Amazon is bringing Android app sideloading back to Fire TV devices, with a catch

Credit: Cory Gunther / How-To Geek Published Sep 15, 2026, 12:36 PM EDT Jon is a seasoned journalist who has written definitive coverage of consumer tech at publications like Engadget, Android Authority, and BetaKit. He's an expert on making tech accessible ranging from mobile and PCs to emerging platforms like wearables. When he's not writing, he's going on adventures with ihis family and is an avid photographer. Sign in to your How-To Geek account If you abruptly lost Android app sideloading on your Fire TV device last fall, you can relax. Amazon now says a future update will restore sideloading on affected hardware, with a caveat. The company tells AFTV News in a statement that a flaw in a Fire TV Settings update led to the "Install unknown apps" list either missing apps or losing them entirely. The company hasn't outlined the cause, but promises that a fix will automatically deploy in an "upcoming" Settings update rolling out over the next week. The bug hasn't affected all Fire TV devices, and didn't apply to certified third-party app stores. However, enough owners complained that some suggested Amazon had intentionally blocked sideloading to push Prime Video and other major services. This appear to have been a mistake, although it's not clear why it took months to identify and fix the error. Android app sideloading on Fire TV is still going away Newer devices aren't running Android The fix will be appreciated if you routinely use apps that aren't present in Amazon's official catalog, such as VLC's local video player or file management tools. Fire TV devices have never had official access to the Google Play Store, so their selection has been limited. Just don't expect sideloading to last for much longer. Amazon started moving its devices from customized Android to its in-house Vega OS with the release of the Fire TV Stick 4K Select in 2025, and new models (including this year's Fire Stick TV HD) will use it going forward. While Vega OS is more efficient, it effectively rules out Android sideloads. If you want to continue running sideloaded Android apps in the living room, you'll have to move away from Fire TV and toward other Android-based devices that support the functionality, such as the Google TV Streamer and numerous TV sets from brands like Sony. While more expensive, they'll offer more freedom than most competing products.