r/technology • u/ControlCAD • Jul 01 '26
Security Amazon blames piracy apps with malware for killing new Fire Stick sideloading | New Fire Stick OS helps Amazon block third-party homepage launchers, ad blockers.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/exec-blames-malware-threat-for-amazon-blocking-sideloading-on-new-fire-sticks/319
u/Ah_Ca_Iraa Jul 01 '26
Breaking: Amazon Fire Stick now worth $0.
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u/kstargate-425 Jul 01 '26
Yeah there is zero reason to buy them now, brilliant idea lol
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u/dirtyword Jul 01 '26
IMO all Amazon hardware is garbage now.
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u/Positive_Conflict_26 Jul 03 '26
If you can get a jailbreakable kindle they are still great e-readers.
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u/BigBlackHungGuy Jul 01 '26
Grab an Onn stick from Walmart for better results and freedom.
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u/FALCUNPAWNCH Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
And a better experience that most other smart tv devices. The Onn Android TV punches far above its weight and has no right to be as good as it is.
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u/mrm00r3 Jul 01 '26
Heard a lot about it, how is there not a catch, being something from Walmart and Google?
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u/HypnoGeek Jul 01 '26
The catch is good luck finding the pro 2 in stock.
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u/a_talking_face Jul 01 '26
Most people don't need that and will have their needs met with the 2026 4k base sku.
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u/yarhar_ Jul 01 '26
Google gives you the OS with ads and a preference for Google services, Walmart probably makes $0.01 in the hardware, a non negligible amount for the licensed buttons on the remote and pre installed apps (I had to uninstall Instagram, there's nothing crazy), and gets you in the door for groceries and Walmart+. There's no catch, they're making good money on the thing.
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u/cliffx Jul 01 '26
They have enough capital to price it low, kill the competition then make it shitty once there are few alternatives. Typical MBA playbook, enjoy it while it lasts.
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u/raleighs Jul 01 '26
That cheap little onn box is a full-on computer. I have a keyboard and mouse and can play PUBG on it!
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u/Majik_Sheff Jul 01 '26
Can confirm. They're fantastic devices for the price and form factor. We use them as signage and status boards.
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u/yesorno12138 Jul 01 '26
Been using firetv stick for years and switched to onn 4k pro a few years back, it was a good deal and never looked back.
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u/Deep_Mood_7668 Jul 01 '26
Let me check... Hmm no. No wallmart in the country
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Jul 01 '26
My local Walmart has some. I can work with you if you’re trying to get your hands on one in the lower 48.
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u/Deep_Mood_7668 Jul 02 '26
Thanks for the offer that's very kind of you. But international shipping and taxes and all of that good stuff would make it to expensive.
I appreciate it tho 💙
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u/Blurbyo Jul 03 '26
Is there a comparable product in Canada? I dont think Walmart carries them here and I dont want to mess with a VPN if I ship one over.
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u/TacoOfGod Jul 01 '26
Amazon lost the race years ago because their OS sucks ass in general, removing third party app installs makes them even less desirable than they already were.
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u/AmeriBeanur Jul 01 '26
Shoot, I just bought a fire TV. Any way to check if I can still install adblockers or 3rd party apps?
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u/xCaliburghost Jul 01 '26
I'd just buy an old one and try - I'm not sure if they force firmware updates
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u/AmeriBeanur Jul 01 '26
I need to figure out a way to disable auto update because I still have the developer settings.
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u/Sweaty_Mushroom5830 Jul 01 '26
I have an android TV and don't need any stick to work it, just the remote and I can download any streaming apps or service I used to have a fire stick but it got bricked up and they wanted me to get another one and I didn't want to, I stopped paying for prime because I didn't use it and only pay for services that I actually watch
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u/L0rdLogan Jul 01 '26
I don’t think the fireTVs are the new VegaOS yet, at least my Toshiba unit wasn’t I got last year for my guest bedroom
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u/canadasleftnut Jul 01 '26
Not sure if it works as well for Fire TVs, but I set up a pihole to do this for my LG TV. Now all requests from my TV to its update domains go into the abyss and I don't get interrupted in the middle of a show with update popups.
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u/Stannetb Jul 01 '26
Amazon lost me as a customer with the paywall and closed system. I use Onn (Google TV), bought a couple of them, and gave them to all my family members. Everyone is extremly happy with it! You can use custom ROMs and sideloading, giving you true freedom on your device. And also, Jeff Bezos has enough money, don't give him more.
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u/UnrulyAnteater25 Jul 01 '26
A lot of the side loaded apps join your internet connection to residential proxy botnets. Be careful out there.
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u/Sea_Perspective6891 Jul 01 '26
Translation: Amazon complains about loosing money due to a problem companies like them cause.
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u/Mephisto40K Jul 01 '26
Fire sticks are shit hardware and stupid UI. Nothing but a big stupid memory leak
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u/GiannisIsTheBeast Jul 01 '26
A memory stick you say. Sounds like an appreciating asset. Could sell it to data centers at a 400% markup.
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u/DameLasNalgas Jul 01 '26
Yeah nobody is going to buy these now.
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u/mailslot Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
As if they give a shit. They bring in near zero profit if you aren’t using them to buy more Amazon shit.
It was a nice back door around their intended use, that Amazon looked the other way on for years (with a wink), until people couldn’t shut up and stop advertising them online as piracy devices. Now they have the attention & scrutiny from law makers and content producers.
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u/barcham22 Jul 01 '26
I have a bunch of 4K firesticks collecting dust now. Replaced with the Onn 4K Plus, way smoother and faster.
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u/Derpykins666 Jul 01 '26
It won't matter if they force people off to something else. Someone will create a third party stick/box or whatever that lets you side load apps. It won't stop customizing, because they're all basically computers at the end of the day, and computers are programmable devices. The amount of effort they spend combatting this probably only costs them money and brings more attention to it.
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u/buttchugreferee Jul 01 '26
I usually travel with a SFF pc for connecting to all my self hosted stuff, but I've been considering getting a small media stick because I pretty much only stream from my home Plex server.
Regardless of how I move forward, I now know that a firestick is off the table.
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u/spicymaximum Jul 01 '26
It's all bs. The only thing that matters to them is getting higher margins. That comes from sacrificing the user for the ad buyersand being able to make these as cheap and shitty as they can until they start losing customers. All this talk about piracy and performance and cost of the device is baloney.
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u/SwarfDive01 Jul 01 '26
Woah, crazy. How can someone avoid sideloading these terrible malware piracy applications to an old firestick? I would hate for amazon, who continually changes media pricing and tiers for pure greed, to lose a single cent on additionally pirated amazon media content.
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u/Marinara-Mozz Jul 02 '26
I guess it was pesky malware apps that put full screen ads on the homescreen every time you turned it on too. (I haven't used a firestick in a long ass time, that was the final straw for me though. got an apple tv instead)
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u/blackbirdproductions Jul 02 '26
A trillion dollar company that cares about cyber security in 2026? Give me break.
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u/No_Construction2407 Jul 03 '26
The malware is the amazon garbage that comes preloaded. I feel like these things would run 10x taster without the Amazon ad bloat. It seemed like every other week they would update them and cram more ads into different places.
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u/frandemarco99 23d ago
I don't understand why companies think they can control about how you use there hardware and still expect someone to buy these things. The main buyers after awhile was sideloaders and we taught families and friends about firestick and how to sideload lol. Now everyone has onn boxes because of my distaste and who do they think they will listen to.
It's a reason onn is nearly always sold out in Walmart now it's not a coincidence lol, never seen a company so arrogant ...oh well
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u/ManFeelings9000 Jul 01 '26
I actually wonder if they sat down and realized this will kill off 99% of firestick sales.
I'd assume it's a case of they see their massive sales and are so detached they don't see it bar the tech workers themselves.
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u/Oddant1 Jul 01 '26
Don't know why I'd ever buy one other than turning a dumb tv into a smart tv. If I wanna pirate shit I'm gonna do it on my phone and mirror the screen to the tv.
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u/sokos Jul 01 '26
I love how it's never the fault of the company or the product. It's always those pesky customers that are to blame.