A California man has filed a class action lawsuit accusing Amazon of intentionally slowing or disabling older Fire TV Sticks after ending software support, while encouraging customers to upgrade to newer models.
The lawsuit, filed in California state court by plaintiff Bill Merewhuader on Tuesday, targets Amazon over its first- and second-generation Fire TV Sticks released in 2014 and 2016.
The complaint says Amazon promoted the devices as a quick way to stream services like Prime Video and Netflix, but later stopped providing key software updates needed to keep them working properly. Both Amazon.com Inc. and Amazon.com Services LLC are named as defendants.
Merewhuader claims Amazon stopped providing updates for first-generation devices in December 2022 and ended support for second-generation models in March 2023.
This decision caused performance problems, including severe lag, buffering, and in some cases complete inoperability, described in the filing as “bricking,” where the hardware remains intact, but the device can no longer function as intended, according to the complaint.
The suit argues that Amazon did not adequately disclose the limited lifespan of software support at the time of purchase. It also alleges the company failed to warn consumers that essential features could degrade or be removed after updates ended. Instead, the suit claims, affected users were left without refunds or repair options and were effectively pushed toward purchasing newer Fire TV Stick models.
Merewhuader says he personally bought second-generation Fire TV Sticks in 2018 but experienced significant performance issues within a few years, leading him to replace them in 2024.
The lawsuit seeks to represent a nationwide class of Fire TV Stick buyers and to recover damages, restitution and other relief, including an order to stop the alleged conduct, reimbursement of legal fees, and a requirement that Amazon compensate affected customers.
The Independent has contacted Merewhuader’s lawyers and Amazon for comment.
