Kodi users searching for a more advanced user interface can follow this guide to create their own Kodi Build. By altering the Skin and adding custom Widgets, you can enhance your streaming experience significantly.
This method allows you to utilize all your favorite addons and personalize the home screen to display the specific content you desire. The best part is, it’s much simpler than you might anticipate.
If you’re familiar with using Kodi Builds, you’ve likely experienced a streamlined Kodi interface with a vast array of content such as Movies, Shows, Live TV, and more. Many users prefer builds over addons for their extensive content options and unique interfaces, which resemble popular streaming apps and APKs.
The updated home screen you encounter while using builds is a result of Kodi Skins, which are the interface choices available for this software. These Skins are commonly integrated with various Kodi Builds to offer a complete streaming system. Moreover, you can also apply them with your preferred addons and design the layout to your liking, creating your personalized Kodi Build!
While many users are accustomed to the default interface, it’s easy to customize the Kodi home screen according to your preferences. The image below depicts the original Kodi home screen using the “Estuary” Kodi Skin.
However, a plethora of other skin options exist to elevate the user interface and improve your overall Kodi experience! The image below showcases a popular Kodi Skin example that enhances layout and content selection.
Kodi Skins vary in size, layout, design, features, and more. Some of these skins offer the fantastic ability to add and adjust widgets that display content, enhancing your Kodi experience.
This feature allows Kodi users to personalize their interface with desired content categories like Movies, TV Shows, Live Streaming, and more. Developers create their Kodi builds using this method, which you can also do by following the guide below.
Kodi Widgets seamlessly integrate with any Kodi Addon you’ve installed, including those listed in our Best Kodi Addons guide. By setting up widgets within Kodi, you eliminate the need to access your favorite addon each time you open the app, giving you quick access to your preferred content.
NOTE: It’s crucial to note that not all available skins support creating custom widgets, so experimenting with different options to find what suits you best is essential.
In this guide, we’ll use the highly acclaimed Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max. This device is a popular choice among Kodi users due to its affordability and exceptional “jailbreaking” capabilities.
These instructions apply to other devices as well, including Android TV/Google TV Boxes like MECOOL, NVIDIA SHIELD, onn. with Google TV, or any other device with Kodi software installed.
How to Design a Custom Kodi Build
There are various methods to create your custom Kodi build. A recommended approach is to install your preferred addons and then adjust the Kodi Skin to your liking. Once done, you can activate and include custom widgets for instant access to VOD Content, live streaming, and more.
In this guide, we’re using the Arctic Zephyr Reloaded Skin, a choice that offers this functionality. For an updated list of the best Skin options, refer to our guide.
Step 1: Change Kodi Skin
1. Begin by selecting the Settings icon from the home screen.
2. Navigate to Interface.
3. Choose a Skin.
4. Click on “Get more…”
5. Choose Arctic: Zephyr – Reloaded (or any other Skin you prefer).
6. Wait for the skin to finish installing.
7. Proceed by clicking Yes.
8. Your new Kodi Skin will commence loading.
9. The new interface provided by this skin will be visible to you.
To utilize this updated interface, kindly follow the steps to set up custom widgets that we have outlined below for you.
Step 2: Configuring Kodi Widgets
Utilizing widgets within Kodi is an excellent method to view content from your desired addon without the need to launch the addon itself. The library of Movies, TV Shows, and more is conveniently accessible directly on the Kodi home screen!
NOTE: Users are required to have their Kodi addons installed beforehand. In this guide, we have already installed popular addons such as the POV Addon, DaddyLive addon, and more. You have the flexibility to choose any addons you prefer, including those listed below:
Once you have installed your preferred addons, we can integrate them with custom widgets by following the subsequent steps.
Adding Movie/TV Show Widgets
1. Initiate Kodi and navigate to Settings from the main menu.
2. Select Skin settings.
3. Click on Customize home menu.
4. Hover over Videos and scroll down to select Widget 1 – Fullscreen.
5. Choose Widget 1.
6. Select Add-On.
7. Click Video Add-On.
8. Choose POV or other addon of your choice.
9. Select Movies.
10. Select Popular or other Category of your choice.
11. Click Use as widget.
12. Type a category name of your choice and click the checkmark.
We will now set up a TV Show widget using the same method.
13. Return to the Settings menu and select Widget 2.
14. Make sure the Status for this Widget is set to Enabled.
15. Follow the steps above to select your preferred Video Addon for TV Shows and select your category.
16. Enter the title for this category and select the checkmark in the lower left-hand corner.
17. You can continue enabling and setting up as many widgets as you prefer using the same instructions as above.
Return to the home screen. You will now be able to see your enabled widgets with preferred category options.
Scroll down to view the other custom widgets that you have set up with the steps above.
Add Live TV Widgets
As previously mentioned, feel free to integrate any addon or category you prefer. This includes live streaming options.
Follow the steps below to add a Live TV Widget to your home screen.
1. Begin by opening Settings and selecting the desired Widget you want to enable.
Enjoy!
Step 3: Create Custom Kodi Widgets
Besides using the pre-programmed Category options, we can easily set up a custom tab with the content of our choice by following similar steps. In the steps below, we will create a custom widget for the home screen that will display Sports Content.
You can also create a widget for anything you prefer for complete customization!
1. From the customization menu, hover over a category tab and click the Plus (+) button.
2. Click Label to change the Label name.
3. Type whatever you wish to name this tab and click the blue checkmark button.
4. Select Widget 1.
5. Click Add-On.
6. Choose Video Add-On.
7. Choose your addon choice.
8. Select Live Sports or other streaming choice you wish to add to the home screen.
9. Click Use as widget.
10. Enter the title name you wish to describe this tab with and click the checkmark icon.
11. The home screen will now display your custom widget.
Enjoy!
How to Install Addons
If you are familiar with using the default Estuary skin, you might already know the process of installing 3rd party addons through the File Manager. These addons can still be installed even after changing the skin by following these steps.
1. Start by selecting Settings from the main menu.
2. Proceed to click on File Manager.
3. Next, click on Add Source.
4. Select None.
5. Enter the Repo URL of your choice. (For example, entering the Seren URL in this case).
6. Provide a name for the media source and click OK.
7. Go back to the Settings Menu and select Add-ons.
8. Click on Install from zip file.
9. Select your media source.
10. Click on the zip file.
11. A message confirming the installation of your Repo will appear.
12. Now, click on Install from repository.
Before moving forward, let’s break down the procedure into easy-to-follow steps for smoother understanding. The first step is to select the repository that suits your needs, followed by choosing either Video add-ons or any other add-ons that interest you. Next, select your desired add-on before proceeding to click on the download button. If there’s a prompt, make sure to click on OK to continue. Once the installation is successful, you will receive a confirmation message in the upper right-hand corner. Great job! The addon installation process is now complete.
When it comes to customizing Kodi Skins and Widgets, the best way to experience them fully is by testing them on your preferred device. You can customize and add multiple widgets for Music, Pictures, Programs, and more, and can also remove preset category options by clicking the X button next to the title. Additionally, there are various customization options available, including changing the Home menu style.
Moreover, you have the flexibility to adjust the screen Background settings such as Brightness, Fadetime, Fanart, and more. As mentioned earlier, there are numerous Skin options of different sizes, layouts, and widget choices. We recommend trying out different skins until you find one that aligns with your preferences. You can explore an official list of Kodi Skins on the Kodi website using the provided link. Feel free to dive in and enjoy the endless possibilities of customizing your Kodi experience!