Downgrade to Android 4 on Kindle Fire?

[Zwazo57]

I bought one of the Kindle Fire 7'' six-packs; my Kindles are a mix of Fire OS 5.0.1 and 5.1.1. But, the app I'm using to collect data for my research doesn't work with Android or Fire OS 5. I need to install Android 2, 3, or 4.

I found a way to root my devices (RootJunky's SuperTool). I'm confused about what to do next. It looks like I need a custom ROM and a custom bootloader? TWRP only works with 5.0.1 right now...is there an alternative that I can use with the 5.1.1 devices?

All the articles I find online are from 2+ years ago, so I'm not sure if the instructions will work with these devices / OS. Thanks for your help providing more current information about what to use!

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not sure how closely these new Fire Tablets are to the older versions. That's gonna be where you'll have issues. I'm sure there's a 4.* ROM for the older tablets somewhere, but because the specs are different, I doubt it'd just work directly on the newer version.

I can't imagine the development community is very excited about trying to run older software on newer devices either, so the chances of there being a ROM based on the android version you need are very slim.

Have you tried contacting the developer of the app you're having issues with to see if/when they'll support newer versions of android? It may be a long shot, but I'd assume you'd have better luck getting them to update their app than finding a ROM developer who thinks it's worth it to port an older version of android.

 

[Zwazo57]

Thanks for the feedback, Jonny. The app developer claims they'll have something ready "soon" but I wanted to make sure I explore other solutions.