- Amazon has been hit with a new class action lawsuit for tying up old Fire TV Sticks
- Accuses company of restricting support for vital software, forcing users to update
- The lawsuit also claims that Amazon failed to disclose the true lifespan of the Fire TV Sticks.
Amazon has found itself at the center of a new class-action lawsuit in the US, which claims the company has been quietly stopping software updates as a way to slow down older Fire TV Stick devices until they are unusable, all while advertising its “instant” streaming features.
The lawsuit was filed by Californian plaintiff Bill Merewhuader, who accused the tech giant of ‘locking’ its first- and second-generation Fire TV Stick models as a way to force users to upgrade to its more expensive options, Top Class Actions reported. Essentially, the functionality of older models has been declining even though the hardware has not been modified, resulting in slow performances, lags, and delayed responses.
What does the lawsuit allege?
In his complaint, Merewhuader recounts his own experience purchasing two second-generation Fire TV Sticks in 2018. He says he began experiencing performance issues just a few years after owning them, and eventually felt forced to upgrade to a newer, more expensive model in 2024 after the devices became unusable, effectively blaming Amazon for the “software connection.”
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This refers to the usability of a device, which depends on software updates managed by the company that releases them to ensure a high level of performance. By discontinuing this support, companies can prematurely reduce the lifespan of a device to force consumers to upgrade. Merewhuader accused Amazon of doing this with the first-generation device as early as 2022, and ending support for the second generation shortly after despite Amazon’s claim that software support would continue until 2024.
Additionally, Merewhuader says that Amazon never disclosed information that such software support could be discontinued, as the company initially marketed the devices as those offering “instant” entertainment on a wide variety of content from top streaming services, which the plaintiff claims was the main reason customers purchased the devices in the first place.
In general, the lawsuit focuses on two things. The first is the act of software pinning and the second is the fact that no one was told the truth about the lifespan of the devices, which risks jeopardizing user trust. As a result, Merewhuader is looking to take its case nationwide in the hopes that Amazon will compensate users for their position while also tightening laws to prevent future software pinning practices.
Amazon has not publicly addressed the lawsuit, but we will update this story when we know more.
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