Fire TV · Android TV · Sideload

Kids Meal Mode

Kids Meal Mode is a Fire TV / Android TV experiment that helps children keep eating during screen time with friendly timed bite prompts, parent-confirmed meal completion, and positive early-finish rewards.

The current build targets Fire TV Cube and Android TV streaming devices. It pauses video at a configurable interval, shows a kid-friendly bite prompt, resumes playback, and protects meal-mode exits with a configurable 4-digit parent PIN.

Best supported: Fire TV Cube. Other Android TV devices may install successfully but have not received the same family testing.

• Package: com.kidsmealmode
• Current family sideload build: 1.0.13(versionCode 14)
• Primary distribution: personal / family ADB sideload (not on the Amazon Appstore)
• Status: Phase 1 complete

Status — Phase 1 complete (family-usable on Fire TV)

Phase 0 delivered a working Fire TV MVP. Phase 1 finished product iteration on real devices: UX polish, parent-gated flows, max meal timer, and a tested streaming-app compatibility matrix.

Working today

• Configurable bite interval and pause duration
• Parent PIN protected stop / exit / settings / completion flows
• Fullscreen bite prompt with reliable resume path on supported apps
• Persistent meal-mode indicator (pulsing dot + icon) while active
• Early-finish rewards: uninterrupted screen-time timer or piggy-bank credit
• Reward thank-you screen; PIN not re-prompted when already authorized on the piggy path
• Configurable max meal duration with end-of-meal parent confirmation
• Soft TV focus styling for D-pad navigation
• Fire-gray square launcher icon tuned for sideload home-row tiles
• Local FastAPI / WebSocket server scaffold for upcoming LAN vision validation
• Public APK for personal / family sideloading; source remains private

Distribution and store outlook

Sideload remains the intended path for the full product (overlay indicator, cross-app media pause/resume, long-running meal service). Amazon Appstore approval is uncertain for this architecture: draw-over-other-apps and controlling other apps’ media are high-friction for review. A store “lite” build would need a different product shape. That is fine — the experiment is useful as a family sideload tool first.

Download & install (public APK)

The Fire TV APK is publicly available for sideloading. The application source code remains private.

Download Kids Meal Mode APK· package com.kidsmealmode · build 1.0.13

Direct link:https://scalinghuman.ai/downloads/KidsMealMode-firetv-debug.apk

SHA-256:f1c95f6a0d452e41779e58cd8ce74a7a2e8b21f3cea0369338286592d4eda368

Install on Fire TV with ADB

1. On Fire TV: Settings → My Fire TV → Developer options — enable ADB debugging. Allow installs from unknown sources if prompted.
2. Note the TV IP under About → Network.
3. On a computer, installAndroid platform-tools(adb), then:

   adb connect <fire-tv-ip>:5555
   adb install -r KidsMealMode-firetv-debug.apk

4. Open Kids Meal Mode on the Fire TV and grantDisplay over other apps.

Default parent PIN: 1234 (change in Settings after PIN entry). Use a supported streaming app for pause/resume (see compatibility matrix below).

Streaming App Compatibility

Kids Meal Mode uses standard Android media key events (MEDIA_PAUSE / MEDIA_PLAY) rather than app-specific automation. Support depends on each streaming app honoring standard media playback controls. Matrix from real Fire TV testing at Phase 1 close-out:

Confirmed working

Confirmed not working

Untested

Source & distribution

APK: public download above for personal / family sideloading on Fire TV.

Source code: remains private. This page tracks product status and compatibility only; implementation is not open-sourced at this time.

Roadmap

Phase 1 - Fire TV Product Iteration ✅ Complete

Family-usable Fire TV build with parent-gated flows, UX polish, max meal timer, and an honest streaming compatibility matrix (see above).

Phase 2 - Local Vision Validation on LAN

Validate a local vision model on the home network. The Fire TV app remains the overlay and media-control client; a LAN server handles bite detection over WebSocket. Timer mode remains the fallback. Camera frames and inference stay local.

Phase 3 - Private Distribution

Versioned APK builds for friends and family with Android-based Fire TVs. Short install guide, changelogs, known issues, and clear unsupported-app expectations (Netflix, Paramount+).

Phase 4 - Fire TV Appstore (optional / hard)

Only if a review-safe product shape emerges (likely without overlay + cross-app media control, or with strong justification). Release signing, listing assets, privacy policy, and permission disclosures required.

Phase 5 - Google Play for Android

Android TV / Google TV first, then tablets and phones if the product shape fits. Overlay policy risk remains.

Phase 6 - Apple Platform Exploration

iPadOS / iOS / tvOS later — more likely companion, camera, or parent-dashboard roles than a direct Fire TV overlay port.

Cross-Phase Principles

• Parent control always wins.
• Keep kid-facing flows positive, simple, and hard to accidentally exit.
• Keep vision local-first and privacy-preserving.
• Do not claim streaming-app support until tested.
• Do not reintroduce accessibility automation unless it becomes reliable and policy-safe.
• Prefer honest sideload distribution over a compromised store build.

Notes

• Designed for parent-supervised mealtimes.
• AI validation (when added) is assistive and does not replace parent judgment.
• Camera and vision work should prefer local-network / local-processing paths.