New pre-rooted ROMs of the latest 5.2.6.2 software version have just been released by Rbox. Those of you with already rooted Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks can now update your devices to the latest software version without losing root access. Read more ›
Rbox has just released pre-rooted ROMs of the new 5.2.6.0 software update for the 1st and 2nd generation Fire TV, as well as the 1st generation Fire TV Stick. If your device is already rooted and running a custom recovery, you can now update to the latest software version without losing root access. Read more ›
It has become almost certain that every device running some form of Android will at some point be rootable. In the case of the Element Fire TV Edition televisions, it happened quicker than you’d expect because, as it turns out, the software version that the TVs ship with from the factory is rootable. It’s always great to have the option to root a device, but before you jump at the opportunity to root your Fire TV Edition television, you need to know that the release of custom recovery, like TWRP, and pre-rooted ROMs from rbox for these TVs is very unlikely. Even more important is understanding how that’ll affect the TV in the future if you do root it. Read more ›
Just before posting about all the new Fire TV software updates yesterday, I sent rbox the update packages that I captured and he has made quick work of releasing new pre-rooted ROMs of these updates. As always, download the ROMs from rbox’s XDA threads here: Fire TV 1, Fire TV 2, and Fire TV Stick 1. Please consider donating to rbox if you use his ROMs, so that he can continue releasing future updates for rooted Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks. If you’re still in a giving mood after that, I’d greatly appreciate your support through Patreon. Read more ›
A pre-rooted version of the 5.2.4.1 software update has just been released by rbox for all rootable Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick models. That includes both generations of the Fire TV and the 1st generation Fire TV Stick. You can download the ROMs here: Fire TV 1, Fire TV 2, and Fire TV Stick 1. Please consider donating to rbox if you use his ROMs, so that he can continue releasing future updates for rooted Fire TVs and Fire TV Sticks. Read more ›
The 5.2.4.1 software update for all Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick models is continuing to roll out to all devices. Those of you with rooted Fire TVs and/or Fire TV Sticks, who have blocked software updates in order to not lose root access, will be happy to hear that the 5.2.4.1 update packages for the Fire TV 1, 2, and Stick have all been captured. I was able to intercept the Fire TV 1 update last week, XDA forum user XDA_h3n grabbed the Fire TV 2 update with my help, and user to_b sniffed out the Fire TV Stick 1 update this morning. Read more ›
Now that the Fire TV Stick has been rooted, I’ve been helping rbox figure out if TWRP and pre-rooted ROMs are possible for the Fire TV Stick, since he doesn’t own one. It looks like it’s very likely he’ll be able to create custom recovery and pre-rooted images for the Fire TV Stick, so I’ve sent him $55 to buy a new Fire TV Stick w/ Voice Remote for himself. Just as the AFTVnews community chipped in to buy rbox a Fire TV 2 when it was first rooted, you’re welcome to chip in and help with his Fire TV Stick expense. Once $55 in donations is reached, I’ll remove the donation button and refund any excess donations.
That didn’t take long at all! Brian C. rushed in with a $50 donation with Kevin L. and Brad H. rounding off the last bit needed. Thanks James F. for your $5, but I’ve refunded it. If anyone would still like to contribute, general donations are always welcome. You may donate to rbox or to myself.
Donations:
Brian C. $50 ($48.25 donation – $1.75 PayPal fee)
Kevin L. $5 ($4.55 donation – $0.45 PayPal fee)
Brad H. $5 ($4.55 donation – $0.45 PayPal fee)
Those with a rooted Fire TV are surely familiar with the name rbox. He’s the one who creates the pre-rooted ROMs for the 1st-gen Fire TV that allow rooted Fire TV owners to continue updating to the latest software version without losing root. Without him, all rooted Fire TVs would be stuck on software version 51.1.1.0, which is nearly 18 months old now. After AFTVnews reader roligov learned that rbox did not own a 2nd-gen Fire TV, he contacted me asking if I would set up a donation campaign to get the Fire TV community to buy him one in return for all that he has done for us (and to encourage him to get interested in the new device). After verifying that rbox was okay with such a campaign, I looked into the various crowd funding services available. I’ve decided it’s not worth the effort to set up a campaign through a crowd funding service, so I sent rbox $110 myself to buy a 2nd-gen Fire TV. He has done enough for this website and its community for me to front the money myself. If you’d like to contribute to the purchase, you can chip in through the PayPal button below. If donations surpass $110, I’ll immediately remove the PayPal button from this post and refund any excess donations. Please use the button in this post to contribute to rbox’s 2nd-gen Fire TV and not the one on my donation page so that I can track/refund donations correctly. Note that, while rbox will be using his new 2nd-gen Fire TV to experiment with rooting and custom recovery methods, contributing to this donation fund does not guarantee he will successfully root the 2nd-gen Fire TV.
Donations have reached $110 so the donation button has been removed. You guys are awesome. If you are feeling generous and would still like to contribute, you may donate to rbox directly or myself directly. Big thanks to the following people for their contributions:
James P. $9.41 ($10 donation – $0.59 PayPal fee)
Robert N. $9.41 ($10 donation – $0.59 PayPal fee)
Curtis R. $9.41 ($10 donation – $0.59 PayPal fee)
Carlos B. $9.41 ($10 donation – $0.59 PayPal fee)
Nathan S. $9.41 ($10 donation – $0.59 PayPal fee)
Eric K. $9.41 ($10 donation – $0.59 PayPal fee)
Larry S. $9.31 ($10 donation – $0.69 PayPal fee)
Marius G. $9.31 ($10 donation – $0.69 PayPal fee)
Alvaro A. $5.00 ($5 donation – $0.00 PayPal fee)
Dave W. $4.55 ($5 donation – $0.45 PayPal fee)
Jack M. $4.55 ($5 donation – $0.45 PayPal fee)
Tony D. $4.55 ($5 donation – $0.45 PayPal fee)
Driessle B. $4.50 ($5 donation – $0.50 PayPal fee)
Rick B. $2.61 ($3 donation – $0.39 PayPal fee)
Omar M. $2.61 ($3 donation – $0.39 PayPal fee)
William H. $2.61 ($3 donation – $0.39 PayPal fee)
Christopher B. $1.62 ($2 donation – $0.38 PayPal fee)
Lukas K. $1.62 ($2 donation – $0.38 PayPal fee)
After a surprisingly short delay, Rbox has figured out the issue with his initial version of this ROM and has released a new fixed version. Rest assured, Rbox says he knows exactly what went wrong with the first release and is confident this version will not have the same issue. Several people , including myself, have already installed it and are reporting that everything is working as expected. Rbox wanted me to pass on his thanks to the AFTVnews community for all the donations we sent to help replace his bricked Fire TV. Bravo to everyone who helped out.
As always, you can download the new release from the ROM page at AFTVnews.com/roms. Be aware that Rbox’s Boot Menu is now required to install this and future versions. Remember, your Fire TV needs to already be rooted to install any pre-rooted ROM and you can follow my guide to install this via ClockworkMod Custom Recovery.
With the recent advent of a partially unlocked bootloader, we now have the ability to install custom kernels on the Amazon Fire TV. Custom kernels increase the possibility of bricking, so it’s more important than ever that we have a reliable way of booting into recovery to fix any issues that may arise from modifying the Fire TV. That’s why Rbox, the developer behind numerous Fire TV mods, has created a boot menu which allows you to choose whether you want to boot into recovery or normally boot the currently installed kernel. Read more ›
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