Prime Members: Amazon Fire 4K Plus TV Stick w/ Wi-Fi 6 & AI-Powered Alexa Search $24.99 + Free Shipping

sarcasmogratis

Jun 20, 2026 4:55 AM

15.4K Comments

Joined Feb 2007

sarcasmogratisJun 20, 2026 4:55 AM

15.4K Comments

My quick googling says "Plus" is a gimmick
"cosmetic rebrand of the standard 2nd-generation Fire TV Stick 4K"

I briefly thought this was the "Max" but it's not.

1

Jeckyl13

Jun 20, 2026 6:45 PM

6 Comments

Joined Oct 2018

Jeckyl13Jun 20, 2026 6:45 PM

6 Comments

Quote from sarcasmogratis

:

My quick googling says "Plus" is a gimmick "cosmetic rebrand of the standard 2nd-generation Fire TV Stick 4K" I briefly thought this was the "Max" but it's not.

Nope Google didn't get it right. This is the newest generation with AI,faster processor, and Amazon's new Fire operating system. The down side is actually that you can no longer side load outside apps into this new OP system. I honestly think that is why Amazon has been offering big discounts to the new gen sticks. I have actually been buying the older gen off sites like Woot and putting a few back because I do side load outside apps. Good deal if you don't use outside apps. I have a few of these and they are great so far.

Last edited by Jeckyl13 June 20, 2026 at 11:48 AM.

1

sarcasmogratis

Jun 20, 2026 6:49 PM

15.4K Comments

Joined Feb 2007

sarcasmogratisJun 20, 2026 6:49 PM

15.4K Comments

Quote from Jeckyl13

:

Nope Google didn't get it right. This is the newest generation with AI,faster processor, and Amazon's new Fire operating system. The down side is actually that you can no longer side load outside apps into this new OP system. I honestly think that is why Amazon has been offering big discounts to the new gen sticks. I have actually been buying the older gen off sites like Woot and putting a few back because I do side load outside apps. Good deal if you don't use outside apps. I have a few of these and they are great so far.

I'm seeing
"Date First Available October 15, 2025"
Have there been multiple generations of "Plus"? I really don't keep track of Amazon products

good to know re side load lockout.

Optm

Jun 22, 2026 10:17 PM

1.2K Comments

Joined Nov 2017

OptmJun 22, 2026 10:17 PM

1.2K Comments

Quote from Jeckyl13

:

Nope Google didn't get it right. This is the newest generation with AI,faster processor, and Amazon's new Fire operating system. The down side is actually that you can no longer side load outside apps into this new OP system. I honestly think that is why Amazon has been offering big discounts to the new gen sticks. I have actually been buying the older gen off sites like Woot and putting a few back because I do side load outside apps. Good deal if you don't use outside apps. I have a few of these and they are great so far.

According to Alexa you can still sideload on the Fire OS, which is still on the Plus and Max versions. All future versions of the Fire Stick will be converted to their proprietary Vega OS, which doesn't allow sideloading and currently only supports about 54 of the top 100 Fire TV apps. The Fire Stick Select has already been converted to Vega. The Vega OS seemed mainly for Amazon's benefit, by freeing them from reliance on Google product and allowing Amazon to monetize more content. Though apparently it is somewhat streamlined and somewhat faster with lower memory requirements.

Last edited by Optm June 22, 2026 at 03:20 PM.

jimates

Jun 23, 2026 8:48 AM

1.4K Comments

Joined Apr 2008

jimatesJun 23, 2026 8:48 AM

1.4K Comments

The plus just means it comes with the voice remote instead of the non voice remote. The plus means the same for Roku devices.
This is not the new SELECT device with the Vega OS. You CAN sideload apps to this device. The devices with Vega have a disclaimer clearly posted on the product page saying they can only accept apps from the Amazon app store.
Fire TV Stick 4K Select ($17.99) and the Fire TV Stick HD ($15.99) are the ones that cannot accept sideloaded apks.

Last edited by jimates June 23, 2026 at 01:52 AM.

2

VegaTheChosen

Jun 24, 2026 8:33 PM

1.4K Comments

Joined Feb 2007

VegaTheChosenJun 24, 2026 8:33 PM

1.4K Comments

Quote from Jeckyl13

:

Nope Google didn't get it right. This is the newest generation with AI,faster processor, and Amazon's new Fire operating system. The down side is actually that you can no longer side load outside apps into this new OP system. I honestly think that is why Amazon has been offering big discounts to the new gen sticks. I have actually been buying the older gen off sites like Woot and putting a few back because I do side load outside apps. Good deal if you don't use outside apps. I have a few of these and they are great so far.

I have an Onn 4k and era of sideloading apps is pretty cooked. Many of the main players have disappeared in the past few months.

Jul 17, 2026 9:42 PM

2.7K Comments

Joined Apr 2013

View92612Jul 17, 2026 9:42 PM

2.7K Comments

Quote from Optm

:

According to Alexa you can still sideload on the Fire OS, which is still on the Plus and Max versions. All future versions of the Fire Stick will be converted to their proprietary Vega OS, which doesn't allow sideloading and currently only supports about 54 of the top 100 Fire TV apps. The Fire Stick Select has already been converted to Vega. The Vega OS seemed mainly for Amazon's benefit, by freeing them from reliance on Google product and allowing Amazon to monetize more content. Though apparently it is somewhat streamlined and somewhat faster with lower memory requirements.

Looks like Plus version being sold now can no longer sideload: (2026 version)
I saw a pop up with an upgrade price of $15 so I checked and got this:
No, you cannot sideload apps on the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus. This newest model (2026 release) has restricted sideloading for security reasons—you can only install apps from the Amazon Appstore.

Optm

Jul 17, 2026 10:23 PM

1.2K Comments

Joined Nov 2017

OptmJul 17, 2026 10:23 PM

1.2K Comments

Quote from View92612

:

Looks like Plus version being sold now can no longer sideload: (2026 version)
I saw a pop up with an upgrade price of $15 so I checked and got this:
No, you cannot sideload apps on the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus. This newest model (2026 release) has restricted sideloading for security reasons—you can only install apps from the Amazon Appstore.

Just re-checked with Alexa and it insists that the Plus is still the Fire OS and that it can still sideload.

Jul 18, 2026 12:02 PM

2.7K Comments

Joined Apr 2013

View92612Jul 18, 2026 12:02 PM

2.7K Comments

Quote from Optm

:

Just re-checked with Alexa and it insists that the Plus is still the Fire OS and that it can still sideload.

Thanks... Do you own this stick and can confirm sideloading? I checked Alexa again and it gave uncertain answer now.
I found the following review and wonder if it is true:

1.0 out of 5 stars Flop device. No sideloading allowed
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2025
You can't sideload apps anymore. It's blocked in the firmware and OS. Amazon is removing all the truthful negative reviews about this device. Do the math

Optm

Jul 18, 2026 10:45 PM

1.2K Comments

Joined Nov 2017

OptmJul 18, 2026 10:45 PM

1.2K Comments

Quote from View92612

:

Thanks... Do you own this stick and can confirm sideloading? I checked Alexa again and it gave uncertain answer now.
I found the following review and wonder if it is true:

1.0 out of 5 stars Flop device. No sideloading allowed
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2025
You can't sideload apps anymore. It's blocked in the firmware and OS. Amazon is removing all the truthful negative reviews about this device. Do the math

No, i don't own it, just saying what Alexa said. But as long as it uses FireOS, which it insists it does, you should be able to sideload. I bought a Max which came yesterday, but haven't installed it yet. I don't sideload myself, but wanted to buy the Max before the next version of the Max comes out, which will have Vega OS which doesn't support sideloading, but what mattered to me was that the Vega supposedly will support a lot fewer apps.

Jul 19, 2026 9:00 PM

2.7K Comments

Joined Apr 2013

View92612Jul 19, 2026 9:00 PM

2.7K Comments

Quote from Optm

:

No, i don't own it, just saying what Alexa said. But as long as it uses FireOS, which it insists it does, you should be able to sideload. I bought a Max which came yesterday, but haven't installed it yet. I don't sideload myself, but wanted to buy the Max before the next version of the Max comes out, which will have Vega OS which doesn't support sideloading, but what mattered to me was that the Vega supposedly will support a lot fewer apps.

Thanks. I bought the 4K Plus version and can confirm it does have the developer option to allow sideloading. For $15 it's very much worth it to upgrade my 6 years old 4K fire tv stick. It comes with a bonus XGP Ultimate too.

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