Featured Image Credit: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Topics: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Shopping, Film and TV
Jen Thomas
Topics: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Shopping, Film and TV
Amazon will be cracking down on illegal Fire Stick use, in the latest measure designed to combat people watching for free.
It follows the likes of Disney+ and Netflix banning account sharing, and will put an end to illegal streaming on Amazon devices.
The move will stop people from being able to use a 'jailbroken' Fire Stick which has been purchased unofficially.
They have also announced the release of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select which differs from the previous models of the Fire TV Stick, as it runs on an in-house system named Vega.
The brand-new Amazon Fire Stick 4K Select drops on Monday October 20, but you can pre-order now - and save 20 percent if you trade in your old one.
The new stick will feature 4K Ultra HD streaming, allowing people to make the most of their TV.
The act of 'jailbreaking' a stick has enabled people to watch thousands of programs on channels which would usually be behind a paywall or only available at a cost.
People have been buying these items from third-party sellers or resellers, to access titles that they don't want to pay for.
Amazon has realized this, and has added in extra measures to prevent people from being able to illegally stream the services from the black market buys.
Previously, all other Fire Sticks have run on old Android operating systems which hackers were well-equipped to reprogram.
This move to the in-house system on the new device means the jailbreakers will find it impossible, or at the least, very difficult, to add apps onto the device which isn't meant to be on there.
The practice is called 'sideloading', and the new Vega system will make it much harder.
Experts are predicting that the black market suppliers will be discouraged by how difficult it is, and may just make the switch to non-Amazon devices instead in the future.
According to TorrentFreak, Amazon will disable 'piracy' apps that have been sideloaded.
It says an on-screen warning will appear which reads: "This app has been disabled because it can put your device or personal data at risk."
The apps will be described as 'potentially harmful' rather than illegal.
It is also expected that the Fire OS update notification will share the new rules which users have to agree to.
Existing Android apps will need to be rebuilt by developers in order to work with the Vega OS, says StreamDiag.
The older Fire Stick models released before 2024 are the ones most commonly tampered with.
Apps on the Amazon Appstore will now have to be approved before being distributed to users, which will give Amazon much more control.
The FT reports that old Fire Sticks will continue to work for the time being, with no estimate provided for when the older operating systems will be disabled.
Get your new Amazon Fire Stick below.
The brand-new Amazon Fire Stick 4K Select drops on Monday October 20, but you can pre-order now - and save 20 percent if you trade in your old one.