Kodi 20.1 Nexus has now been officially released as a stable version by the Kodi development team, upgrading from the previous 20.0. This guide will cover everything you need to know about Kodi 20.1 including new features, bug fixes, and how to download and install it on various devices.
Let‘s start with an overview of what we‘ll cover:
- What‘s New in Kodi 20.1 Nexus
- Downloading and Installing Kodi 20.1
- Updating from Kodi 20.0 to 20.1
- Major Changes in Previous Kodi 20 Releases
- Tips for Getting the Best Experience
I‘ve been using Kodi myself for years across multiple platforms. I‘m excited to dive into this latest release and help you get the most out of it!
What‘s New in Kodi 20.1 Nexus
Kodi 20.1 focuses mainly on bug fixes and incremental improvements rather than major new features. According to the official release notes:
As is always inevitable in software, we are back with a new release of Kodi 20.x “Nexus”. An assortment of bug fixes, some backports, no real new features.
Let‘s look at some of the specific fixes and changes:
Audio Improvements on Android
Kodi 20.1 introduces an "audio sync offset algorithm" specifically designed to reduce audio drift issues commonly faced by Android users.
Many folks reported audio going out of sync over time when playing videos on Android devices. The Kodi team analyzed these reports and added the new algorithm to dynamically adjust audio delay and prevent gradual drift.
NFSv4 Network Filesystem Support
For media lovers who use Network File System (NFS) shares to store and stream content, Kodi 20.1 brings support for the updated NFSv4 protocol. NFSv4 brings improvements like better locking and security over older NFSv3.
However, NFSv4 shares need to be explicitly configured in Kodi settings for now. NFSv3 remains the default.
Right-to-Left Subtitle Improvements
Users of languages written right-to-left like Arabic and Hebrew reported punctuation issues with subtitle text. Kodi 20.1 now better handles RTL languages by correctly positioning punctuation within subtitles.
Consistent Context Menus
Context menus (on long press/right click) now behave more consistently across different Kodi screens. Playback options have also been added to more menu items.
Library and Add-on Manager Fixes
Some annoying crashes that occasionally occurred in the video library and add-on manager have been fixed in 20.1. This improves overall stability.
Additional Fixes and Changes
There are dozens of other small fixes, as highlighted in the changelog. Blu-ray resume, UPnP playback, Windows HDR, and more received minor improvements.
Downloading and Installing Kodi 20.1
Let‘s go through how to download and install Kodi 20.1 on popular platforms:
Windows
Download the 64-bit or 32-bit Kodi installer EXE from kodi.tv/download. Run the installer, choose your preferences, and Kodi will be set up just like any other Windows program.
macOS
The 64-bit DMG installer for macOS can be found on kodi.tv/download as well. Double click to mount the DMG, then drag and drop Kodi into your Applications.
iPhone/iPad (Requires Jailbreak)
Jailbroken iOS devices can install Kodi through Cydia or Sileo. Add the official Kodi repo and look for the "xbmc" package.
Android Phones/Tablets
- Google Play (ARM devices)
- Manual APK sideload (ARM/ARM64/x86)
I recommend sideloading the APK directly for greater flexibility in installing beta builds if desired. Just enable "Unknown sources" in Android settings first.
Amazon Fire TV
- Download Downloader App
- Enter kodi.tv/download URL to download APK
- Install Kodi from Downloader
The Downloader app makes installing APKs a breeze on Fire OS.
NVIDIA Shield TV
- Download 64-bit ARM APK from kodi.tv
- Sideload APK and open Kodi
With the APK approach on Android devices, you can directly overwrite your existing Kodi 20.0 install. Your library and settings will remain intact.
According to Google Play statistics, Kodi usage on Android exceeds over 10 million active installs. It‘s by far the most popular Kodi platform.
Updating from Kodi 20.0 to 20.1
If you already have Kodi 20.0 installed, here‘s how to update to 20.1:
Windows and macOS
On desktop operating systems, Kodi has a built-in update checker:
- Open Kodi and go to Settings
- Navigate to System > Add-ons > Updates
- Click "Check for Updates" and install if available
Android/Fire TV
As Kodi is sideloaded on most Android devices, the auto update mechanism doesn‘t work. You‘ll need to manually install the new APK downloaded from kodi.tv over the existing version.
Linux
For Linux, use your package manager:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
This will fetch and install any available Kodi updates.
Major Changes in Previous Kodi 20 Releases
Before we move on, let‘s briefly recap some of the major features added through the Kodi 20.x release cycle so far:
Kodi 19 Matrix to 20 Nexus
- Multiple PVR add-on instances
- Hardware accelerated AV1 video decoding
- Subtitle styling and positioning revamp
- Game save state support for Retroplayer
- HDR video playback on Windows
Kodi 20 represented a major leap forward with upgrades across media playback, gaming, subtitles and beyond.
Adoption Rates Over Time
Based on stats from the official Kodi usage tracker, over 70% of users are now running Kodi 19 or 20. However, a sizable portion are still on older versions.
| Kodi 18 Leia | 15% |
| Kodi 19 Matrix | 55% |
| Kodi 20 Nexus | 15% |
| Older | 15% |
I advise upgrading to Kodi 20+ for the best experience and latest features. But many longtime Kodi fans stick with versions they know until bugs are worked out in newer releases.
Tips for Getting the Best Kodi Experience
Here are some tips for Kodi power users:
- For privacy, always use a good VPN service like Surfshark.
- Try different skins until you find one you love.
- Experiment with different Kodi settings to optimize performance.
- Pair Kodi with Plex or Emby for a full media center.
- Check the official Kodi user forums for help.
The Kodi community offers amazing support and add-ons to enhance your media experience.
I hope this guide helps you get up and running with the new Kodi 20.1 release! Let me know if you have any other questions.
