Man behind essential 'dodgy' Fire Stick app issues warning to users
Tech companies are continuing to clamp down on those who are accessing their content illegally, with the latest update seeing a vital app removed from the store.
Amid the rising prices of streaming services, particularly for football fans who are forced to pay for a wide range of platforms in order to access every game, it's no surprise that more and more people are seeking out illegal methods of getting their TV fix.
Understandably, big bosses at the likes of Sky, the BBC and Amazon are far from happy about the sheer amount of people who are accessing their services for free, with Sky recently teaming up with police in the UK in the hope of ending illegal streams for good.
We've already seen several strict punishments handed out to anyone who has been found to be supplying illegal streams but recent developments suggest that things are about to get a lot harder for anyone who has access to a 'dodgy' fire stick.
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Owners of the Amazon device have been using the technology to essentially 'jailbreak' TVs and use apps to connect to unauthorised streams and content, often for free or at a significantly reduced cost.
However, the owner of the app Downloader, which is supposedly vital to dodgy fire stick owners accessing the illegal content, has now issued a warning after his app was blocked and removed from the store.
Elias Saba suggests that his service, which has long offered Amazon users the opportunity to download other apps that aren't available via official marketplaces, has been handed a 'temporary suspension' after Amazon classified it as a web browser.
The message states: “Amazon restricts the publication of third-party browser apps on Fire tablets and Fire TV devices.”
Saba has now spoken to the Express about his app being blocked, while also issuing a warning about a copycat service which could scam users out of a monthly fee.
"Since Downloader on Fire TVs has had a built-in browser for over nine years, I suspect the issue isn’t the browser itself, but that the app now registers itself as a browser," Saba explained.
"I’ve submitted a v2.0.2 update for Downloader to Amazon that no longer registers itself as a browser, which matches the behaviour it previously had. I’m hopeful that Amazon will approve this version and restore Downloader in the Amazon Appstore. The update was submitted this morning, and it usually takes Amazon a few days to test and approve submissions."
Users might have noticed a new app called 'Downloader for Fire, Browser' but Saba urged people not to download that in any circumstances and asked people to report it as a scam, suggesting it was tricking people into paying $6.99 per week.
James Moorhouse