- Amazon has been hit with a new class action lawsuit for tying old Fire TV Sticks
- It accuses the company of limiting vital software support, forcing users to upgrade
- The lawsuit also alleges that Amazon did not 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 become unusable – all while promoting their ‘instant’ streaming capabilities.
The lawsuit was filed by California-based plaintiff Bill Merewhuader, who accused the tech giant of “walling off” its first- and second-generation Fire TV Stick models as a way to force users to upgrade to its more expensive options, as reported by Top Class Actions. Essentially, older models have been diminished in functionality even though the hardware has been untouched, resulting in slow performance, lagging and delayed responses.
What does the lawsuit allege?
In his claim, Merewhuader recounts his own experience buying two second-generation Fire TV Sticks in 2018. He says he started experiencing performance issues just a few years into owning them, and eventually felt compelled to upgrade to a newer, more expensive model in 2024 after the devices became unusable — effectively blaming Amazon for “software tethering.”
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This refers to the usability of a device that relies on software updates staffed by the company that publishes them to ensure a high level of performance. By ending this support, companies can prematurely cut a device’s lifespan to force consumers to upgrade. Merewhuader has accused Amazon of making this the first generation device as early as 2022, and ending support for the second generation soon after, despite Amazon’s claim that software support would continue until 2024.
In addition, Merewhuader says Amazon never disclosed information that said software support could be discontinued when the company originally marketed the devices as offering “instant” entertainment across a wide range of content from top streaming services — which the plaintiff says was the main reason customers bought the devices in the first place.
Overall, the lawsuit centers on two things. The first was the act of software tethering and the second was the fact that no one was being told the truth about the lifespan of the devices, which risks jeopardizing user confidence. As a result, Merewhuader is seeking to take his case nationwide in hopes that Amazon will compensate users in his position as laws tighten to prevent future software tethering.
Amazon has not publicly addressed the lawsuit, but we’ll update this story when we know more.
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