- The new Amazon streaming stick stops sideloading
- A message to this effect is popping up on its online listing
- This is part of Amazon's rollout of its own Vega OS
Alongside a revamp for the Fire TV OS interface, Amazon announced a new Fire TV Stick HD earlier this week, that's slimmer than its predecessor — and it's now been confirmed that sideloading won't be allowed on the new device.
As spotted by Cord Cutters News, the product listing on Amazon has this to say: "For enhanced security, this device prevents sideloading or installing apps from unknown sources. Only apps from the Amazon Appstore are available for download."
The message doesn't seem to show up for everyone, but it's definitely there in some cases. Of course, when Amazon says "for enhanced security", it means for the purposes of preventing any dodgy and legally suspect apps from being loaded up.
However, this is also going to affect users who liked to customize and hack their Amazon streaming devices in a variety of other, perfectly legal ways: think custom launchers, local media streaming, and smart home tools, for example.
The future is Vega OS
Part of the way Amazon has locked down its latest streaming stick is by using its own, proprietary Vega OS rather than an adapted version of Android. That gives Amazon much more control over what's possible on the software.
This was all announced last year, but it wasn't clear just how speedy the rollout would be, or which specific devices would be affected. We can safely assume that this 'no sideloading' rule will apply to all Amazon devices going forward.
In fact, as Ars Technica highlights, Vega OS and the same sideloading restrictions apply to the Fire TV Stick 4K Select that came out in October as well — and we noted at the time that you wouldn't be able to sideload apps on it.
Amazon has made sure that the majority of the best streaming apps work on Vega OS and on its new streaming devices, including Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix, YouTube, and Apple TV. Beyond official entertainment apps though, your options are limited.
