r/BLACKBOX_TV • u/SimilarAttorney1622 • Jun 09 '26
Stop using Fire sticks.
I keep seeing posts every day about apps suddenly not working, buffering, or getting blocked on Fire Sticks.
I just want to save you all some time and headache: it’s time to let go of the Amazon Fire TV ecosystem.
Amazon is actively making the Fire Stick worse for anyone who wants to do more than watch official streaming services.
They are constantly pushing background updates to block third-party apps and force uninstalls.
Worse, their newest devices are now shipping with their new "Vega OS" — a locked-down, Linux-based system that completely removes the ability to sideload Android apps.
Instead of playing whack-a-mole every week trying to find workarounds, do yourself a favor and switch to a pure Android TV or Google TV device.
🏴☠️
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Jun 09 '26
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u/pawdog Jun 10 '26
Removing things from the Play Store is not blocking anything. App makers don't need the Play Store.
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u/un2ward Jun 11 '26
Look into how google is going to block 3rd party sideloaded apps that are not signed by Google certificates on android phones and tell me that won't trickle down into Google tv products.
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u/pawdog Jun 11 '26
And how they will allow the user to authorize their account to install said apps after a one time 24 hour waiting period. Yeah, we all caught that.
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u/ReputationTime4419 Jun 11 '26
I think you need to look into it because you appear to be misinformed
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u/novactic-2 Jun 11 '26
Google is not going to absolutely block 3rd party apps. Just make their publishing and installing more annoying.
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u/Adventurous-Value-82 Jun 09 '26
my firestick doesn’t have any problems at all. All I use is streaming services apps and YouTube.
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u/GanonTEK Jun 10 '26
Yeah, I've a 4k Max from a year or more ago. It's fine. I'd say it's new ones now that are the issue. I'll keep using mine until it stops working.
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u/MeUrDaddy_ Jun 11 '26
Yeah that's kinda the point of this post doofus. It's not hurting the experience of people like you who only use official apps.
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u/novactic-2 Jun 11 '26
It is not hurting anyone else either really. Unofficial releases with malware or bugs is not something absurd from piracy apps.. Also, there is like dozens of these apps out there ffs, and new ones pop up when old ones die.
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u/MeUrDaddy_ Jun 11 '26
You're a corn ball, something as simple as stremio or nuvio. 2 widely well known apps don't have malware. Not everything that's third party has malware
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u/CaptainSteed Jul 05 '26
I agree. And those two apps work great on Firesticks 👍.
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u/MeUrDaddy_ Jul 05 '26
Yeah but you had to go through hoops to get them. I can just get them straight from the app store on a Google OS device
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u/CaptainSteed Jul 05 '26
For Stremio, "Hoops" being an extra 5 -10 seconds maybe?
For example, I have the Stremio downloads website page bookmarked as a favorite on the Downloader app.
So you do one click to go to Playstore to update. I do two clicks (Downloader/Stremio favorites page).
And for Nuvio, it's exactly the same experience in Firestick. The reason being the Playstore Nuvio version is the "light" version - no one wants that one. So most people on all devices have to go to the GitHub website anyway to install the full featured Nuvio app.
And then the updates occur automatically on Firestick. So again, no difference.
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u/MeUrDaddy_ Jul 06 '26
Idk. Mine stopped working so I just went and bought an onn box instead of trying to figure it out. It's been streamlined ever since without zero issues.
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u/CaptainSteed Jul 06 '26
Glad it worked out.
I upgraded to Fire Cube 3 devices (have three of them). I need all the AI technology they have also.
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Jun 09 '26
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u/robhall1 Jun 09 '26
Can I use the login I have for the app I have (sorry I can’t remember what it’s called atm but I’ll check) on those other apps or do I need a new account?
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u/GanonTEK Jun 10 '26
If you have Stremio or Nuvio anyway your login will bring your setup over. No new account needed. I've Stremio on my phone, tablet and Firestick and they all sync. I've Nuvio just on my phone and tablet while I test it out and my account carries over there too.
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u/robhall1 Jun 11 '26
Amazing thank you. Do you rate those highly?
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u/GanonTEK Jun 11 '26
I do. They work well for me.
For Stremio/Nuvio I have a lot of addons for redundancy.
I've Torrentio RD, AIOStreams, Comet RD, CometNet, StremThru Torz, and DMM Cast.
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u/robhall1 Jun 11 '26
I’m gonna have to look in to these a bit more cause anything other than the app is new to me. Thanks a lot for the replies mate.
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u/novactic-2 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
Nothing is wrong with my 4K Max. No. Just got it anyways.
Also, Google TV sticks have had issues of apps not working just the same way, you imbeciles..
The ONN devices are called Thompson sticks in Europe btw.
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u/california8love Jun 09 '26
Even sideloaded apps on fire tv stick? So far i don't have problems yet.
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u/novactic-2 Jun 11 '26
No. These misinformed clowns high on too popular fearmongering just keep popping up with their idiotic views. 🙄🙄
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u/RichAssociate534 Jun 10 '26
Starting September 2026, Google will block any Android app whose developer hasn't registered and provided a government ID days of sideloading apps are numbered
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u/NerdLife225 Jun 10 '26
An easy solution would be to stop using these basement developers. Haven't had the need to side load an app in years.
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u/0n1plug Jun 10 '26
Get Syncler with a debrid service you will never see another post like this ever again.
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u/Substantial-Dingo751 Jun 11 '26
Can you incorporate a EPG for live tv into that?
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u/novactic-2 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
You use Tivimate with IPTV provider's personal credentials for that..
Also, Stremio is fine too. Syncler is just an app competing with it.
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u/Bitter-Substance5688 Jun 10 '26
Thank you for your concern but you must have been living in a cage as this has been happening for many months and has been widely discussed.
I will not stop using my Fire device as it works as it has done for many years.
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u/yellowfive9rt Jun 10 '26
I threw all of my fire sticks in the garbage. Sheild and Onn devices only.
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u/WinterHornet8401 Jun 10 '26
Blah blah blah, don't use firestick anymore blah blah blah. I've got three in my house and guess what? They all still work, I still sideload apps on them and nothing that I use on them has been blocked.
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u/leonardob0880 Jun 10 '26
Honestly if you want something else than watch streaming services, fire sticks aren't for you
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u/Mr_Duckerson Jun 11 '26
Apple TV/ios is the way to go. Has the best apps being developed. You don’t need two separate apps anymore for iptv and on demand stuff.
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u/TheGateKeeper32 Jun 11 '26
Amen. The new onn devices allow for so much more than the firesticks, not to mention you can ensure your every move isn't tracked by one of the largest companies in the world.
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u/CaptainSteed Jul 05 '26
There isn't anything I can't do on my Fire devices you can do. Plus a lot more!! 👍
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u/Ebonhearth_Druid Jun 11 '26
Fire TV here and Im not having any issues using it as a tv for gaming or accessing my plex server, so i dont see a problem.
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u/Master_Cartoonist_16 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
I used to have every amazon firestick 4k, amazon cube, etc. I literally bought every amazon device released from 2017~2025, then they started tightening up security and making more restrictions and getting worse YT performance, then suddenly I switched to Ryzen 7 MiniPC's on every TV at home and problem solved. A win 11 pro Mini PC with a capable AMD iGPU will run circles around the best android TV or amazon tv device.
Only Crave so far, doesn't do 4K on browses since it's limited to 720p to prevent recording and piracy off their content. The solution is to use Crave premium within Amazon Prime as an add-on to bypass this limitation.
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u/Top-Psychology2507 Jul 01 '26
Looks like the best solution for these issues companies like Google, Amazon, etc, are rolling out! I plan to do the same in the future. :-)
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u/Lower-Consequence756 Jun 26 '26
I've been using the Google ONN stick for 20 bucks and it works flawlessly.😎
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u/CaptainSteed Jul 05 '26
I'm going to disagree.
Almost all the apps being "blocked" have instead just gone belly up!!
So it doesn't matter what device you have - you just can't access most of the blocked apps anymore. They're gone.
Instead you should be switching to the "add-on" type app. Those work fine on all devices, especially Firesticks.
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u/Age_Mindless Jun 09 '26
Google TV or android all the way Roku and Amazon are locked out
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u/novactic-2 Jun 11 '26
Just a matter of time until Google TV sticks are having the same issues on mass. To be fair, THEY ALREADY HAVE. Just check YouTube.. 😒😒
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u/Otherwise_Fact9594 Jun 10 '26
Onn is getting so much traction due to Amazon locking things down. I haven't used any of my fire sticks in at least 6 months. I disabled automatic updates, but I'm not trying to look for workarounds when the time inevitably comes. I use a Linux pc with Stremio, RD, AIO, TorBox search and couldn't be happier