While it’s always possible that Amazon has accidentally broken the compatibility with third-party launchers, this seems a little unlikely. The Seattle-based company has released a slew of new software updates for a range of hardware, including Fire TV OS 7.2.7.3 for the Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Fire TV Stick (third-generation), and Fire TV Cube (second-generation), Fire TV OS 6.2.8.7 for Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV (third-generation), and Fire TV Cube (first generation) and Fire TV OS 5.2.8.7 for Fire TV Stick (first- and second-generation) as well as second-generation Fire TV.
Given that all of these versions of the software bust compatibility with third-party launchers – it seems unlikely that it’s a mistake.
Amazon isn’t the first company to break homescreen replacements on its hardware. Huawei, which previously relied on open-source Android to power its own streaming set-top boxes, has locked down the ability to replace its software with a third-party alternative. Google’s own Chromecast with Google TV also limits how effective these launchers can be. So, Amazon isn’t doing anything out of the ordinary here.
Published at Sun, 27 Feb 2022 08:31:00 +0000
Amazon is BLOCKING users from installing select apps on Fire TV Stick
