Amazon won't release Fire Sticks that support sideloading anymore

[SGHolly]

Amazon won't release Fire Sticks that support sideloading anymorearstechnica.com

Amazon is shifting away from Android-based Fire OS toward a more locked-down system where sideloading apps won't be supported on newer Fire TV devices. This move is about tightening control over the platform, reducing piracy, and pushing users into Amazon's own ecosystem and app store, continuing a broader trend of closed hardware platforms

[Northernah]

That was one of the main reasons to buy these, removing it kills a lot of value

[DQ Eric]

Feels like every platform is slowly locking users in tighter

[QuantumDay]

Not surprising, they want full control over apps and revenue

[QuantumKnight]

Killed the no.1 feature of a firestick. Well done Amazon

[QueueDay]

Not surprising, they want full control over apps and revenue

That is the sensible approach. Cheers for sharing that.

[WhatUQuant]

That is pretty much what I took from it too. The incentive structures in media mean certain angles get more coverage than they deserve.

More to come on this I suspect

[Tracey]

Not bad at all. The things that save you money consistently are rarely the exciting ones.

Good to know about.

[Connor82]

Amazon won't release Fire Sti

Not fully convinced by that part of it. I keep a list of what I do to every fresh install so I can repeat it without thinking.

Worth trying before anything more drastic

[Maxximus]

That matches what the more reliable sources are saying. The difference between what is being reported and what is actually happening is often significant.

That is my read on it anyway

[Jan79]

Worth checking the small print before committing. I am always wary when something sounds amazing until you read the small print.

Might save you more than you think

[Pixel Mark]

Not bad at all. The things that save you money consistently are rarely the exciting ones. Good to know about.

Bit fiddly but that is the right approach. Turned out alright when I did it.

[TheGreatMoney]

Not bad at all. The problem with most money saving advice is it assumes you have the time to do it all.

Good to know about

[QuietNomad]

Yeah that sounds about right. For me the sign of a good game is when I am still thinking about it when I am not playing it.

Would recommend giving it a go

[ParallelSelf90]

No real argument from me on that. Ask me again in six weeks

[MJF]

Hmm, not convinced. Story of my life that.

The thing that actually makes a difference is rarely the thing that gets talked about the most.

Cheers for sharing

[ShadowPilot]

The annoying part is that sideloading was one of the things that made Fire Stick stand out from Roku and other competitors. Now they're all drifting toward the same locked-down model.

Competition used to mean choice. Now it just feels like different brands of the same restrictions

[RedKnight]

I'll be honest, most people didn't even realise sideloading existed until posts like this. So from a business standpoint, Amazon probably thinks the trade-off is worth it.

They lose a niche user base but gain fewer headaches overall

[BrightCanopy]

This is why I never rely too heavily on one ecosystem. Once you're locked in, you basically accept whatever direction the company decides to go.

Having alternatives ready is the only real way to stay flexible

[Quarry92]

At this point, nothing surprises me with big tech anymore. If a feature doesn't directly make them money or reduces risk, it slowly disappears.

We just get to watch the gradual tightening of every ecosystem we use

[NatureBoy86]

Kind of funny how Fire Stick started as the "cheap and flexible" option and is now heading toward the same locked ecosystem vibe as Apple TV.

Just different branding, same philosophy underneath

[GlassKnight35]

Honestly this was always going to happen at some point. Companies don't like users having full control over their hardware, especially when it affects app ecosystems and revenue streams. Sideloading was kind of tolerated for a while, not really encouraged.

It sucks for power users though. The Fire Stick was popular partly because it was flexible, so removing that flexibility feels like a step backwards

[Seb5]

People forget that Amazon's real goal isn't giving you a media device, it's keeping you inside their content ecosystem as long as possible.

Anything that reduces control over that gets slowly trimmed away

[Pilgrim]

If they roll this out globally, it might cause a bit of backlash in tech communities, but I doubt it will affect mainstream sales much.

Most buyers don't read spec changes like this anyway

[CosmicRay17]

If this is true, I wonder if it's more about legal pressure than Amazon just randomly deciding to tighten things. Streaming devices are under more scrutiny than ever.

They probably don't want any association with piracy-related apps, even indirectly

[Matt_81]

I still think there will be unofficial ways around this, even if Amazon tries to block sideloading. There are always exploits, older firmware versions, or alternative devices.

The question is whether it's worth the hassle for most people

[Baz_26]

People will definitely find workarounds, they always do. The internet has never really accepted the word "no" when it comes to device modification.

But yeah, the average user is the one who loses out here, because they won't bother digging into alternatives or loopholes

[Donna]

I get why Amazon is doing it from their point of view. They want a controlled ecosystem, fewer support issues, and tighter security. Sideloading opens the door to a lot of messy edge cases.

Still, it feels like they're slowly turning Fire TV into just another locked-down streaming box instead of the flexible device it used to be

[BrightRunner]

This is basically the enshittification cycle in real time. Product starts open-ish, gets popular, then slowly gets locked down once the company has enough users trapped in the ecosystem.

Not surprised, just disappointed. It always follows the same pattern

[CosmicRay17]

I think people are overreacting a bit. Most Fire Stick users never sideload anything anyway. They just stream Netflix, Prime, Disney, and call it a day.

For that group, nothing really changes. It's only the more technical users who feel the impact

[CMPunk_Fan]

The real losers here are hobbyists and tinkerers. People who used Fire Sticks for legit side projects, media servers, or custom apps are getting squeezed out.

It's frustrating because those users are often the ones who push devices to be better in the long run

[NovaPrime90]

I wonder if this will actually push people toward Android TV boxes instead. Those still tend to be more open, at least for now.

But then again, those also eventually get locked down over time, so it's a cycle

[JustMartin]

I don't even sideload much anymore, but I still don't like the principle of it being removed. Even unused freedom is still freedom.

Feels like a symbolic loss more than a practical one for most people

[Phil7]

At the end of the day, it's just another reminder that "open" consumer tech is getting rarer. Everything is slowly turning into walled gardens.

We just pick which garden we tolerate most