Amazon's latest anti-piracy move is more bad news for Fire TV owners

Amazon recently switched to the Vega OS platform for Fire TV devices as part of a piracy crackdown. However, the company has also been cracking down on piracy apps on its Android-based Fire TV models. Now, it sounds like the company is taking more drastic action on these older models.

YouTube channel TechDoctorUK (via AFTV News) reports that Amazon is now blocking the installation of piracy apps on Android-based Fire TV models. This represents a change from the previous behavior, when the company merely blocked these apps from being launched.

“This app has been blocked because it uses or provides access to unlicensed content,” reads the Fire TV alert, as seen in the YouTuber’s screenshot below.

This seems like a minor difference, but it nevertheless highlights Amazon’s aggressive approach to piracy apps and other similarly controversial tools. There are a few potential workarounds if you’ve been affected by this Fire TV change, though. The YouTuber suggests using older versions of blocked apps or newer app versions (e.g., beta versions). Meanwhile, AFTV News also recommends trying app cloning tools on an external device, such as a computer, to rename the app package name and circumvent the restriction.

Either way, it looks like fans of unfettered sideloading should opt for an Android TV or Google TV device. There’s no shortage of options in this regard, with our top picks including the Google TV Streamer, the Onn 4K Pro, and the Onn 4K Plus.