It was expected, but Amazon has blacklisted OnBootKodi, a 3rd-party app that automatically launches Kodi when the Fire TV or Fire TV Stick boots up. This is now the third app that Amazon has blocked from running on Fire TV devices, joining FireStarter and FiredTV Launcher. If any of these three apps are found installed on the device, then the app is disabled. Read more ›
Amazon has decided to disable FireStarter and FiredTV Launcher through an app blacklist in their new 5.0.5.1 software update. If you have a rooted device, here is how to disable the app blacklist and restore blocked apps. Read more ›
It turns out FireStarter isn’t the only app being disabled by the new 5.0.5.1 Fire TV and Fire TV Stick software update. FiredTV Launcher, another alternate home screen replacement app for the Fire TV, has also been blacklisted by Amazon and is now being automatically disabled. This is damning evidence that the reason behind Amazon disabling FireStarter has nothing to do with its unconventional use of internal ADB connections, and everything to do with forcing you to use the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick their way. Read more ›
Starting with software version 5.0.5.1, Amazon has started disabling FireStarter by name on the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick. XDA member jkchr1s has done a great job figuring out the details of FireStarter’s removal and has released a clone app that currently works with the new software version. Here’s what you need to know about the new clone app, called FireStopper, and the proper way to cleanly switch to using it for the time being. Read more ›
There is strong evidence that FireStarter, the alternate launcher that can replace the Fire TV home screen and provide custom remote home button functions, has been explicitly blacklisted, by name, by Amazon. Fire TV and Fire TV Stick owners that have manually installed the unofficial app through sideloading will find that it has been disabled after their devices update to the latest 5.0.5.1 software version. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app will restore it, but once the Fire TV reboots or sits idle for a period of time, the app is once again disabled. Amazon has always rejected apps that “override the native user experience” and blocked their entrance to the official Fire TV appstore, but this appears to be the first time they’ve deliberately targeted and prevented the use of a specific unofficial app. Read more ›
It appears that the new 5.0.5.1 Fire TV and Fire TV Stick software update is disabling FireStarter. The app remains on the Fire TV, but is removed from the “Apps” section and cannot be launched. The app is also removed from the “Manage Applications” section of the Settings menu. If you uninstall FireStarter using the ADB command
It’s unclear at this point why FireStarter is being disabled by the Fire TV. One theory is that it is being disabled and quarantined due to its unconventional practice of establishing an internal ADB connection, which is one of the ways it detects home button presses. Once more people, including myself, receive the new software update and get a chance to diagnose why FireStarter is being disabled, we should know more. For the time being, if you are a fan of FireStarter, and don’t want to lose its functionality, you may want to block software updates until more is learned.
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