Amazon has finally done what many users have been dreading: banning sideloading on Fire TV Sticks.
Amazon Fire TV Sticks are amongst the most popular streaming devices, with over 250 million units sold globally. Unfortunately, in recent years, they have earned a bad reputation for supposedly enabling piracy through sideloading of apps.
In the past few weeks, Amazon has started blocking sideloading on Fire TV Sticks. We had pointed out earlier that Amazon would take this route, among others, to stop piracy on its devices.
What is side loading on a Fire TV Stick?
Before digging into Amazon’s sideloading ban, it is essential to understand what sideloading is.
Sideloading (in the context of apps) is the process of installing apps from sources other than the official app store. It is something that many users, particularly on the Android platform, do.
Sideloading is useful as it enables users to access apps that are unavailable in official app stores. These include apps that are geo-restricted, banned, specialized apps not available to the general public, or in beta testing.
Unfortunately, users also use sideloading to access third-party, unregulated apps that allow the streaming of pirated content. This has become increasingly common, especially with Amazon Fire TV Sticks.
Pressure has been mounting on Amazon to tackle piracy
Over the past several months, Amazon has faced increasing pressure to take action against piracy on its platform.
While the tech giant does not support piracy, sideloading on Fire TV Sticks is very easy. This has allowed piracy to thrive on its platform.
Some individuals have even started selling these jailbroken Fire TV Sticks, known as “dodgy firesticks,” which they have sideloaded with illegal streaming apps.
In February 2025, Sky COO Nick Herm claimed that Fire TV Sticks were to blame for a majority of illegal sports streaming in the UK.
“If you speak to friends and colleagues, or you watch football, people will know that you can get jailbroken Fire Sticks, and you can access pirated services on Fire Sticks.”
Herm further accused Amazon of not doing enough to tackle illegal streaming on its platform.
“With some of the tech giants, Amazon in particular, we do not get enough engagement to address some of those problems, where people are buying these devices in bulk.”
Amazon came under fire once more in May 2025, when a damning report by Enders Analysis accused big tech companies of being unwilling to address piracy on their platforms.
“Conflicting incentives harm consumer safety by providing easy discovery of illegal pirated services, and reduced friction through low-cost hardware such as the Amazon Firestick.”
Besides Amazon, the report also named other Big Tech companies, including Facebook, Google, and Microsoft.
Amazon has blocked several sideloaded apps on its platform
Amazon seems to have had enough of its bad reputation, and it is now actively blocking sideloading on Fire TV Sticks.
In June 2025, a YouTuber released a video showing how Amazon had started blocking sideloaded third-party apps.
Since then, more apps have been banned, with the list of targeted applications including FLIX VISION, OCEAN STREAMZ, Blink Streamz, Live NetTV, and UK Turks App.
You should note that sideloading is still possible on Amazon Fire TV Sticks. However, when you install any of the targeted apps, a pop-up window appears, stating the app has been disabled, with the only option available being to uninstall it.
Amazon cites “personal data risk” as the reason for banning apps
All of the apps targeted so far in Amazon’s crackdown on Fire TV Stick sideloading have been illegal streaming apps. However, the tech giant has not stated that the ban is because of illegal streaming.
Instead, the reason given so far is that the apps are putting the users’ devices and personal data at risk. Below is a statement displayed on users’ devices after installing these banned apps.
“This app has been disabled because it can put your device or personal data at risk. You can keep the app on your device, but you will be unable to use it. To remove the app and recover storage space on your device, select ‘Uninstall’ below.”
Amazon’s claim that the apps it has blocked can endanger users’ personal data is true. Scans using virus scanning tools reveal that all the banned apps are riddled with malicious code.
Therefore, while the sideloading ban has so far targeted illegal streaming apps, it is also possible that Amazon is tackling malicious apps on its platform.
Amazon is also planning to switch to a new OS
The crackdown on sideloading on Fire TV Stick is not the only action by Amazon that will affect piracy. The tech giant is reportedly close to launching an in-house operating system, Vega OS.
The new OS is based on the Linux operating system and is set to replace the Android-based OS currently used in Amazon Fire TV devices. The switch will render all current third-party Android apps incompatible with its streaming devices using the new OS.
Additionally, third-party apps will need to be developed specifically for the Vega OS. This will significantly reduce third-party app development and, consequently, the ability of users to sideload illegal streaming applications.
What does the Amazon sideloading ban mean for piracy?
Amazon’s ban on sideloading on Fire TV Sticks (and the expected launch of its new OS) will significantly hinder piracy.
It is no secret that Amazon Fire TV sticks are popular, with users utilizing them to access pirated content. Therefore, the current measures will combat illegal streaming on its platform, something Amazon has been accused of not doing enough in the past.
Unfortunately, while this will significantly reduce piracy, it will not completely eradicate it. For starters, Amazon has not completely banned the ability for users to sideload apps – only a few apps have been targeted so far.
In addition, while switching to the new Vega OS will restrict third-party sideloading, it will not end the practice. After all, developers could still create third-party apps for the Vega OS, and old Fire Sticks will continue to run on the Android OS.
Therefore, unless Amazon completely bans sideloading on Fire TV Stick, illegal streaming is still likely to continue on its platform.
However, even if Amazon were to successfully crack down on sideloading, several other streaming devices support the process. These include Nvidia Shield, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, Google TV boxes, and some Android Smart TVs.