Fire TV will get sideloading back after Amazon fixes bug
What's the story
Amazon has announced an upcoming Android software update for its Fire TV hardware, which will once again allow users to sideload apps. The move comes after a previous patch had blocked third-party apps from being installed on certain Fire TV devices. The company clarified that this was not an intentional change but rather a bug in the update.
Update impact
Last year's software updates disabled sideloading
Last year, Amazon released a series of software updates for its Fire TV hardware.
While the Android update brought security patches and performance improvements, it also unintentionally disabled sideloading on some devices.
This meant that third-party apps could not be installed unless they were from certified app stores.
The company has since acknowledged this issue as a bug in the update, not an intentional change.
Company statement
Fix in upcoming Fire TV settings update
In response to the sideloading issue, Amazon said, "There was a bug in a recent Fire TV Settings update that caused the 'Install unknown apps' list to appear incomplete or empty on some Fire TV devices."
The company has identified the problem and plans to roll out a fix in an upcoming Fire TV Settings update.
This patch will be automatically installed on affected devices over the coming week.
Software transition
Shift to Vega OS for future Fire TV sticks
Along with the sideloading fix, Amazon has also announced a major change in its software strategy.
The company recently unveiled its latest Fire TV Stick, which runs on Vega OS instead of Android.
It also revealed plans to run all future Fire TV Stick devices on Linux-based software instead of Google's OS for improved performance and power efficiency.