Amazon Discontinues Sideloading Support for New Fire TV Sticks
Amazon won’t release Fire Sticks that support sideloading anymore
Ars Technica
Image: Ars Technica
Amazon has announced that all future Fire TV Stick models, starting with the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, will run on the new Vega operating system, which does not support sideloading of apps from outside the Amazon Appstore. This change limits users to only downloading apps available in Amazon's official store.
- 01New Fire TV Stick models will run on the Vega operating system.
- 02Vega OS does not allow sideloading of non-Amazon Appstore apps.
- 03Only apps published in the Amazon Appstore can be installed on Vega devices.
- 04The first Vega-powered device was the Echo Show 5, released in November 2023.
- 05Amazon has not officially communicated this change to consumers.
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Amazon has confirmed that its latest Fire TV Stick models, beginning with the Fire TV Stick 4K Select released in October 2023, will operate on the new Vega OS. This operating system restricts users from sideloading apps, meaning they can only download applications available in the Amazon Appstore. While sideloading is technically possible for registered developers, regular users will be limited to Amazon's official offerings. This change was hinted at in an update on Amazon's developer website and has been present since at least January, although Amazon has not clearly communicated this to consumers. The Echo Show 5 was the first device to utilize Vega OS, followed by the Echo Hub released in April 2024. This shift in policy reflects Amazon's focus on security and control over the app ecosystem on its devices.
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This change may frustrate users who prefer to install apps not available in the Amazon Appstore, limiting their choices for streaming content.
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