Firefox Browser

In August 2017, the Silk browser on Fire OS tablets stopped downloading APK files via QR Code links, most likely due to security updates in the underlying Android OS; at that time Dolphin was recommended as an alternative. The situation changed again in December, with Silk appearing to work at times, but Dolphin failing. While either may work sporadically, neither is currently reliable enough for classroom use. Similarly, the native Chrome browser on Android tablets is no longer reliable for APK downloads, again possibly due to security changes to protect against malicious downloads.

At the time of writing, the Firefox browser appears to be the best choice. It is available in the Play Store on Android devices, and can be downloaded from this link for Fire tablets. We will continue to monitor browser behaviour and provide updates on any further developments.