Final warning to Amazon Fire TV Stick owners as hugely popular app to stop working TOMORROW
A FINAL warning has been given to Amazon Fire TV Stick owners as a hugely popular app is set to stop working tomorrow.
Anyone with an old Fire TV Stick plugged into their television might need to upgrade today.
It’s been confirmed that the popular Netflix app will stop working on several devices tomorrow as the service has been blocked.
But before you panic about losing access to your favourite shows this update only affects certain Fire devices released in 2014.
Netflix said: “We will be discontinuing support for some first-generation Fire TV devices, which were introduced more than 10 years ago.”
That means, as long as you have something relatively new in your home, you should be fine.
As the company confirmed: “Netflix remains available on all other Fire TV devices.”
The shutdown affects the first-generation Fire TV box, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote – Amazon’s oldest telly products.
All of these models are all more than a decade old.
Amazon quit support for the devices several years ago – meaning they no longer receive software or security updates.
But if you still use your OG Fire Stick, you should have received an email from Netflix warning of the upcoming change, according to PC World.
The first-generation Fire TV devices will continue to work as they have done – simply without Netflix.
They have all the other apps, such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, Prime Video and Disney+ – for now.
However, it’s worth noting that like Netflix, other platforms may too decide to pull their services from ageing tech later down the line.
Affected viewers who want to continue having uninterrupted access to Netflix will have to buy a newer Fire TV gadget – or a telly streaming rival like a Roku Stick or Google Streamer.
If you don’t want to upgrade to a new Fire TV device, you should cancel your subscription, to avoid paying fees on something you can’t watch.
Where to buy a Fire TV Stick
Fire TV Sticks are an easy way to add streaming to an older television. They’re manufactured by Amazon, but you can buy them from a number of different stores.
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Last year, the Netflix app vanished from dozens of Sony and Apple TV models that were also roughly a decade old.
A report from CordBusters noted that the decision was likely put down to newer video standards.
When streaming services start using newer technology, older devices may not have the necessary hardware or software to support the advancements.
That’s why some gadgets stop receiving new features, or are unable to stream in 4K picture quality.
Meanwhile, Amazon Fire Stick users have been warned of a shock £1,000 fine for using new feature.
Plus anyone in the market for a smart TV should have Sky Glass and Amazon’s Fire Omni TV on their radar.
And we’ve put both of them head-to-head to help you decide which will work best for you – read on to find out more.