If you use Kodi on your Android device then you may have installed the new Kodi 17.5 release recently. Rather, if you have auto-update turned on then Google Play went ahead and installed it on your behalf. Then, if you were one of the many affected users, you noticed that Kodi would crash on startup or fail to startup. If Kodi is your go-to app for multimedia then this little issue probably didn’t feel so little. Luckily the Kodi team was quick with a fix and you can download Kodi 17.5.1 now in order to fix the startup issues introduced in the Kodi 17.5 release.
Is Kodi Back Up Running For Real?
It looks like the team was able to fix whatever issue was affecting startup on Android devices and the complaints have been taken care of. If you downloaded Kodi through the Google Play Store then your app should update automatically if you have the feature turned on. Otherwise, you may want to open Google Play and have the app update right away. If you are the type to sideload your apps then you can download Kodi 17.5.1 APK from their website and install it at your own convenience.
What Else Is New?
There were a variety of fixes mentioned in the Kodi 17.5 changelog that will still be relevant for this latest startup fix. Here’s what they outlined:
- Joysticks: Fix accelerometers preventing screensaver
- More robust way of handling audio output on variety of Android devices
- Fix playback of DVD file over network on Linux
- Update to FFmpeg 3.1.11
- Fix up and down buttons on ir remotes with macOS High Sierra
- Added latest apple devices to allow retina support
- Fix not being able to add content manually to videolibrary
- Fix power message handling for CEC
- Fix jumping timeline while switching channel groups in Guide window
For now there are no big feature additions or changes. We will likely see a lot of changes when Kodi officially releases their v18 update, codenamed “Leia” in honor of the late Carrie Fisher. Kodi is clearly aiming to become a rival to a lot of popular entertainment devices like Apple TV and Roku. With Kodi v18 the developers are looking to add voice search compatibility and home screen library tiles which will give a much more familiar feel for those who may be coming from other devices.
Until now, Kodi has often felt like a software made for tech geeks and it’s clear they want to make their program more accessible for the average user. Kodi v18 could be a revolutionary change for media enjoyment. Now we just have to wait and see what happens with some of the most popular Kodi addons and streaming boxes.
Update Now And Save A Headache
Long story short: if you have been experiencing issues with Kodi since the recent update, look to download Kodi 17.5.1 and relieve yourself of the startup issues keeping you away from your favorite content.
