DirecTV Now, the online TV service, has recently dropped support for the 1st generation Amazon Fire TV and the 1st generation Fire TV Stick. When DirecTV Now first arrived on Fire TV devices in late 2016, it was available on all Fire TV models, new or old. Now only the 3rd-gen Fire TV, 2nd-gen Fire TV, 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Edition televisions are listed as compatible with the app.
@AFTVnews my @directvnow App Disappeared from my Fire TV. @amazon
— BAD HOMBRE (@Chido_One_562) April 14, 2018
Of the four competing online TV services, which includes Sling TV, Hulu TV, and PlayStation Vue, the DirecTV has always had the worst user reviews, so it seems like their app development team might be lacking. If you currently have DirecTV now on your 1st-gen device and it’s still working, if you uninstall it or factory reset your Fire TV, you will not be able to re-install the app.
The original Fire TV, which is the oldest model in the lineup, just turned 4 years old this month. Amazon is, thankfully, continuing to fully support it by still pushing out software updates that add the same new features that newer Fire TV models are receiving. It’s inevitable that, at some point, Amazon will stop updating older Fire TVs. When that happens, it’s safe to assume apps will also stop being updated for those older Fire TV models.
It doesn’t make much sense at all for DirecTV to stop supporting the 1st-gen Fire TV right now. I can understand not supporting the 1st-gen Fire TV Stick because it has a significantly weaker CPU compared to all other Fire TV models, but the 1st-gen Fire TV is more powerful than the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick, which DirecTV Now still supports. Both the 1st-gen Fire TV and the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick run the same version of Fire OS 5, so it just seems lazy on DirecTV Now’s part to support the one and not the other.
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Wow this is that’s two of my TVs but tbh prob drop them once my prepay for Apple TV 4K is over next month.
That’s insane. I have a 1st Gen, 2nd gen, and an AppleTV. After the 3-Month promotion through which I got an AppleTV, I’ll be forced to go back to PlayStation Vue. Fortunately, Vue is a great service.
If you have a fire tv 2 you can adb pull the apk and install it on fire tv 1. I can confirm that this works 100%.
Here is a link to the apk I pulled from my fire tv 2. I installed this on my fire tv 1, working 100%. https://www.dropbox.com/s/6dj9aslqnltvjic/DIRECTV_NOW_1.0.25.5100_FIRETV.apk?dl=0
Ah beat me to it :)
Thanks for the file, I installed it and I got a message saying “Connection error, An unknown error occured connecting to Amazon Appstore”.. Maybe they patched it already???
Got it working. Don’t know what happened initially. Only issue is that I have to launch it from the applications menu, no longer have a shortcut but it’ll do until I cancel in June! Thanks for the file… Also, I turned auto updates off, I don’t know if that’ll help with anything… We’ll see.
Try following this guide to get the app to appear on the Home screen. There’s no reason you should have to use the applications menu.
http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-get-kodi-to-show-up-on-the-home-screen-of-a-fire-tv-or-fire-tv-stick/
Hey thanks for that link, I didn’t try that but to no avail.. the strangest thing happened though.. I checked this morning and it wasn’t on the apps page, I got home from work and checked and it was there. I moved it to the top and now it shows up on the home screen however when I go to launch it, it tells me to download it… I go to the applications menu in settings and I can launch it there just fine. Just not front the home screen.. there isn’t a cloud icon on it either
Thanks, it works!!
I too received an “unknown error” last week but it was corrected in about an hour. If they drop the 1st generations ..oh well. I am not thrilled with AT&Ts holier than thou attitude of controlling the worlds tv viewing. You cant even get ahold of any support after 5pm Friday till 7am Mondays. Thats ridic. I cant get Spectrum where i live or I WOULD. So i use my firestick for all tv viewing.
Thank you for putting this up, I used apps2fire to send to the box and it works
Dude! You are awesome!!! Worked perfectly! Thank you!
Thanks for this! Do you just send this apk to the box and side load it like any other app? I’ve never messed with the OS itself.
When installing getting a parse error message. Is there any special instructions to follow for downloading and installation? Thanx. *ù
So once I download where do I find the app?
Is there any way to get the apk so we can side load it later or should we expect the current version will not be compatible after the update?
I dont have the service, so I dont care too much, but I know in the past when other app developers have updated there apps they have forgotten to check the box that listed it as compatible with one of the FTV devices. Could that not be what has happened here and in a few days the app will once again show that it is compatible with the FTV 1? Or did they specifically state they dropped support?
There hasn’t been an official statement about dropping support, so, hopefully, it is just a mistake. I waited several days before posting about it to see if they’d fix it but they haven’t.
I received an email from Directvnow saying that they will not longer support firestick generation one.
It might be because of the DVR service rolling out which only supports the newer devices. I am a beta tester and the new beta app does not work on the first generations.
Wow…nice warning for your customers. We lost service now on all devices that we have hooked up to all of our TVs.
Luckily for now, we can sideload.
I understand the 1st gen stick getting cut. But dropping the (very capable) FTV 1 seems ridiculous.
Could the drop in FTV 1 support be due to not having x265 hardware decoding? Maybe they’re going x265 streams at some point?
I thought of that and included it in the article initially but then deleted it because there is no way a streaming service can justify an HEVC-only stream yet. There are just way too many H264-only devices out in the world. It would almost be equivalent to them saying we only stream 4K, so 1080p devices can’t watch.
Good point. But DTV’s parent company is an ISP. So, to me, it would make sense to eventually go x265 as much as possible to cut back on bandwidth costs.
Other than x265, there seems to be no logical explanation of dropping FTV1 support.
Agreed. There always has to be those first few that change, which makes people upset, but then others follow suit.
Looking at the spec, the main differences I can see is H.265 support, a different Widevine level (older 3 newer 1) and wireless ac support.
https://developer.amazon.com/docs/fire-tv/device-specifications.html
Is Amazon dropping support for the first generation devices? Seems like Amazon is giving away free devices to the upset Dtv now customers
Amazon is? I would think DTVN would be doing that.
This kind of thing is why I wouldn’t invest in a smart tv. Replacing a little box after 4 years is not great, but having to replace an entire tv would be unacceptable. You’d be back to using a box anyway. Might as well get the TV you want and the box you want to start with.
How does one Not invest in a smart TV? Seems like All the major TV developers are putting smarts in everyone of their top brands. I agree with your statement. Give me your best TV, loose the smarts, give me a break on price.
IMO, if you are a streaming service and want to gain customers, whether it be new or old. I would think you would want to try and support as many devices as you possible can. I mean, the Netflix app still works on my original IPAD that came out in 2010(interface is a little slow, but still streams fine). Think of all the streamers that are now 2nd hand at garage sales, Goodwill or Salvation Army stores, and think of the customer base you could pick up from someone buying a used streamer. So when these developers start dropping support even on something that is only 4 years old. It just puzzles me.
+1, you’re exactly right. Offering a legacy version of the app would have been a good option.
What good would a legacy app be if the device is unable to play the content? If they are changing their stream to something that the first gen box cannot handle, then no app is going to fix that.
Glad I don’t subscribe.
Times like this, I wish I didn’t either. But I’m locked in at the original $35 a month for 120 channels. No other service comes anywhere near offering that amount of channels, nor offer all of the channels I want for that matter, at that price. So I’ll continue bearing with them until they raise the price on me. Plus, I’m a beta tester, which means I get 2 extra screens to watch on, plus DVR. The buffering still is awful during peak times, and can be iffy during non-peak, but I’ll suffer a little to save a lot. Call me cheap.
I chatted with both Amazon and Directv online just now. Amazon gave me a $15 credit toward a 3rd Gen Fire TV. Directv gave me one month free, and “assured” me that they will be updating the app tp be compatible with Gen 1 Fire TV. I told them that Amazon told me that Directv will no longer support Gen 1, and Directv rep said that Amazon is wrong and that they are working on updating the app. I called BS and asked when, and Directv rep said that a supervisor will call me within 24 hours to let me know. This still sucks, but Amazon had a deal on a 3rd gen refurb for $45. So with the credits from both Amazon and Directv, I’m basically getting a free upgrade from my Gen 1 Fire TV, (which to be honest, was starting to suck anyway compared to Gen 2 boxes and sticks).
I got an e-mail from DTN that my Fire TV would no longer work and they gave me a $75 credit to buy a new Fire TV. This was 5/17. Do the day when my app no longer works I will head to BB and get the latest. Maybe it won’t buffer as much!
Mine has been stuck in “Upgrade APP NOW” mode for 3 days. Deleted App, reloaded, rebooted Fire Stick like new, nothing works. Locks up in upgrade mode needed after typing a few letters of Directv now sign on. Maybe just switch to AppleTV now.
Did you use the APK file that Marquez posted above? If so how did you side load it?
Directvnow sent a discount code so I can purchase the generation 2 firestick. At this time, I think it is worth it because I don’t know of any other app that will give me live local channels and all those other channels for $35 per month.
I heard that youtube tv is good too. It is $40 per month and you get live locals, dvr service and can view on up to 6 devices.
Greatly appreciated if someone could offer a link to download the patched DirecTV now apo. The version you can download from the link in this comments section has a parse error when you try to install it. Thank yiu.
It’s official it looks like the APK that was posted above is no longer working. Every time I try to switch to a channel that is in my subscription it gives me an error saying that I need to subscribe. Also my current guide is fubar with list of channels that are a part of my subscription as well. Anyone have a new working APK that we can sideload?
Can anyone upload the new apk.
Remove and reinstall, make sure to clear cache and data. I did it couple of times have it working now since yesterday. I too got the same popup, removed it first turned off firetv and samsung tv and then reinstalled.
Use this version of Apk, ie ver 2
https://www.mediafire.com/file/joityl2gn07kcyt/DirecTVNow_2.0.11.02116_amazon.apk
Installed July 14 and it is still working.
Hay Marquez Thanks for the apk worked help me out is there any way to gey a icon on the main screen it no where to be seen did the hit home all apps not there
Hey guys I love you for this but now it’s updated anyone know how to bypass on first gen ? Are we done do I finally have to update :((;
Remove and reinstall, make sure to clear cache and data. I did it couple of times have it working now since yesterday. I too got the same popup, removed it first turned off firetv and samsung tv and then reinstalled.
Use this version of Apk, ie ver 2
https://www.mediafire.com/file/joityl2gn07kcyt/DirecTVNow_2.0.11.02116_amazon.apk
Installed July 14 and it is still working.
Raj
O have sound but video is blockie and not streaming.
Any ideas on what’s going on
Try deleting cache and data, faced the similar issue where there was a cloud dvr picture with sound. Did couple of remove and reinstall apk which should fix it.
Thanks to Raj, firetv1 working again. Please update if someone finds later apk version working
Follow this link I don’t know if it works on gen1 but he keeps uploading the latest
https://m.mediafire.com/folder/3v7775bzeaxa4
Does anyone know which latest file is working? 2116 is now blocky and stuttering. Thanks
Go here https://m.mediafire.com/folder/3v7775bzeaxa4
JG, Thanks, I was hoping someone had tested some of these files. I tried DirecTVNow_2.0.12.01466. Some channels okay, others blocky and stuttering.
Are you using the latest file or ? Thanks again
Still having same issues with latest. Blocky and stuttering. Help!