- HBO Max now requires Fire OS 6 or later on Fire TV devices
- Some Fire OS 5 devices were sold in 2020
- Fire OS has been replaced by Vega OS on newer devices
If you have a Fire TV device from 2020 or earlier, you may lose access to the HBO Max app; It only affects you if your device is running Fire OS 5, but it’s still estimated to be “millions” of people, potentially.
The news comes via AFTVnews, which discovered that the HBO Max app support page has been updated and details Fire OS 6 as the oldest supported version of Amazon’s TV operating system.
That’s bad news if you have the older operating system, because while Amazon offers software updates for existing hardware, it almost never updates the operating system version.
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AFTVnews notes that “this likely leaves millions of Fire TV devices still in use with no way to access one of the most popular streaming services.”
That means that if you have one of the affected devices and are waiting for the one game of Thrones The split comes next, it’s time to buy a newer model.
What does HBO Max say about Fire TVs?
HBO isn’t the only streamer to stop supporting older Fire TV devices. Netflix stopped supporting first-generation Fire TV devices in 2025 because the streamer now relies on video formats those devices don’t support.
You can see the list of devices supported by HBO Max here, and under Amazon Fire TV it says “Amazon Fire TV devices with Fire OS 6 or later [or] Vega OS 1 or later. This includes Fire TV Stick devices, Fire TV Cube, Echo Show devices, and Smart TVs with Fire TV built-in.”
Fire OS 5 is on Fire TV products sold between 2015 and 2020, including the second-generation Fire TV device. It was a big seller, so the removal of HBO support will affect many people’s devices.
From Amazon’s perspective, updating the operating system on older devices isn’t always the best policy: Newer operating systems are designed for newer hardware, and that can mean problems bringing new versions to devices they weren’t designed for.
And getting people to buy new models not only allows Amazon to sell you a new Fire Stick with its new and preferred Vega operating system: it also means moving people to a version of the product that cannot be used for side download or unreliable free streaming.
At the time of publication, deals on newer Fire TV devices (or Roku devices, if you’re feeling a little Fire TV burned) aren’t widespread, but they’re common, so keep your eyes open if you need an upgrade.
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