Anyone with an old Fire TV Stick plugged into their television might need to upgrade this week. It’s been confirmed that one of the most popular streaming services on the planet will stop working on several devices within days. Yes, Netflix is about to be blocked, and the change will come into force on June 3.
Now, before you get too concerned about losing access to shows such as Drive to Survive, Adolescence, and Bad Thoughts, this update only affects certain Fire devices released in 2014.
That means, as long as you have something relatively new in your home, you should be OK.
“Netflix will be discontinuing support for some first-generation Fire TV devices, which were introduced more than 10 years ago. Netflix remains available on all other Fire TV devices,” the company recently confirmed.
Here is the full list of affected Sticks.
• Amazon Fire TV Stick (2014)
• Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote (2014)
• Amazon Fire TV (2014)
Amazon hasn’t given a specific reason for this surprise decision. However, some experts have suggested that the ban could be due to something called AV1 codec.
This video platform is part of the more expensive Netflix Premium plans and offers a higher picture quality.
Sadly, this standard is not supported by the 2014 Fire TV Sticks.
Clearly, Netflix doesn’t want customers paying for something they then can’t access, and it seems this could be the reason why the app is being taken offline on those older Sticks.
To determine which Fire TV device you have, simply navigate to Settings > My Fire TV > About on your Fire TV
If yours is on the list below and you love Netflix, then it’s time for an upgrade.
• Amazon Fire TV Stick (2014)
• Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote (2014)
• Amazon Fire TV (2014)
There are now a range of new Fire devices including the premium 4K Max which not only features a fast processor and Wi-Fi 6E access but also Amazon’s Ambient Experience which transforms your TV into an ever changing work of art.