Archive:Kodi v14 (Helix) FAQ

FAQs Devices

Kodi v14 (Helix) FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions for upgrading to XBMC v13 (Gotham) from a previous version. Includes how to enable some of the new features, where some controls got moved to, etc.

General FAQ

See also: Kodi all platforms FAQ for an FAQ that applies to all versions of Kodi.

What is "Gotham"?

See also: History of XBMC

Helix is the codename for Kodi Entertainment Center version 14 and can be downloaded from http://xbmc.org/download/ . You will often see "v14" and "Helix" used interchangeably in the XBMC community.

Changelog

See: Kodi v14 (Helix) changelog (and add-on developers should also see Helix API changes)

How do I upgrade to v14?

Note: Always backup your userdata folder before upgrading, just incase!

Just install/copy the new version of XBMC over the old one.

• Apple TV 2 (black)
• iOS devices
• Linux
• Kodi Linux FAQ > Upgrade in Ubuntu properly short how-to upgrade XBMC in Linux.
• How to install XBMCbuntu
• Mac
• Windows
• Openelec and other pre-made Linux distros - Wait for them to push an update or manually install a Gotham build

What are some of the major new features?

See Kodi v14 (Helix) changelog for a condensed list of large and important changes

Examples include:

What might break when upgrading to v13? (add-ons, skins, remotes, etc)

Most things from v13 will work in v14. However:

• A small amount of Add-ons may not work, prompting Kodi to ask you to disable them. You can keep using them if you wish (by choosing not to disable them), but doing so is unsupported. See Category:All add-ons for a list (check the drop-down menus). Where there is a noticeable slowdown in Kodi add-ons are likely cause, backup your userdata and as a last resort delete the userdata Addons folder and the Addons15.db & Addons16.db in the userdata Database folder.
• Skins need to be updated for Helix - check your skin has been upgraded ready for Helix: Category:Skins (check the drop-down menus). If you have problems starting up Kodi after updating, you might need to move/delete your guisettings.xml file (see userdata for location) to reset your skin.
• Should your repo appear empty, or you are missing the new subtitles services, you may need to trigger a Force refresh on the XBMC.org repository.

What happens if I don't like XBMC v14, can I just install XBMC v13 again?

Whilst Helix does "upgrade" the library, it stores a Gotham compatible copy. Just replace the Helix application with Gotham. It is still recommended to always make a backup of your userdata folder before updating, just in case. Add-ons will likely need to be reset (un-install and then reinstall) if you go from Helix to Gotham.

Where can I get more help?

The general and platform specific FAQs, the Kodi support forums: http://forum.xbmc.org, and/or the #xbmc IRC chat channel on irc.freenode.org.