What you need to know
- A lawsuit was recently filed alleging that Amazon engaged in “software tethering”, which causes a device’s core functions to be lost when support ends.
- The plaintiffs behind the lawsuit say they were forced to buy an entirely new Fire TV Stick in 2024 after purchasing the first one in 2018, stating that Amazon could “shorten” the lifespan of the device at will.
- There has been no further comment regarding this lawsuit.
Amazon is reportedly facing a class action lawsuit in April regarding its older Fire TV Sticks and their performance.
highlighted by top class actionThe lawsuit alleges that Amazon engaged in “software tethering,” meaning that when software support is cut off, Fire TV Stick first and second generation products will also be cut off (via CNET). Adding to this, the lawsuit states that it is within Amazon’s control to “limit or disable” features after a purchase. He argues that this may reduce the overall functionality of the Fire TV Stick.
The driving force behind this lawsuit is plaintiff Bill Merewhuder. The plaintiffs argue that Amazon not only “limited” the performance of its product, but also failed to mention that its product’s functionality could be “eliminated” before the end of its “useful life.” As a result, Merevhuder says his device slowed down dramatically and eventually became “inoperable.” After purchasing the Fire TV Stick 2nd-gen in 2018, Merewhuder says he was forced to purchase another iteration in 2024 after the previous generation “fell into disuse.”
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Android Central’s Tech
I’m curious to see where this goes. There’s a joke that family members tell, which is that when an appliance starts working that you’ve had for a long time, it’s because the company that made it wants you to upgrade it. There are a lot of moving parts in something like this. There are allegations, and then what actually happened. If Amazon is found guilty of this, will that cause us to look at every device differently?
At this time, the lawsuit reportedly seeks to force Amazon to compensate all consumers affected by the sudden drop in Fire TV Stick first and second generation models. As CNET mentions, older ones (such as first-generation models) wear out/obsolete over time, causing them to slow down or lose functionality. It is not yet clear how this lawsuit between the plaintiffs and Amazon will play out.
Android Central has contacted Amazon about this lawsuit and will update this article if we hear back.
Where to go from here?
It’s interesting to see where this goes, as the plaintiffs suggest that the devices themselves didn’t come apart, but rather something under the hood caused them to falter sooner than expected.
While we wait to see what happens with this lawsuit that began earlier this year, Amazon laid off 16,000 workers in another massive wave of lockdowns. This came just months after the company laid off 14,000 people in October 2025. Shortly afterward, Amazon’s Beth Galetti said that these layoffs “will not become a regular occurrence.” Despite Galetti’s words, Amazon has a history of large-scale layoffs, such as cutting 10,000 jobs around the holidays in 2022 and 18,000 jobs in 2018.
Additionally, late last year, Amazon began cracking down on piracy apps in Fire TV, even those that users sideloaded. It says it is intended to “protect both media creators and users from malware and fraudulent apps.” Such restrictions had already begun to be implemented in France and Germany; However, it has since expanded globally.
