Bubbles Add-on for Kodi

In this post, I will share with you my thoughts on a new Kodi streaming add-on called Bubbles, and I’ll show you how to install it.

At the beginning of June 2017, TVAddons.ag posted an article about the top 10 Kodi add-ons as of June 2017.  They put a notification on people’s Kodi driving traffic to the post, but since then, they’ve taken the post down.  Very odd… then just shortly after drafting this post, TVAddons and Fusion shut down.

Anyway, one of the add-ons on there that was new to me was called Bubbles.  Their description of it (from what I recall) was that it “came out of nowhere” and is “one of the most intricate add-ons they’ve seen”.

I’ve tried it out, and so far, I’m pretty impressed.  Here are my thoughts…

What’s Good about Bubbles

As far as my requirements for a Kodi add-on goes, it seems to check all the boxes.

Much like Exodus and SALTS, the Bubbles add-on is a stream aggregator and has…

• Real-Debrid integration (as well as other debrid services)
• Trakt.tv integration

These services seem to integrate very well.  The only thing I noticed about them that seemed a bit old-school is that you have to authorize Real-Debrid within the add-on settings instead of the add-on utilizing the Universal URL Resolver add-on.

How the Bubbles Add-on Stands Out

If you start going through the settings and try playing some videos, you should quickly see why this is considered an “intricate” add-on.

It has almost everything that you’ll find in Exodus or SALTS, but with some extras.  Bubbles not only uses the standard streams and debrid services, but also supports Torrents and Usenet!

You can see on the source selection screen, there is a lot of extra information to help you choose a good link.  It shows…

• The specific resolution of the video
• The video encryption type
• The number audio channels (6CH DD means 5.1 surround Dolby Digital)
• The precise file size of the video
• It even shows the number of seeds for each of the torrent sources! (the more seeds the faster the video will stream)

I’ve got to say, having Torrents and Usenet as additional options is really nice.  The next time you’re frustrated because there are no good streams for a certain show you want to watch, Bubbles may be the answer to give you more options for better streams.

Note on Torrents

Since Bubbles uses torrents, that does make you more susceptible to getting a notice from your Internet provider about piracy or copyright infringement.  I recommend using a VPN when using Bubbles.

See my post about 4 Reasons Why Kodi Streamers Need a VPN.

What’s Not So Good About Bubbles

There are some areas in the navigation that don’t seem to work.   For instance, I went in the Kids section and selected Arrivals and I got the same list that was in the Arrivals of the other section.  Also, Arrivals in the Shorts section didn’t work.  I also couldn’t get the year categories or genres to work anywhere.

So, you basically would need to stick with using your Trakt lists which is what I usually do anyway.  Those work great in Bubbles.

Keep in mind, this is a brand new add-on, so I’ll give the developer a break here.  I’m sure these will work soon.

Another thing that’s not so good about Bubbles is, well, the name… and the logo.  Maybe it’s just me, but Bubbles is a strange name for an add-on.  I feel kind of weird saying it out loud.  The logo is also very awkward.  I would try to describe it, but I don’t want to.  Just look for yourself…

Apparently, this is an illustration of Michael Smith, an actor who starred as “Bubbles” on a Canadian comedy TV series called Trailer Park Boys.

Let’s just say, I don’t care to look at that face every time I want to watch TV.

At least Exodus has a cool name and a very well-done artistic design to its logo and fanart, using modern flat designs of both current and retro movie and TV show posters.

Am I right?

How to Install Bubbles Add-on for Kodi

Normally, this is the part where I give you instructions on installing the Fusion source and then installing the add-ons from there.  However, at the moment, TVAddons and their Fusion server is down.

So, at least for now, you’ll need to install it by some other means, through a different repository server.  I suggest trying http://repo.cazwall.com/sc as the File Manager source instead of Fusion and find the Bubbles repo in there.  Here’s a tutorial on how to install the Cazwall repo.  Cazwall repo is gone.  Try another alternative Kodi repo.

What do you think?

Are you going to give Bubbles a shot?  What do you think?