of the mobile OS, including GoodReads integration and the ability to group programs is the same way that traditional Android devices allow.