Certain Android apps are designed for touchscreen devices and will not work on your remote-controlled Fire TV Stick. This means that FireStick users are missing out on some great apps. The main reason you won’t be able to use such apps is that they aren’t compatible with your Amazon FireStick remote. However, if you could use a mouse with the FireStick, you might be able to get some of these apps to work.
Without using a physical mouse, you can get a mouse pointer on your FireStick interface. The Mouse Toggle app is all you’ll need. We’ll learn how to install the Mouse Toggle on a FireStick in this tutorial. The navigation buttons on your remote can be used to move the mouse pointer. Hover the pointer over an object and press the Select button on the remote to select it.
Installation Guide for the Mouse Toggle App for Fire TV Stick
Let’s start by setting up our FireStick device so that we can install third-party apps. We’re going to install the Mouse Toggle app, which is also a third-party app. Follow the steps below to get started:
Step 1: You’ll need a side-loader app to get started. The files cannot be downloaded directly from the browser on the FireStick. Downloader is an app that I recommend. It’s a powerful side-loading tool for the FireStick. Install and run Downloader on your FireStick. This app is available for download from the Amazon Store.
Navigate to Find > Install the Downloader app from the FireStick’s home screen.
Step 2: After installing the Downloader app, go to FireStick Settings by clicking the gear icon on the right side of the home screen.
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Step 3: On the next screen, go to My Fire TV and open it.
Step 4: Select Developer Options from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: Select Install Unknown Apps from the drop-down menu.
Step 6: As shown in the image below, turn it on for the Downloader app.
Any third-party app will now be installed on your FireStick. Let’s get Mouse Toggle started.
Step 7: Launch the Downloader app you previously installed.
This is how Downloader’s main screen looks. As you can see, the left-hand Home option has already been selected. A field on the right allows you to enter the source URL from which Mouse Toggle will be downloaded.
This URL field should be clicked.
Step 8: When you see the on-screen keyboard (as shown below), type the following URL (as appropriate for your device):
https://www.firesticktricks.com/mouse for Fire Stick Gen 1, Fire Stick Gen 2, Fire TV 1, Fire TV 2, Fire TV Cube
Use this link if you have a FireStick 4K, FireStick Lite, or the New FireStick: http://bit.ly/mousefire
After you’ve entered the URL, click GO.
Step 9: Allow the Mouse Toggle APK file to be downloaded by the Downloader app. It could take a few minutes.
Step 10: One of the advantages of Downloader is that you don’t have to manually run the downloaded APK. It automatically runs the file and begins the installation. The following prompt should now appear.
Install should be selected.
Step 11: Now you must wait for the Mouse Toggle APK to be downloaded and installed on your device.
Step 12: The App Installed prompt will appear, confirming that the installation was successful.
When you click Open here, the Mouse Toggle app is launched right away. However, we will run the app and use it later.
Return to the Downloader app after clicking Done. I’ll show you how to uninstall the Mouse Toggle APK that you just installed. After the installation, the APK files are no longer required. Let’s clear some room.
Step 13: Select Delete from the drop-down menu.
Step 14: Press the Delete button once more.
The APK file has been successfully removed from FireStick.
How to watch and Use Mouse Toggle on FireStick
The Your Apps & Channels section contains all of the apps you’ve installed on your FireStick. The following is a map of how to get there:
- For about 5 seconds, press and hold the Home button on your FireStick remote.
- Click Apps when the menu screen appears.
- You’re in Your Apps & Channels now.
Using your remote, scroll to the bottom of the screen to find the Mouse Toggle app. When you install an app, keep in mind that its icon appears at the bottom of Your Apps & Channels. Another thing to keep in mind is that newly installed apps do not appear on the FireStick’s home screen.
Select an app’s icon in the Your Apps & Channels section and press the menu key on the remote to move it to the home screen. Move the icon to the top rows by clicking Move.
I’ll now demonstrate how to use the Mouse Toggle.
ADB Debugging must be turned on for the Mouse Toggle app to work. Here’s how you can activate it: ADB Debugging > Settings > Device > Developer Options > ADB Debugging on the FireStick home screen
From the Your Apps & Channels section, open the app. This is how the app appears. Only one screen is available.
Make sure the option to enable the mouse service is turned on. Keep the second option turned on if you want the mouse service to start up with the FireStick. I recommend that you keep it on. Mouse Toggle is a 2 MB app that has no effect on device performance if left on all the time.
The Status at the bottom left of the screen should say started when the mouse service is enabled.
If the Status is stuck on starting, you may need to turn off and on ADB Debugging. You can turn it off and on by clicking the ADB SETTINGS button within the application.
That’s pretty much all there is to say about the user interface. Now I’ll demonstrate how to use the mouse pointer in any application.
Because Showbox HD cannot be navigated with the FireStick remote, I’ll use it as an example. The Showbox HD home screen looks like this:
The menu can be found in the top-left corner, as you can see. Without the mouse toggle, I can’t get to it. My TV screen, however, does not yet have a mouse pointer. So, how do I go about doing it?
To bring up the mouse pointer, simply press the Play/Pause button on your Amazon FireStick remote twice quickly.
That’s what I did, and I moved the mouse pointer over the menu. To access the menu, I simply press the Select button on the remote.
The menu that appears is as follows. I can now hover over and click any item on the menu with the mouse pointer.
I selected Movies and was taken to a screen with a list of available films. I can open any movie I want with the mouse pointer once more.
Please keep in mind that when the mouse pointer is left idle for a few seconds, it vanishes. To bring it back, simply press the Play/Pause button on the remote twice.
Final Thoughts: How to Install Mouse Toggle on FireStick / Fire TV
Mouse Toggle enables you to run apps such as Showbox on your FireStick that would otherwise be incompatible. When the mouse pointer appears on the screen, use the navigation button on the remote to move it around. You can use the regular remote function to access items that aren’t accessible through an incompatible app. Mouse Toggle is a small app that I believe every FireStick owner should have.