Kodi is a pretty popular media center app, and much of the credit for this goes to the continuous effort of the team to improve the app further. To achieve its objective, the Kodi Foundation has been known to be working hard on the next version of its software – dubbed as Kodi 18 ‘Leia,’ and to show the progress made so far, the company has now released the Kodi 18 beta 1.
Kodi 18 Beta 1 – what’s new?
On Monday, Kodi, the XBMC owned media center, announced the Kodi 18 beta 1 on the official Kodi website. The beta version supports all the platforms, including Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS. The beta version focuses on bug fixes along with addressing the usability problems.
Kodi is still to provide the changelog of the update. Those interested in knowing the changes can head to their Wikipedia page, which details the changes introduced with the beta version. As per the company, Kodi 18 beta 1 would lower the instances of occasional crashes and glitches. Further, the beta 1 comes with a standardized code and structured design, which replaces the poorly coded parts.
Now that Kodi 18 has entered the beta development stage, it suggests that the new version would not get any new features. Also, a beta release means, all the current features will get into the final version. In simpler words, it means that the team will now only focus on fixing bugs and improving the performance of the software.
Even though the focus is on bug fixes, one can expect some bugs or usability issues that are common with beta releases. The team, however, says that “the whole stability has been improved quite a lot” since the alphas. So, it means that you can test the Kodi 18 Beta 1 as it will be stable enough to be used on your primary device.
To download the Kodi 18 beta 1, visit this link and then choose the platform that you want to download the beta version on to. Next, tap the pre-release tab to download the build. For downloading on the Windows and Android, there is an easy-to-use download add-on on Kodi’s repository.
Keep checking its Wiki page
Kodi is expected to launch the final version sometime later this month, but the exact date is not known. However, the company did say that the final release “depends on the stability now more people will start using the v18 builds.” The Kodi 18 ‘Leia’ has been in alpha since March.
To stay updated about the progress being made with the Kodi 18 ‘Leia,’ one can visit its Wiki page. On the Wiki page, one can learn about the third-party implementation, software changes, customization and more. To know the development side of the Kodi, you can visit Kodi’s GitHub codebase, which has recently been updated and renewed.
With the beta launch, the company has also made available the list of supported skins – Adnoic, Aeon Nox 5, Andromeda, Black Glass Nova, Chroma, Confluence, fTV, Grid, Mimic, Nebula, Omni, Rapier, Sio2 and Xperience1080. These skins can be downloaded from the official Kodi repository.
Apart from releasing the Kodi 18 Beta 1, the company behind this popular home theater software is also selling a series of t-shirts. You can view the t-shirts on sale via TeeSpring’s online shop. These t-shirts are available in several colors, including black and white.
Kodi boxes banned on Facebook
A few weeks back, Facebook reportedly updated its policy guidelines to ban the Kodi boxes on its site. The Kodi boxes, which are devices with pre-installed Kodi software, are used in streaming digital content illegally. However, according to the social networking giant, its policy (directing ban) on the Kodi box is not new, and is the same since last summer. Even Facebook’s external Policy Page was last updated in December.
As per Facebook’s policy, the posts on the platform “may not promote the sale of devices that facilitate or encourage streaming digital content in an authorized manner or interfering with the functionality of electronic devices.”
Further, Facebook’s policy page also gives examples of the banned devices, such as jailbroken or loaded devices, wiretapping devices, jamming or descrambling devices, and more. The items exempted are the add-on equipment for the Kodi devices, like the remotes and keyboards.
