Sony blocks Kodi app on recent TVs with Android TV

Multiple users report problems with Kodi on recent Sony TVs running Android TV. The team behind the open source media player software accuses Sony of actively preventing users from installing Kodi on their TVs.

The team behind Kodi can in their Twitter post not suppress any sarcasm and “compliments” Sony for “actively preventing” Kodi from installing on the newer Sony TVs. The Kodi team advises users to “buy something else that does work.” TorrentFreak has asked Sony for a response. A Sony spokesperson said that Kodi is just one of thousands of available apps, and that the manufacturer is unable and does not block these apps.

On the official Kodi forum, a user reports that his new OLED TV, a Sony AF9, does not allow to install the program. An error message appears during the installation of Kodi on the TV. The user says that Kodi can be seen in the list of apps after restarting the television, but that the app cannot be started despite this.

Another user reports that the problem may be with Kodi’s package ID. He reports that 64 and 32 bit versions of Kodi cannot be installed. But if the 32-bit version is compiled with not the Android Package name ‘org.xbmc.kodi’ but with ‘com.amazon.aiv.eu’ as apk, then Kodi will work properly. Several users report that the resolution does not exceed 1080p with this ‘solution’, but that the program still works well.

In October, TorrentFreak wrote that Sony was actively promoting Kodi as a streaming service, placing the app at the top of the list of Android TV apps. Meanwhile, Sony has removed the Kodi app from the list of recommended apps, with Plex and VLC now at the top of the list.