this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2024
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Honestly it's just a glorified Google TV with a nicer remote. I feel like the only Fire TV device that might be interesting enough to consider buying would be the Fire Cube or the Fire Recast but IDEK if they still work anymore.
While based on Google TV, they lock down the OS, control the app store, and force their apps. You're in their walled garden and it's a pain to break out in any meaningful way.
Hmm...well it's been a couple years since I used my Fire Stick but I remember being able to sideload Android TV apps on there just like I can now with my Google TV device.
If I recall you still can through ADB, but it's a pain and they started locking that down too. Ad blocking VPN (at least the one I tried) didn't work.
There was a big update about a year ago that very clearly sent the message "this device will show what we want you to see."
Ah, that doesn't shock me. Yeah I left when they started like disabling custom launchers or something, and I realized getting a Google TV would be easier than getting around that restriction.