Some Fire TV Sticks hit by new streaming block - how to check if you are affected (original) (raw)

Owners of Fire TV Sticks are no strangers to warnings about questionable content being blocked, with illegal sports and movie content under constant scrutiny. But now a new alert has surfaced—and this time it’s unrelated to piracy or unauthorised streaming.

As spotted by the eagle-eyed team at AFTV News, this latest issue affects millions of users with older Fire TV devices stuck at the back of televisions.

These Amazon streaming devices, which can't keep pace with the latest updates, are no longer able to access content on the HBO Max platform.

This streaming service recently launched in the UK, offering a large catalogue of shows and films at a relatively low monthly price, starting from £4.99. It includes popular HBO originals, Warner Bros. movies, DC titles, and Discovery reality programming. Its lineup features well-known series such as Euphoria, House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and Succession, along with the full Harry Potter collection.

It's been confirmed that Fire TV devices running Fire OS 5 or earlier are no longer supported, meaning users with these older systems can’t stream HBO Max anymore.

HBO states that its service works across a range of devices—including phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs, and streaming players—but only supports Amazon Fire TV devices running Fire OS 6 or newer.

Among the affected models is the widely used second-generation Fire TV Stick, once one of Amazon’s best-selling streaming devices.

Unlike smartphones or computers, Fire TV Sticks don’t receive major operating system upgrades. This means devices remain locked to the OS version they were originally released with. As a result, users can’t update from Fire OS 5 to a newer version.

For those with older Fire TV Sticks, upgrading to a newer device is now the only way to continue watching HBO Max.

HOW TO CHECK WHAT OS IS RUNNING ON YOUR DEVICE

It's really easy to see what operating system is installed on your Fire TV Stick. Simply head to Settings > My Fire TV > About and look under Software Version. Here you'll see what is installed. If it says Fire OS 5 or earlier you will be blocked from HBO Max.

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