The most common question I’m getting about the new Amazon Fire TV Stick 2 is whether or now Amazon has done anything to block sideloading apps or running Kodi. I’m happy to say that it doesn’t look like anything has changed with either of those two things on the new device. You can sideload 3rd-party apps just like you can on all Fire TV models. Kodi is working on the Fire TV Stick 2 and appears on the home screen.
The image above is the hardware info screen of Kodi running on the Fire TV Stick 2. You can see the Fire TV Stick 2’s new Mediatek 8127 CPU is detected and listed. Also visible are the CPU’s 4 cores. To further prove Kodi is running on the new device, in addition to the above images, I was also sent a video of the Fire TV Stick 2’s “About” page, showing the new 5.2.2.0 software version that is only available on the new Fire TV Stick 2 right now, followed by Kodi being launched.
@AFTVnews
AFTVnews
It wasn’t the stick that was going to block it though, correct? We have to worry about the interface upgrade.
I think some of you guys are paranoid. Did you miss the update from Elias where Amazon said they have no intention of blocking any apps in the near future?
Did you miss the update from Elias where Amazon included in the OS a pervasive and effective blocking mechanism that can be enabled any time Amazon chooses? I think it’s reasonable to worry about gun safety with one hanging on the wall behind you…
http://www.aftvnews.com/fire-tv-update-5-2-1-1-contains-new-not-in-my-house-system-app-for-more-sophisticated-app-blocking/
Unless you have a side business selling Kodi loaded FTVs on ebay, not sure why the paranoa. Kodi is available on other devices.
If Amazon was going to block Kodi, they probably would have done it by now.
Kodi and other 3rd Party Apps may be available on other devices, but everyone here has already bought a Fire TV (Stick) so “other devices” doesn’t quite cut it.
You can get a generic android box, for which Kodi WILL NEVER BE BLOCKED, with similar specs for about $30-$40. If Amazon were to blocked Kodi, sell your FTV and buy one of those. Problemed solved, and you can sleep again at night.
Where’s the new UI?
or when…?
All we know is it will come this year.
Amazon is no joke. They realize that Kodi is a sales player for the firestick. It’s not in their best interest to not allow kodi to be loaded. You can’t bite the hand that feeds you. Also, the alternatives to buying an android box exists at half the cost. We generally use the Amazon stick for its size. Won’t be long before an android stick evolves to replace the Amazon and they know it.
Uh, Amazon doesn’t sell Fire TV sticks to make money.
They want you to buy a Prime subscription and visit their website to buy stuff, not get free media.
The more people that get Fire TV sticks to sideload Kodi, the fewer that get Prime and spend money on Amazon, the more Amazon will be concerned and will consider maybe doing something about it.
It’s a balancing act. Amazon has to weigh being authoritarian with considerations about how people who buy AFTV to sideload–or people whom already own one and buy into the Amazon ecosystem and then learn about sideloading Kodi for access to a comprehensive catalog of free media–affect their goal of using their hardware to drive revenue.
We just sideloaded the new stick with 16.1 and our build and it worked. We didn’t have to update the stick (sometimes those old non-voice sticks had to be updated twice. The new stick came with version 5.2.2.0 which I don’t think is available for the old non-voice sticks that have 5.1.1.0. It also did not make us update the remote like the old voice sticks did. Everything ran faster on this new stick, even Kodi.
Can you use Alexa in Kodi? If not, will they allow it?