Has Downloader stopped working on your Fire TV Stick? Don’t panic, Amazon isn’t killing sideloading on previous models, and a fix is on the way

Fire TV owners encountered a problem that stopped the sideloading process on certain models, causing fear that Amazon would eliminate sideloading for older devices. However, the issue was merely a bug, and a resolution is expected soon. A dedicated group of Amazon Fire TV Stick enthusiasts enjoys sideloading apps on their devices.

The issue, which persisted for a month, was first detected after Amazon released an update that effectively disabled Downloader, a widely-used sideloading service created by AFTV News. Subsequently, similar services disappeared from the 'Install unknown apps' section in Fire TV settings, typically those capable of installing apps from non-official sources.

Although not every Fire TV device was affected, users became concerned that Amazon was tightening its grip on sideloading. Fortunately, Amazon confirmed that a fix was on the way, stating, "There was a bug in a recent Fire TV Settings update that caused the Install unknown apps list to appear incomplete or empty on some Fire TV devices.

We have identified the cause and a fix will roll out in an upcoming Fire TV Settings update, installed automatically on affected devices over the coming week." The update will be automatically installed on impacted devices and likely arrive as a component update. Users can verify the installation by navigating to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Check for updates.

This update is only relevant to older devices; those running the Vega OS, replacing the Android-based Fire TV OS in newer models, will not have sideloading capabilities.