The 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV Stick Lite have been rooted. XDA forum user k4y0z has posted instructions for how to root either device, which currently requires the Firestick be on Fire OS version 7.2.7.3 or older. They’ve also provided a build of TWRP custom recovery to allow for the installation of custom ROMs. XDA forum user Rortiz2 has already created a custom ROM for the latest Fire TV Sticks based on LineageOS and Android 11.
For those unfamiliar with the world of rooting and ROMs, here’s a bit of info to set the stage. Unlike simpler modifications, like sideloading and changing settings through ADB commands, rooting a Fire TV provides full unrestricted access to change any aspect of the device’s software, including the installation of an entirely different operating system, referred to as a custom ROM. If a device is rooted, you don’t have to install a custom ROM, but that is usually the next step. The utility on Android devices, like Fire TVs, that facilitates the installation of the operating system is simply called recovery. Once a device is rooted, a custom recovery is installed to be used to install custom ROMs. TWRP is the variant of custom recovery that has been made compatible with Fire TV Sticks in this case and LineageOS is the variant of Android 11 that has been used to make a custom ROM for installation on Fire TV Sticks.
With the installation of LeneageOS on a Fire TV Stick, the device essentially becomes an Android/Google TV device with Google’s home screen, instead of Amazon’s, and access to the Google Play Store, instead of the Amazon Appstore. That may sound like an intriguing proposition, but be aware that making such a drastic change to the device often comes with bugs and issues, especially if done at this point when the software being created is so new. Not to mention the large risk of bricking the device, making it unusable, if you make mistakes. You should, at least, read through both the rooting thread and the custom ROM thread on XDA in their entirety before attempting this modification on your Fire TV Stick to know what issues have already been uncovered.
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Some Fire stick apps are specially adapted to use the Fire stick remote e.g. BBC iPlayer if you use the standard Android version of iPlayer you have to use a Bluetooth mouse for it to work.
Same with the browser. I watch a lot of content with the browser and am able to have full control over the browser with the fire tv remote.
If this works to stop Amazon from updating their OS to prevent owners sideloading apps they want then great, I’ll go for it. Amazon are updating their OS and filling the memory with bloatware and adverts, very annoying.
I am curious to what the advantages of rooting a stick in 2022 are.
Not many I don’t think. I remember in 2014 it was really cool. Im not gonna bother but if this enables you to store apps & data on an external drive, itd be worth it.
I stopped rooting a few years back, but still refuse to buy a phone that I can’t unlock the bootloader right out of the box. If you paid for it, you should be able to do whatever you want with it.
The third gen and lite sticks already have the capability to install apps and store content on external storage without modifying the device.
how do you install apps on external storage inthe firestick lite, can you tell me? amazon bloatware is taking most of the little space the stick has.
Isn’t it so you can install unknown apps
After the update with the launcher block, I moved completely away from my Fire Sticks and put them in a drawer;so, bricking doesn’t scare me because throwing them away leaves more space for other junk. If rooting works for the FS Max I will start there. It had been awful since I purchased it on Black Friday.
Finally figured out the the “phantom memory” problem of the Max showing 5.2gb of memory used was caused by the stock launcher. Uninstall the stock launcher and let Amazon reinstall a factory reset and the problem disappears.
How do you uninstall the stock launcher?
You might be able to uninstall the stock launcher if the Fire TV is rooted.
I suppose if you don’t root these devices soon, then amazon will send an update to prevent rooting soon.
Plenty of cheap google tv devices available now. I think I would just buy one of those instead of trying to root a fire tv stick. It’s not worth the effort.
I don’t like the large ads at the top of the home launcher or the narrow home bar with the new interface.
+1
Where can I get my fire stick 4k rooted?
The 20 dollar ONN Stick is external memory capable, runs android, can use Wolf launcher and did I mention was 20 dollars?
Why bother rooting?
I tell all my friends & family puck Amazon, get ONN.