Amazon appears to be blocking custom launchers with its latest Fire TV updates
Amazon’s Fire TV sticks make for some of thebest streaming devicesyou can get their mitts on.Its user base has skyrocketedover the last few years due partly to the flexibility Fire OS offers as a platform. Aside from sideloading applications, one of the best ways you can make Amazon’s streaming stick your own is through the use of custom launchers instead of the default Fire TV interface, removing ads and sponsored content altogether. Unfortunately, it seems like the company is cracking down on these efforts, with recent changes to Fire TV stopping custom launcher installs altogether.
According to a post from Redditoru/Finnzz(and spotted byAFTVnews), Amazon is rolling out new Fire OS updates to its steaming devices that forbid users from using custom launchers. Previously, installing launchers was made possible by an app calledLauncher Manager, but this ability is now broken with these software updates:
AFTVnews suggests a newFire OS 5update with version 5.2.8.7 might also bring this change. It’s currently rolling out to older 1st-gen and 2nd-gen Fire TV Sticks, as well as 2nd-gen Fire TV gadgets.
The ads and sponsored content on Fire OS’s interface are among the primary earning sources for Amazon from its Fire TV business, as the devices themselves are usually available at bargain prices. Since custom launchers block this revenue stream, it isn’t hard to guess why Amazon would want to stop this practice. Thankfully, a workaround lets youblock software updateson your Fire TV devices if you want to keep using custom launchers. But that also means you could’t take advantage of anynew featuresthose updates bring.
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