yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire TV General] Jik Sey:
Thanks for the work on this launcher. I have a new Fire TV Cube 2019 and this makes it a lot more usable. Do people recommend disabling Amazon updates for this device?

Thanks for any advice on this
[Fire TV General] scope666:
Yeah, at this point my only option might be rooting it and flashing a custom ROM... ugh.
[Fire TV General] wolf45801:
Anyone have luck getting launcher manager working on the new fire stick max 2nd gen running 8.1.0.2 and able to get custom launcher working?
[Fire TV General] Simon_QI:
Have you try Luncher Manager 1.1.9? It works for my 2nd gen fire tv 4k max. Can't remember running OS version.

Downloads – CWTEK

cwtek.co.uk
[Fire TV General] wolf45801:
Yes I tried that and 1.18 that was posted in this discussion
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
I was blocking updates on my Fire stick Lite using Adguard. I used my VPN which disables Adguard but I forgot to reenable Adguard afterwards and the latest updates have downloaded and are ready to install. In the past I've run TDUK's Update Wiper app to remove updates that have not yet been installed but now when I try it says 'Cannot clear data for a protected package'. I get the same message when I try to run the adb command in Launcher Manager mentioned earlier in this thread. I'm worried that if these updates are installed I will lose Launcher Manager. Any help as to how to remove the downloaded updates would be greatly appreciated.
[Fire TV General] 2019apk:
I need urgent help. I share hotspot through my phone. Using NetShare (creates local VPN) On firestick I have installed AdGuard. If I activate adguard it also creates a VPN which cause netshare connection to stopped. Is there a work around NOT involving a Router or other hardware. Like Island, shelter or something else??

Perhaps there is a hotspot app that allows for blacklisting ip ??
[Fire TV General] firetvstick:
Thanks for your tutorial! I was able to rename and install it to my device, it works again!

I also share the rename apk in case anyone needs it. Feel free to use it
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
An FYI, the new FireOS update that began rolling out blocks Apps from using ADB. This will break all versions of Launcher Manager, as well as a lot of other 3rd party apps.

The change happens in PS7669/4007. Not sure about FireOS5, 6, 8, but assume the same is coming.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
Well crap. That is likely indicating the end of using FireCube for me. Eventually they will make Prime Video etc not work on lower versions.

I have one cube I have rooted and not allowed to update. The other I accidentally missed though. I know there are a lot of ways in this thread to use DNS to block, but what is the easiest? I do have a Unifi router so can filter with it..

[EDIT] Think I found how to do it with UniFi, pretty easy:

View attachment 6070555

You can batch add the addresses from this:

d1s31zyz7dcc2d.cloudfront.net:80,443-445
amzdigital-a.akamaihd.net:80,443-445
amzdigitaldownloads.edgesuite.net:80,443-445
softwareupdates.amazon.com:80,443-445
updates.amazon.com:80,443-445

That was from a ~2 year old post on aftvnews though - are those still the right addresses?
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
A fix for Amazon now blocking ADB is desperately needed.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
I don't know that there is any point, Amazon has shown they are willing to make things worse for everyone.

If someone posts a fix it will end up on YouTube & AFTVNews in a couple days, then Amazon will have to respond by locking FireOS down even more.
[Fire TV General] Sumgu:
Those are the addresses I've been blocking for some time now and no updates are getting through to my device.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
Thanks for taking the time to cofirm, much appreciated.
[Fire TV General] ptstr:
Btw, I don't always have access to the router when I connect the firetv to the internet, do you think using an app like Blokada and adding these URLs to the ad block blocked URLs will help preventing it from happening? And then use Tasker to help keep Blokada always running, what do you think about this idea? Edit: Actually looks like Blokada comes with two settings "start on boot and keep alive". The question if the app is powerful enough to block root amazon apps from downloading/installing the OS update?

Here is what I found about it for reference:

OTA update block with AdAway (no root)

Edit: WARNING A few reports of AdAway temporarily stopping the service. You could possibly double up with Adguard or a similar connection blocker. But it's not going to be 100%. Router blocking or a Pi-Hole setup is going to be more secure, so...

xdaforums.com

Just want to make sure I did it correctly, I'm using Blokada version 4.15.0 app (should I install a newer version or it's ok?) on my Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) Fire OS 7.6.6.4 (PS7664/3772), and here is what I did:

Went to Ad Blocking, enabled it, then went to "Blocked Hosts" and added there these entries:

d1s31zyz7dcc2d.cloudfront.net

amzdigital-a.akamaihd.net

amzdigitaldownloads.edgesuite.net

softwareupdates.amazon.com

updates.amazon.com

Without any URL prefix like http or https or any colon port :80/:443/:445

as the app wouldn't allow to enter it in that format.

I kept DNS and Blokada Plus features deactivated.

I also enabled the settings "keep alive" and "start on boot". I tested a firetv restart and checked that Blokada was running on boot.

Is this enough to protect me from OTA? Or is there anything else I need to do?

In general, is this method reliable enough and is the Blokada app powerful enough for blocking root amazon apps from downloading/installing the OS?

Could they change the URLs somehow without me getting a newer OS version? Or those URLs hardcoded in the OS version I have right now? Or they never change these URLs?

Thank you.
[Fire TV General] Sumgu:
I'm just a putz and I don't have definitive answers for you, but I can tell you what has been working for me.

I am running two pi-hole instances (a primary and a back up). Both of them have have two anti-Amazon block lists (in addition to the usual suspect block lists) installed and running. Those lists are:

https://perflyst.github.io/PiHoleBlocklist/AmazonFireTV.txt

and

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hagezi/dns-blocklists/main/domains/native.amazon.txt

Then on my Fire Stick I have NetGuard v2.327 running with the standard five domains being blocked:

d1s31zyz7dcc2d.cloudfront.net

amzdigital-a.akamaihd.net

amzdigitaldownloads.edgesuite.net

softwareupdates.amazon.com

updates.amazon.com

I installed the NetGuard apk on my Fire Stick as a precaution for the times when I suspend blocking on pi-holes to access websites that just won't load with the pi-holes running. That happens fairly infrequently and usually only for a few minutes, but I didn't want to take any chances.

So far this combination has been working for me. Since my FS can't talk to Amazon's update sites I believe that it will remain safe even if Amazon changes sites in the future. But as I mentioned before I'm just a putz...
[Fire TV General] Tukufu52:
I'm having the same issue doing a friends 4K Max 2nd Gen. Glad I'm seeing this post.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
You're certainly not alone. I've decided I'm done with Amazon. No doubt sideloading will be blocked soon. Lots of Fire stick users are looking for alternatives. Walmart ONN box looks a good option and is now available here in the UK (ironically via Amazon) but for much more than the $20 in the US.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
Yeah, if they had Dolby Vision I would try one, but unfortunately they do not.
[Fire TV General] Tukufu52:
I have 2 Fire TV Cubes, 3rd Gen that I did Tem on Root, & their working jus fine. Glad I did that before this happened. Jus didn't expect them to block ADB applications. So now as far as hooking up friends devices, its not gonna be worth it any more, unless someone comes up with something...😒
[Fire TV General] Osh1:
I came across a post that so far blocks amazon's ota update,

Get an update error when I click check updates,

Side load remote adb shell apk from Google play,

Then add script

pm disable-user --user 0 com.amazon.device.software.ota.override pm disable-user --user 0 com.amazon.device.software.ota

Tried on 1st 4k max and 4k with netguard installed,
[Fire TV General] ptstr:
@Pro-me3us @xnappo Does it sound like this method could actually work? Just the adb command by itself without netguard I mean...
[Fire TV General] Osh1:
I just tried it without netguard running and it tried to start a update so sorry seems it was netguard blocking,

I put netguard on a while ago so think it's blocked the updates that locked out adb for some apks,

Sorry for earlier post should have done my testing first,

My 4K max has the 7.6.5.2 software,
[Fire TV General] Dallasdondarrion:
Welp, thought I had blocked Amazon updates with DNS (my router didn’t support the option to do so inherently) but the dreaded 8.1.0.3 update got through on my Max 2nd Gen. Luckily Launcher Manager’s old method is still working and I still see my custom launcher at all times, never seeing the Amazon home screen.

Going to install Netguard now and hopefully that will prevent any future updates.
[Fire TV General] Osh1:
Think on netguard you need to block adepfos think other might be system updates but it will be here in this forum somewhere
[Fire TV General] shaunoleary:
I wouldn't advise everyone to all use the same renamed APK. That will greatly increase the chances that Amazon would detect and block it.
[Fire TV General] piruzinho:
<sorry wrong thread; deleted contents>
[Fire TV General] shaunoleary:
Are you able to set Wolf as the default launcher (ie. Wolf Launcher runs when you press the home button)? If so, how?

BTW you can easily connect to the FireTV with ADB over Wifi, and install apps with 'adb sideload name-of-app.apk'. That may be an easier option than using xplore etc. Works fine for me.
[Fire TV General] soldiersinx:
Just got a 4k max 2nd Gen from amazon. It is 8.1.0.1 (rs8101/1851). I can block and prevent updates with my firewalla.

I tried lm 1.19, using the old way, it pops up with the protection message. Trying the new way does not work either.

Do you guys think buying a fire stick from somewhere like Staples will get one of the unprotected/older firmware firesticks?

I would imagine not a lot of people go there to get one and probably not as up to date compared to getting it straight from Amazon?

Edit: went to Staples and got one. It was the same firmware, but still had the protection on it and new method for home screen button did not work as well.

Edit 2: I went to another Staples. The firmware on this one was 8.1.0.0 (RS8100/1721). I installed lm 1.19. The old method for enabling custom launcher worked. Home button brings up wolf launcher.

Does anyone know how big the update file is? To download apps, I have to unblock the Firestick and reblock it before the update downloads, I noticed it did download around 245mb from one of the update servers, but every time I restart the Firestick, it is still on the same firmware, so I am hoping it actually didn't download the whole thing.

Another question, the block firmware updates option on launcher manager doesn't work, correct? Thanks for all the help.
[Fire TV General] Osh1:
I have netguard on my firesticks blocking adepfos in system settings and think system updates setting,

Mentioned in a post here somewhere,

Whatever you do don't disable netguard if you use it as a download will start and install straight away, at least did on one of mine,
[Fire TV General] soldiersinx:
I use a firewalla gold to block all the Amazon update stuff.

Unfortunately, when I try to go to the app store, one of my firewall rules blocks it. I do not know which one, so I have to do disable the firewall, go and download the app store and download real quick, then re enable it.

It's been working well so far. I think when the update tries to download and is disabled midway, it restarts from the beginning when re-enabled instead of starting where it left off.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
I gotta just recommend UnFi products. It is trivial to block with a UniFi router. The new Cloud Gateway Ultra is great.
[Fire TV General] wolf45801:
There's conflicting stories of what firmware is blocked and what isnt I've noticed. I too just got another firestick 4k max and it's on 8.1.0.1 1851 and I noticed the protection is on it but reading thru the comments there's people saying that 8101 1856 doesn't have the protection
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Personally I wouldn't bother with Fire sticks anymore. Amazon have shown total contempt for their customers with these updates and this is just the start. No doubt side loading will be next to go, sooner rather than later. Voting with our feet is the best advice I can give and to look for alternatives.
[Fire TV General] brackenhill_mob:
Apparently adb access is being turned off now.

Will never buy another Amazon device, and will replace my existing ones come Prime Day or Black Friday with ChromeTV devices.
[Fire TV General] lolwatpear:
Is this even allowed by Google? I'm assuming they agree to to certain things when they license android and I've never seen any android device with adb and/or sideloading disabled. I was assuming that manufacturers were forced to have these options enabled for the consumer.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
There are already a few Amazon devices that have ADB completely disabled, along with sideloading, for some years. I've also heard of other companies having done the same. It's rare, but I doubt it violates any Google agreements.

The ADB feature isn't meant for users, it's a developers tool. Disabling it makes it harder for 3rd parties to develop apps for the device. If the company selling the device doesn't care about 3rd party development they can disable it.

For larger companies like Netflix, Disney+ etc they can make developer devices with ADB access available upon request if Amazon really wanted to lock things down.

I don't think Amazon will completely disable ADB across all devices unless their is a threat to their business. It's safe to assume that local ADB access was only removed because Launcher Manager was too popular, and they wanted to put an end to the cat & mouse game once and for all.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
But seriously, why? How much $$ can they possibly lose from freaking launcher ads? It is so Metallica 1999.
[Fire TV General] brackenhill_mob:
They don't appear to care much about users. Wait until their own announced OS replaces Android. Then you won't be able to do a thing because it will be closed source.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
The reasoning is probably more along the lines of, this is one small change on a list of small changes, that in sum boost their quarterly revenue by 3% or something like that.

Amazon has been cracking down hard on custom launcher use for more than 2 years. They must have data that shows these sort of actions help their bottom line more than hurt it.

VegaOS is still based on Linux, so they can't make it completely closed source.
[Fire TV General] wolf45801:
Anyone maybe could help me with a problem I did a factory reset on my firestick 4k max and now when I do the update bypass I cant enable developer options any ideas
[Fire TV General] b00ster23:
Thank you @SweenWolf Was able parse thru this thread and have both the launcher and manager running on my FireStick 4k Max (2nd Gen) running FireOS 8.1.0.3!
[Fire TV General] shaunoleary:
Hmmm, that's weird. I'm running 7.6.6.9 on my 4K Max, and it refuses to run Launcher Manager (ABD shell is busy error). How did you manage to do this please?
[Fire TV General] b00ster23:
So, does your device refuse to run the app, or refuse the 'old method?' I would start reading here

[APP][FIRETV][NOROOT] Launcher Manager (Change Launcher without Root)

LAUNCHER MANAGER (FOS 6+) BLOCKED BY AMAZON, USE LAUNCHER MANAGER (MINI) STEPS TO ENABLE CUSTOM LAUNCHER: Before installing version 1.1.8 uninstall any previous version. 1. Download Launcher Manager by clicking or by using short link and...

xdaforums.com

Ensure you repackage the APK so as to not get blocked by big A., and use the new method to bypass the ADB blocks.
[Fire TV General] Osh1:
I tried to decompile LM 1.1.9 apk but I'm unable install after recompiling,

Used an online tool but obviously going wrong somewhere as getting a parsing error,

Any help would welcome,
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
I am also confused. The 'new method' uses ADB, but that was blocked in recent releases. There is no work around?
[Fire TV General] Osh1:
Unfortunately ADB is blocked on my firestick so won't run launch manager,

was hoping that there was a workaround,
[Fire TV General] wolf45801:
I don't know if this has been asked in here or not or discussed but I couldn't find anything, I returned my second firestick 4k max 2nd Gen and got one one 8.1.0.0 and was able to install launcher manager change launcher using old method. My question is would it be possible to access the actual default fire TV setting so I can set volume control on the remote. Right now I can only get bits and pieces thru the launcher manager android settings section
[Fire TV General] Dmitry86:
Hello, could you help me please. I installed "Android TV Home 6.6.2" launcher on my Mi Box S Gen 2 (the default launcher is Google TV Home). The launcher wasn't switched to automatically and I'm looking for a way to do it.

Can I set it in the Launcher manager? The launcher is not listed in "Active Launcher" and If I press the "home" button, like the instruction says, nothing happens.

The device is rooted, USB debug enabled. I use ATV LM 1.0.4 version.
[Fire TV General] BigBrosMo:
I am running v7 of OS. The firewall etc has prevented an os upgrade... but something changed... 1.19 of LM and wolf manager works ... But only after the TV turns on and I hit the home button. Ie the Amazon launcher is there when I turn on the TV but as soon as I hit Home it goes to wolf. How do in I get it to stop loading Amazon launcher when the TV restarts?
[Fire TV General] soldiersinx:
Maybe try the app launch on boot.
[Fire TV General] Selocan20:
Hey there, how can I block Updates on my Fire TV Stick 4K Max Gen2 with 8.1.0.1 and set WolfLauncher as default?
[Fire TV General] Skel40:
Install NetGuard and put adb shell, pm disable-user com.amazon.adep in adb connect
[Fire TV General] BigBrosMo:
No joy :( unless the app I am using to do that doesn't work
[Fire TV General] shaunoleary:
I recently bought a brand new Fire TV Lite (so I now have 2 FTV's the 4K Max on the lounge room TV and the Lite on the bedroom TV). I managed to get Launcher Manager running perfectly on the FTV Lite, which runs 7.6.6.9 firmware. I can also run Mouse Toggle etc with no problems. I assume this would work on a brand new 4K or 4K Max as well. Note you must have a brand new FTV that has never had any firmware updates.

This is how I managed it:​

Before I connected the new FTV Lite for the first time, I made sure the following were blocked on my router:

amzdigital-a.akamaihd.net

amzdigitaldownloads.edgesuite.net

d1s31zyz7dcc2d.cloudfront.net

softwareupdates.amazon.com

updates.amazon.com

Leave these blocked on your router;

never

connect your FTV to the router unless these are blocked. If you do, there is a high chance an update will push through, permanently preventing your access to
​

Connected the FTV Lite for the first time out of the box, and connected to WiFi, and going through setup process.
​

FTV Lite should get stuck indefinitely when trying to search for updates. At this point press and hold BACK and MENU buttons on the remote for a few seconds. Voice Assist menu will appear on the screen. Wait a few seconds, and then press BACK button again to return to setup; it shoudl skip the firmware update process. Continue with the setup (eg logging in to your Amazon account etc).
​

Once you've completed the setup process, and you're at the default FTV menu, go through the normal process of enabling ADB (go to About menu, click 7 times on the firmware version etc.
​

Now you can install Downloader, and use it to install Mouse Toggle, Launcher Manager 1.1.9 etc. and everything should work.
​

VERY IMPORTANT: I can't emphasise enough to

never

unblock the above URLs on your router. If you need to reset your router settings etc., I would recommend to unplug the power to your FTV first. After resetting your router or whatever, make sure the above URLs are blocked before reconnecting your FTV to the network.

Hope this helps!
[Fire TV General] shaunoleary:
The app will run, but any attempts to change launcher return a "Shell is Busy" error message. It seems that ADB debugging is blocked. I've tried to reset the 4K Max, but still the same problem.
[Fire TV General] soldiersinx:
Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to well when I set my firewall to emergency access and my firestick updated. The old home button trick still works, don't know if it will work if I uninstall launcher manager and reinstall.

I might get a secondary firestick at the same store I got the one with the old firmware and my firewall and netguard as a redundancy if I forget again.
[Fire TV General] yigitter:
what is old home button trick?
[Fire TV General] soldiersinx:
There are two options on lm119. For home buttons. One was old way and the other was new way. I don't know the difference between the two. On the old firmware, the old way worked, which seems to be the preferred way to get to use the home button for a custom launcher.
[Fire TV General] SweenWolf:
Workaround for Custom Launcher (will have a 5 second delay while switching)

[ROOT][MANTIS][FIRESTICK 4K] Custom Launcher Support and System Patches

CUSTOM LAUNCHER HANDLER (FIRESTICK 4K) - 6.7.0.2 This is a method to enable certain features disabled/blocked by Amazon, and this method does require TWRP to be installed on the device. This does not require any root access so you don't need to...

xdaforums.com
[Fire TV General] yigitter:
this is working with 5 sec delay but good enough.

just install LM mini apk

and run these commands via adblink

adb shell pm grant com.wolf.minilm android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW

adb shell pm grant com.wolf.minilm android.permission.READ_LOGS

adb shell dumpsys deviceidle whitelist +com.wolf.minilm
[Fire TV General] Dmitry86:
Hello, in Mi devices the Launcher chooser dialog has been cut out and pressing "home" doesn't change anything.

Custom Launcher can be set by the Enable button, but the Launcher is chosen automatically. Disable button doesn't work as there is no dialog. Also I use Google TV Home and Android TV home, neither is shown on the list of available launchers. To switch between them I have to block the other one and whip LM. Could you fix these problems please.

How can I disable it overriding the Settings menu button?
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Really appreciate both this and all your great work over the years. Amazon are now calling your launcher manager harmful so they're blatantly lying. Disgraceful. In the meantime if there are any improved fixes/workarounds they would be most welcome.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
How exactly is Amazon detecting the adb debugger? I was thinking maybe we could trick it by using port forwarding on a router? App sends the data out on one port, but router sends it back on another. We know external debug still works...
[Fire TV General] SweenWolf:
amazon is actually using the adb deamon to check if the address is local or remote. The block is now a part of Android Boot Image instead of Android System Image.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
Do you think it might work then? Sending the data out then back in and port forwarding? Or do you think it has a more sophisticated way of determining 'local'? I don't have a device with the new firmware, so can't try it.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
But why do this? To dare Amazon to completely disable ADB for everyone?
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
Basically yes. To me the latest FW is already broken and unusable. I am managing to block the update for now. Stop-gap until a better box is available.

Amazon need to offer a paid way out of their walled garden.