Amazon could be getting ready to kill off its last remaining Android-based Fire TV Sticks in a matter of weeks, and if that happens it will mean the popular devices have lost one of their most attractive selling points, forever.
The company’s Fire TV Sticks have proven to be extremely popular in recent years for several reasons. Like Roku’s and Google’s streaming dongles, they’re extremely cheap, and they’re also very easy to set up because all you have to do is plug it into a TV and instantly transform it into a streaming powerhouse.
However, what really sets Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks apart from those rival dongles is that they run a customized version of the Android TV operating system. It’s called Fire OS, and it gives users unrivaled freedom in terms of being able to sideload new applications and install custom launchers that strip away bothersome ads. As a result, Fire TV Sticks have always been seen as among the most flexible and user-friendly streaming devices money can buy.
Sadly, it seems that Amazon is intent on killing off this flexibility and making its Fire TV devices much more restrictive. Last year, it announced a new Linux-based operating system called Vega OS that it developed in-house specifically for its streaming devices and smart TVs. Amazon said Vega OS is superior because of its faster performance and lower memory resource requirements, but while that may be so, it lacks the ability to sideload apps. What that means is users can no longer install third-party apps that don’t get listed in the official Fire TV app store, and they cannot use custom launchers either. When asked why it did this, Amazon mumbled something about “enhanced security.”
The bad news is that Amazon is intent on replacing the old, Android-powered Fire TV platform with Vega OS on all of its streaming devices. Since announcing the new operating system, it has already launched two new products – the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and the refreshed Fire TV Stick HD, and they both run Vega OS.
At present, you can still buy Amazon’s older Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Stick 4K Plus devices, which both run the Android-powered version of Fire TV, but a report by AFTV News suggests that they’re unlikely to be on sale for much longer. That’s because Amazon is likely to hold a special event in September, where it has traditionally always unveiled new Fire TV devices.
Although Amazon has not yet confirmed such an event will take place, AFTV News seems to think it’s highly likely, and if it does take place, it believes that the company could well announce new versions of both the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus. If that happens, it would mean that Amazon is going to stop making the current-generation 4K Max and 4K Plus streaming sticks, meaning that very soon, you won’t be able to buy a Fire TV device anymore.
One reason why we think the AFTV News report might be true is that Amazon has come under heavy pressure to do something about the prevalence of pirated content that’s accessible on its Fire TV Sticks. Last year, a report by Enders Analysis launched a scathing attack on the company, accusing it of being a “facilitator” of piracy.
The report said that Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks have become one of the most common channels for illegal content streams. Due to the customisable nature of the Android TV platform, some companies have bought huge stocks of Fire TV Sticks and jailbroken the devices before pre-loading them with applications that provide access to illegal content streams, including live sports broadcasts and the latest Hollywood blockbusters. These companies have become increasingly brazen, with some even advertising their products on social media platforms such as Facebook, touting “free access” to live Premier League football and other advantages.
Enders Analysis said in its report that sales of "illegal Amazon Fire TV Sticks” had become so popular that 59% of U.K.-based respondents admitted to watching pirated content on such a device.
In the wake of that report, Amazon publicly vowed to crack down on the pirates and started blocking some of the more popular third-party apps that provided access to such content. But the challenge is that the pirates can always launch a new app on a new device, and then warn users not to update them to prevent them being blocked.
With Vega OS prohibiting sideloading altogether, pirates are likely to find it much more difficult to use Fire TV Sticks as a delivery vehicle, and given the criticism Amazon has faced over this issue, it seems very likely that the company is going to replace its last Android devices sooner rather than later.
As a result, the days of being able to customise Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks and install whatever apps you want are rapidly coming to an end. It’s terrible news for anyone taking advantage of this flexibility for legitimate reasons, such as installing a custom launcher.
If you really want to enjoy this flexibility for a while longer, the advice is to rush out and buy a Fire TV Stick 4K Max or Fire TV Stick 4K Plus while the older generation devices are still in stock. Because they’re likely to disappear very soon.
