Which Fire TV Sticks Can Still Sideload? Vega OS Explained

Most Fire TV devices can still sideload apps, but two can't: the Fire TV Stick 4K Select (2025) and the second-generation Fire TV Stick HD (2026). Both run Amazon's new Vega OS, which doesn't run Android apps and only installs what's in the Amazon Appstore. Since most IPTV players, TiviMate included, aren't in the Appstore, those two sticks are a poor choice for IPTV. And Amazon has said every future Fire TV Stick will run Vega too.

Here's how to check what you have, what still works on each type, and what to buy if you're shopping now.

What changed

For over a decade, every Fire TV ran Fire OS, Amazon's version of Android. Because it was Android underneath, you could install Android apps from outside the Appstore, which is called sideloading. That's how people installed players like TiviMate, Kodi and many others.

In October 2025, Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick 4K Select with a new, Linux-based system called Vega OS, and updated its developer site to say: "Starting with Fire TV Stick 4K Select, all future Fire TV Sticks will run on Vega." The second-generation Fire TV Stick HD followed in 2026. On these devices there's no Developer options route, no Downloader and no ADB installs. It's Appstore or nothing (AFTVnews).

Which Fire TVs can sideload?

Older discontinued sticks (the original 4K, Lite, 3rd-gen Stick) also run Fire OS, though some are too slow to be pleasant for IPTV today.

How to check your own device in 30 seconds

Go to Settings > My Fire TV > About and look at the software line.

• Fire OS with a version starting 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 14: you can sideload.
• Just OS with a version starting 1: it's Vega.

Shopping and can't check the menu? Two shortcuts from AFTVnews: any Fire TV Stick with "Select" in the name is Vega. The new Vega-based HD stick has rounded corners, Wi-Fi 6 and "Fire TV" printed on the stick itself, which is how you tell it apart from the 2024 HD stick.

Can you get around it?

No. We'd love to give you a trick, but there isn't one. Vega doesn't run Android apps, so even if you could get an APK file onto it, there's nothing to run it. The old workarounds (Downloader, ADB from a computer, apps like Apps2Fire) all rely on Android underneath. Anyone selling a "jailbroken" 4K Select is selling you something that doesn't exist.

What does work on a Vega OS Fire TV

Vega has the big-name streaming apps: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and the like. Reviewers have pointed out the catalogue is still much smaller than on Fire OS devices, and some general-purpose apps, including Kodi and simple file browsers, aren't there. Before relying on a Vega stick for live TV, search its Appstore for your specific service. Availability also varies by country.

So if your service is one of those big apps, a Vega stick is fine. If your service gave you an M3U link or Xtream Codes login, you need a playlist player, and a Vega stick can't give you one.

Already bought one? Your options

1. Return it if you're still inside the return window, and get a 4K Plus, 4K Max or a Google TV device instead.
2. Keep it for the big apps and use it in a bedroom or for Netflix, and put a sideload-capable device on your main TV.
3. Use the free legal services in its Appstore. Our list of the best free live TV apps covers the ones worth installing.

What to buy for IPTV now

If you like Fire TV: buy a Fire TV Stick 4K Plus or 4K Max while they're still sold, and check the box or listing doesn't say "Select". Then follow our Firestick IPTV setup guide.

If you want the least hassle: get a Google TV streaming device. It runs Android apps from Google Play, and TiviMate is right there in the store. No developer options, no Downloader, no typing addresses with a remote. Even AFTVnews, a site devoted to Fire TV, suggests Google TV to readers who want flexibility. We compare the platforms in Firestick vs Apple TV vs Android TV for IPTV.

If you're in the Apple world: Apple TV 4K with UHF or IPTVX works well and never needed sideloading. See the best IPTV player for every device.

Will Amazon kill sideloading on older Fire TVs?

There's no sign of it. In 2026 a bug in Fire OS 7 and 8 made the "Install unknown apps" list show up empty or incomplete, so Downloader seemed to have vanished, and a lot of people assumed Amazon had banned sideloading. Amazon said it was a bug and pushed a fix through an automatic settings update (AFTVnews). If you still don't see Downloader in that list, restart the device and wait a minute on the home screen before opening the menu.

The longer-term direction is clear, though. New Fire TV Sticks will be Vega, and AFTVnews expects Fire TV smart TVs and the Cube to follow eventually. If sideloading matters to you, factor that in when you next upgrade.