AMAZON Fire Stick owners could break their device or worse, receive a lofty fine, should they stream TV shows through unofficial apps.
Unofficial or illegal streaming apps can be downloaded onto a Fire Stick if it has gone through a process known as ‘jailbreaking’.
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‘Jailbreaking’ a Fire Stick is not only against the law in the UK and the US, but it can also permanently damage the Amazon device.
Fire Sticks offer users instant access to TV shows from a range of streaming apps, such as Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+.
Although, people commonly use their Fire devices for illegal streaming.
This is what led to the arrests of two British men in December, who were caught with an illegal Fire Stick operation.
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The remote control can be adapted to side-load unofficial apps that aren’t found on Amazon’s store.
A jailbroken Fire Stick can access pirate streaming apps, so users have a wider library of illegal content to sift through – without paying a penny.
Under the UK’s Fraud Act, people caught illegally accessing TV services can face up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
While in the States, the maximum penalty is essentially a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, according to Nicole Haff, partner and head of litigation at Romano Law PLLC.
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No TV licence? Well, you’re also playing with fire
AMAZON Fire Stick owners in the UK can also face a nasty £1,000 fine for not having a TV Licence.
Rules dictate that any device or service used to watch live streams require a TV licence.
You also need one if you use BBC iPlayer whether it’s live or not.
In the digital age of streaming, it’s left some households confused about whether they need a TV licence or not.
But with any device – not just Amazon Fire Sticks – it really depends on how you use apps.
Conversely, some households may have a TV licence when they can do away with it if they’re not watching any live TV or accessing BBC iPlayer.
Find out more here.
Permanent damage and data risks
Amazon has not fully blocked off access to these official apps.
But the message is signals the general consensus at Amazon – that it wants users to stream through official channels only.
‘I’m throwing mine away’ Fire Stick owners say over ‘loud ads’ on their TV – but there’s a way to make it less annoying
Last year, the tech giant issued a new warning message to users in an effort to stamp out jailbreaking.
When an app is downloaded outside of the traditional Amazon Fire store, in a practice known as sideloading, this warning will pop up.
The alert intends to warn users who are perhaps unaware of the dangers associated with adding unofficial software to their devices.
“WARNING: When you use applications from unknown sources, your TV and personal data are less secure and there is a risk of unexpected behaviour,” the message says, AFTnews reported at the time.
“You agree that you are solely responsible for any damage to your device or loss of data that may result from using these applications.”
The alert began appearing when users would look to side-load apps at the beginning of the year.
It’s not the only change Amazon has made to Fire Sticks this year.
An update in February 2023 blocked the installation of an app called ‘Remapper’.
The app was first launched in 2021 after being developed by Elias Saba, the founder of Amazon Fire TV-focused news site AFTV.
It helped Fire TV owners open a different app to the one listed on one of the remote’s four dedicated app buttons.
The first time the app was blocked was due to a change Amazon made with its Appstore, but a later update allowed the app to continue working.
But the app will no longer operate on Fire TV sticks with the latest update.
Now when users try to access the app, Fire TV immediately aborts and shuts down the app.
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