Amazon Hit With Lawsuit Alleging Fire TV Sticks Were Intentionally Disabled

Amazon is facing a class action lawsuit in California that accuses the company of allowing older Fire TV Stick devices to deteriorate in performance in order to push customers toward purchasing newer models, as reported by The New York Post.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this month in California state court, claims Amazon effectively rendered its first- and second-generation Fire TV Stick devices unusable by ending software support and updates.

According to the complaint, the company “bricked” the devices, leaving users with malfunctioning remotes and limited functionality.

Amazon is being sued for allegedly making your old Fire TV Stick nearly unusablehttps://t.co/BFK867HFrr

— Siskolegal (@Sisko_legal) April 15, 2026

The first-generation Fire TV Stick was released in 2014, followed by the second-generation version in 2016.

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Both devices allowed users to stream content from services such as Amazon Prime and Netflix by connecting the device to a television’s HDMI port.

The lawsuit alleges that Amazon stopped providing software updates for the first-generation devices in December 2022 and discontinued support for second-generation models in March 2023.

As a result, customers began reporting issues with device performance, including remotes that no longer functioned properly, slower response times, and increased buffering during streaming.

Plaintiff Bill Merewhuader, a California resident, said he purchased a second-generation Fire TV Stick from Best Buy in 2018.

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According to the complaint, the device’s declining software performance eventually made the remote “inoperable,” leading him to purchase a newer model in 2024.

The suit alleges that Amazon did not offer refunds or provide alternative solutions for affected customers, instead leaving them with limited options beyond replacing their devices.

It further claims the company failed to disclose that software support could be discontinued at any time, which the lawsuit characterizes as deceptive marketing.

Amazon has not publicly responded to the allegations and did not immediately provide a comment following a request from The Post.

Since the release of the earlier Fire TV models, Amazon has introduced several newer versions, including the Fire TV Stick 4K Select and Fire TV Stick 4K Plus.

These devices, launched last year, are typically priced between $40 and $50, though the company frequently offers discounts.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and aims to establish nationwide class action status.

The claims also come as federal regulators continue to review industry practices related to product support and software updates.

In a November 2024 staff report, the Federal Trade Commission raised concerns about manufacturers ending software support without clearly informing consumers.

“Manufacturers’ failure to disclose the duration of their software support commitments warrants further consideration by policymakers and law enforcers,” the FTC said in the report.

“Manufacturers marketing a device as having certain features and then subsequently failing to provide software updates needed to maintain those features raises concerns about consumer harm resulting from deceptive practices,” the report stated.

Amazon sued for allegedly sabotaging Fire TV Sticks to force users to upgrade Amazon is facing a bombshell class action lawsuit accusing the tech giant of purposely letting the software in Fire TV Stick devices peter out so customers would buy newer vers… https://t.co/EQiGMaFkrx pic.twitter.com/Qdn3Snm8yB

— UnfilteredAmerica (@NahBabyNahNah) April 15, 2026

The agency also noted that it “may be a deceptive practice” if companies do not disclose how long they intend to provide necessary updates for products covered by warranties. The FTC declined to comment further on the case.

The outcome of the lawsuit could have implications for how companies communicate product lifespans and software support policies to consumers.

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