TL;DR
- A Fire TV bug caused Downloader and similar apps to disappear from the Install unknown apps list, blocking APK installs for some users.
- Amazon says the issue was caused by a recent Fire TV Settings update and is not a new sideloading restriction.
- A fix is coming and should restore the missing permission controls.
Google’s new sideloading process has already stirred plenty of frustration among Android users. Amazon added to the unease when its Vega OS-powered Fire TV Stick HD warned buyers that they couldn’t install apps from unknown sources. So when Downloader suddenly stopped working for some Fire TV owners, it was easy to suspect another sideloading crackdown. But Amazon says it was a bug, and a fix is coming.
AFTVnews spotted the problem last month after users found that Downloader and similar apps had disappeared from the “Install unknown apps” list in Fire TV settings. That’s where you give an app permission to install downloaded APKs. Without Downloader on the list, users couldn’t grant it the permission needed to install an app.
