yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Fire TV General] virtuacool:
Have you tried uninstalling LM and reinstalling.

Use post version #1,461

Then make sure you follow the steps correctly in:

Custom Launcher For FireOS 6+ Device (2023 Method) | TechDoctorUK

www.techdoctoruk.com

It's strange the problems you have, considering you already have FireOS7.

In previous versions there are problems with ADB (only one service/applications can use ADB at a time. In FireOS7 this is no longer a problem)

Try to reinstall LM, reconfigure the script and let's see how it behaves.
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
@virtuacool, seems we think alike, I did that exact thing an hour ago. Fully uninstalled and reinstalled the latest so, I’m going to have to wait a couple of days to be completely sure I’ll keep you guys updated. Fingers crossed.

Question, what’s the difference between LM 1.1.8 and the NPN version?
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
OK, I started back from scratch downloaded LM new Package.

Used script from TechdoctorUK.

Followed everything you posted perfectly. This will be a good test and I will know in the next couple of days. Thanks for making the effort and pointing me in the right direction.
[Fire TV General] virtuacool:
It is written in the post itself.

Since the package "com.wolf.lm" was flagged on the blocklist by Amazon (AdepFOS), SweenWolf

changed the package name to "com.wolf.lm1" to bypass the blocklist.

NPN = (New Package Name)

Your problem will not be for this, but just to make sure we are on the same versions.
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
in that case then, I was using the correct LM. I also was using the correct ADB command.

The only thing new is that I did a full reinstall from scratch. Maybe it was just as simple as that. I’ll report back in a couple of days.

Thanks
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
I used the method as explained by tecldoctoruk, with the script he offered in his video. It worked perfectly on Sunday, 7/16/23. I enjoyed both this and the launch on boot program.

On 7/17 I tried to use my Firestick 4K (6.2.9.7) and had a notification showing. Both Launcher Manager and AdepFOS were marked as incompatible with my device. I didn't copy the exact wording of the notification.

I'm here wondering what to try next.

It occurred to me that if we could all randomly rename the Launcher Manager app, that it would make Amazon's blocking ability near impossible.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Working perfectly on Firestick Lite these past few days. Pressing Home button brings up Wolf launcher instantly with no delay. Still using Adguard Premium to block ota updates for now though as a precaution. Does this new command block updates whilst using a VPN (which in my case obviously disables Adguard)?
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
The ADB loop is being posted about on YouTube and aftvnews, so expect a response from Amazon soon.

There are many ways that Amazon can easily break this workaround, so I suggest using a secondary option to block updates.

It wouldn't be a bad idea for Tasker users to block updates too since it's relying on the same home button mapping method.

The exact message would help. That might just be the normal notification that you get when LM is detected and disabled by AdeptFOS. Reinstall LM and follow the directions

Unless you block updates Amazon will always be able to disable custom launcher use, there's no impossible when they can push out updates to your device.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
Yeah the looped command runs independent of any DNS based blocking, and won't affect what Adguard is doing. Keep using Adguard.
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
Just an observation Netguard and a VPN breaks Netguard and stops blocking.

Not compatible.

"The only way to build a no-root firewall on Android is to use the Android VPN service. Android doesn't allow chaining of VPN services, so you cannot use NetGuard together with other VPN based applications. See also this FAQ."
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
Good point, I might have misunderstood @oldie#1's question. Yeah, I wouldn't solely rely on the looped OTA block command to stop updates.

If you want to use a VPN, and your VPN allows specifying your own DNS server, you can use one of the ones from here that block OTA updates.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Thanks for the info. Yes, my concern was if I use a VPN (mainly for circumventing geo blocking) it disables Adguard which relies on a local VPN. I use Proton free VPN which doesn't have the feature you mention. I'll just continue to be careful when using it and run TDUK 's Update Wiper app immediately after using it and obviously reenable Adguard.

I've noticed that for a few months now updates install when using a VPN if the Firestick goes to sleep, whereas it used to be a 2 stage process whereby updates would be downloaded but wouldn't install without a reboot. Hopefully setting sleep to zero will prevent this.
[Fire TV General] virtuacool:
I emphasize that the loop cleans the "com.amazon.device.software.ota" cache every 10 seconds, which prevents the download of the update file for your firestick.

That's why it's important that the firestick doesn't fall asleep and the script always works.

But don't forget to block the updates with another process, in case this one fails. 😉
[Fire TV General] Dallasdondarrion:
No delay? Damn. I followed everything to a T on my Firestick 4K and I still get 2-4 seconds of delay or so. I also tried the Tasker method but I could not get that to work at all. Starting to wonder if it’s my Firestick that’s the problem considering it seems to work fine for everyone else.
[Fire TV General] Vanmoto:
Firestick 4K 6.2.9.7 Will block Launcher Manager version LM1. I just now blocked Amazon updates but too late to go back to the previous IOS
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
I reinstalled with the latest updated version of the Launcher Manager - with the modified package name.

I had the same problem once again.

How does one disable AdepFOS? And as I said in a prior note - wouldn't it be of value if we could all use a different package name for the apk? I was not able to change the name of the package with my limited knowledge.

I was running the ADB script and also use the DNS that is supposed to block updates. I was not using the Adguard VPN

.

The exact message is

AdepFOS

Launcher Manager has been blocked

Launcher Manager is not compatible with this device

31 min.agoView attachment 5957335
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
Are you getting this message immediately when you install Launcher Manager or after some time?

Try running the ADB command

pm clear com.amazon.adep

That will delete the app block list in AdeptFOS. Then install LM, add the loop command and start it.

AdeptFOS can't be disabled without root, it's a protected package. You can only clear it's data, which is what the looped command does every 10sec.

LM ADB functions break when the package name is changed due to some static code.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Firstly, did you carry out all the steps in TDUK's video, particularly setting sleep to zero?

Secondly, you want the 1.1.8 version of launcher manager from his tutorial page, NOT the latest April 2023 version, which he has now removed since he did the video.
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
It was after a couple of hours that the messages appeared and Launcher Manager was disabled. I will try the pm clear com.amazon.adep ADB command as you suggested.
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
I followed all the steps and did set sleep to 0. I used the version with the newer package name from this thread in message 1461. This was mentioned in post 1665 quoting here "Use post version #1,461"
[Fire TV General] keeepinitgansta:
I created a sh script that clears the various services and then kills them all on a 2 second loop. This is enough to keep wolf launcher active and kill any system update attempts in the process. Pushed it to the /sdcard directory, chmod then set LM 1.1.8 to run it on boot. So far, for the past few days, it's been a success.

Prior, the firestick auto updated to 7.6.4.6 (was on 7.2.x.x) despite having netguard active. Pretty sure it had something to do with the firestick forcing google dns (8.8.8.8) as part of the DNS lineup assigned regardless of any forced dns entries. Netguard + filtering was active but It somehow managed to slip through anyways. Now with the update services being killed every 2 seconds, it doesn't stand a chance, and neither does ADEP to kill LM 1.1.8.

I like my walmart ONN & verizon stream TV devices better, so much easier to deal with altogether.
[Fire TV General] AFTVnews.com:
I'm sorry ahead of time if my post ends up speeding up a response. I've been reading this thread for weeks but deliberately didn't post about the other methods because I knew that would just get the involved apps blacklisted in no time. I also sat on the ADB loop method but figured that once I saw it hit YouTube, the cat was out of the bag and it was ok to post about. Again, sorry if it speeds up the inevitable response but with custom home screens, it's certainly not a question of if Amazon will respond but when and how. Hopefully, this one works for a while at least since it can't just be blacklisted.
[Fire TV General] xnappo:
I, personally, would appreciate it if you wrote an Op-Ed on the desire to have a paid-out for FireTV like we have for Kindle. I would pay.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
In that case don't bother with the clear com.amazon.adep command. The looped command is already doing that for you every 10sec.

After you enter the ADB loop in LM, are you starting the command? Either by tapping on it in the list, or rebooting the Stick? If you don't start the looped command LM will get disabled by AdeptFOS.

There was a post about that default DNS and how to clear it out here that might help.

@AFTVnews.com the looped command was @virtuacool's idea. I'm not crazy about the idea but it is easy to implement and doesn't appear to be disruptive, so I underestimated it's appeal. I still think it's a bad idea to solely rely on it to block updates, but for AdeptFOS it's ok because the stakes are much lower if the loop dies.

If you are taking ideas for articles I think it's time to talk about the fact that FireTV's don't have a proper recovery menu. I can't think of another Android device (streamers included) that doesn't have a proper recovery menu with the ability to clear data and reinstall the firmware in case of corruption. I wouldn't even be surprised if it was against Google's Android use policy to not include this.

This is made worse by the forced updates every 1-2months, which always has a small chance of corrupting the device. Aside from all the wasted time, by users dealing with boot loops, wasted time of Amazon support who are clueless to help in that situation, it results in unnecessary E-waste.

If Amazon can block LM in a matter of weeks, they can implement a working recovery menu after years. But they don't want to. And that needs to be talked about. It's why I would never recommend buying a FireTV television.

And since AFTVnews is the only Amazon focused news site outside of the company I can't think of a more appropriate site to shine some light on this issue.

I'm sure you are aware of the new recovery menu that only has a factory reset option (no firmware reinstall option), but no way to navigate and select factory reset, no way to exit the recovery. This issue is already 9 months old and not fixed after 3-4 updates.
[Fire TV General] keeepinitgansta:
Thanks, I will give this a try!
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
Fire OS 7.6.4.6

50” 4K TV Series 4

A quick update for those watching this. After a clean reinstall of LM, everything seems to be in order. I am able to use the shortcut keys also.

Tested it for a couple of days several times a day turning the TV on and off.

Now, sometimes when I press the home button, there can be glitches, it won’t activate. If I wait a minute and I try again then it works. this does not happen often.

Happy to see it’s working and no more updates are going to happen unless I want to. We should all have the choice.

I appreciate all the help I received, thank you.
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
I did another test two days ago. I had reinstalled Launcher Manager that morning but pulled the power so that it wouldn't be disabled by Amazon. At 7:30 that evening I rebooted it and checked a couple of times. It was fine for a couple of hours. But sometime around 10:45 the Launcher Manager was blocked the same way as I listed above and illustrated with the jpg of the warning notifications.

The only thing that I noticed that might help someone figure this out is that if the Firestick was left with Wolf Launcher on the screen, when I came back to it after an hour or so, the stock Amazon launcher would be running and not Wolf. Hitting home button any time I tried before the 10:45 disabling change would call the stock home screen followed by Wolf Launcer after a few seconds. I know some people are relating that the custom launcher starts immediately and not after a pause.

Again the is a Firestick 4K with the four keys for Disney Hulu, Prime Video and Netflex on the remote. It is running 6.2.9.7. I use the DNS that is supposed to block the updates. 104.254.51.7

The package name is com.wolf.lm1 for Launcher Manager. I do the cut and past to get the ADB command into Launcher Manager.

Yesterday, Techdoctor UK posted a video and link that explains with a step by step the method to install Net Guard which seems similar to the AdGuard that many on this thread use. ADEPFos waa one of the apps that is kept from running and that ran overnight and has prevented my Firestick from reverting to the stock home.

I still don't know why my prior attempts to block ADEPFos failed but the Net Guard solution is best for me at this time. It does prevent my use of a typical VPN and thus any apps that need a UK or Australian or Canadian location to run will not work for me - unless I disable the Net Guard.

(Lucky for me I also have the original 4K Firestick and successfully blocked updates on it before Amazon pushed the firmware that necessitates the Launcher Manager use and ABD commands.. That Firestick is set to hijack the home button with no issues and allows me to use a VPN.)

Thanks for your help here on XDA Developers.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
So much for me saying how well things were working. Turned TV on this morning and no LM. Back to the drawing board guys.
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
You need to uninstall it (I used ES Explorer - Amazon hides it when it disables it) and then do what I mentioned in the post above yours. Inststall Net Guard (per the techdoctorUK video) and it will stop the AdepFOS from disabling Launcher Manager.

I don't know why the more simpler method doesn't disable AdepFOS !! Check post #1691.
[Fire TV General] virtuacool:
You are not doing things right.

Everything is working as expected with several people.

Review the entire process. 👍

First, make sure the firestick doesn't sleep.

Second, always keep LM running in the background.

Third, make absolutely sure the script is well written. All it takes is a space or a wrong character, and it doesn't work.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Everything done by the book. Script copied and pasted (and checked), sleep set to 0, and using Adguard as a second line of defence to block ota and system updates and I've now added AdepFOS. I did use a VPN for a while which disables Adguard but I reenabled Adguard afterwards and also ran TDUK's Update Wiper tool to remove any downloads. Anyway I've reinstalled LM. Hopefully it will remain for longer than last time.

Ps great job by you and the others here to make this possible. If they sold the ONN box here in the UK I'd ditch the Firestiick immediately.
[Fire TV General] officiallyme:
Sorry for the maybe stupid question, but I installed Launcher Manager on all my FTV and ATV devices but I did not find an official download for the actual Wolf Launcher.

I downloaded version 0.1.9 from techdoctor, but is there not a download here?

I would like to make sure I have the latest version :)
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
Because you and I have had what seems to be the same problem I am wondering which Firesitck you have. I have the one with the four dedicated buttons on the bottom and it has 6.2.9.7 for its firmware. It originally had firmware that allowed me to hijack the home button but I when used a VPN it updated.

Thank you.
[Fire TV General] oldie#1:
Firestick Lite 7.6.4.6 so not just an issue with 6xxx
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
Did you by any chance set up the Amazon screen saver. I had it showing our saved pictures that we back up to Amazon and I had just set the screen saver option to never when I saw the TechdoctorUK video about NetGuard. I made both of those changes so I am not sure which one made the most difference but I assumed is was the NetGuard because I had repeatedly seen the AdepFOS disabling Launcher Manager messages in my notifications.
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
oldie#1, you can do this. I am on the same firmware and it’s working fine.

Scrub, rinse and repeat!​
[Fire TV General] virtuacool:
Here we deal with the Launcher Manager. If you got Wolf 0.1.9 from TechDoctorUK then you got it from the right place.🤜🤛
[Fire TV General] NeoNblu:
Wow, I was just sending you encouragement.

ok then, guess you don’t need any help then.
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
@officiallyme 0.1.9 was the last version of Wolf Launcher before Wolf stopped modding the app. An MD5 verified version of v0.1.9 is still posted here

https://xdaforums.com/t/app-firetv-...e-launcher-without-root.4176349/post-85358357

@oldie#1 @martytoo If you don't mind using a second app like Netguard, Rethink DNS etc, they will work just as well to block updates & AdeptFOS.

There are a few things to keep in mind with the ADB command.

1) FireOS6 can only have one ADB connection at a time. I don't have a FireOS6 device for testing. I think opening a new ADB connection will cause the ADB connection running the command loop to close and stop. There are quite a number of apps that make ADB connections like Mouse Toggle and a few of Wolf's apps to name a few. I'm also not sure if the ADB connection that LM makes to remap the home button is the same connection used to send the loop command?

2) I have heard a few people say that various FireTV televisions disable ADB on reboot.

The most likely problem for the command not working, is that it's not running anymore.

To help figure out if the looped command is still running, use the 'Home' icon to go to the Amazon Launcher. The Amazon Launcher is being force closed every 5min. To make testing easier, you can decrease the counter in the loop from 30 to 3 so that Amazon Launcher closes ever 30sec.

((++n%30)) change to ((++n%3))

The screensaver timer won't have an affect on ADB. The sleeptimer has an effect because the 4k Max + 3rd gen Cube can go into deep sleep and ADB connections close. I don't know that this happens on any other FireTV devices that aren't televisions?

Another thought on the 3rd gen Sticks is that they have less RAM and maybe the ADB connection/or command is closing due to low resources?

If you can figure out what's causing the loop to stop, then there might be some way to remedy it.
[Fire TV General] Starmina:
Hi everyone, It won't help a lot of people here but I just wanted an "easy" way to have the script running without thinking about background issue, so I just made a script running on my raspberry pi.

You'd need to have a static IP set on your router for the firestick MAC ("physical") Address and replace the ip=192.168.X.X in the script below with your firestick IP.

#!/bin/bash

# Replace with your FireTV IP.
# You'll need to have a static IP set on your router. Can be done on most consumer grade internet box.
ip=192.168.X.X

printf "Trying ADB connection: %s:%s\n" "$ip" "5555"
timeout 2 adb connect "$ip":5555;
status="$?"
if [ "$status" -eq 0 ]; then
counter=0
while [ $counter -lt 60 ]; do
# Main counter, incr. every sec.
((++counter))
#printf "COUNTER %s\n" "$counter"

# Kill launcher every 10 seconds
((++g%10)) || (adb shell "am force-stop com.amazon.tv.launcher" && echo "Launcher Killed ☠️")

# Those commands are run every 5 seconds
((++k%5)) || (adb shell "pm clear com.amazon.device.software.ota; pm clear com.amazon.adep" && echo "OTA Cleared")
sleep 1
done
echo "60 seconds passed. Loop finished."
exit 0
else
echo "Couldn't connect to ADB ($ip:5555)"
exit 1
fi

Then add this to your crontab (crontab -e) to run the script every minute (yes it's quite an ugly script)

* * * * * /root/scripts/firestick-loop.sh > /dev/null 2>&1

Of course, you need to change the path (/root/scripts/firestick-loop.sh) where your script is located. Don't forget to give it permission to run first (chmod +x /root/scripts/firestick-loop.sh)

Also, it kills the launcher every time instead of every 5 minutes because I just want it that way. Just change the command line if you want it to be something else.

(Actually I just realized you can't use the command line with ++n since the loop restart every 1 min. Well, anyway.)
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
Thanks for your interest. I am fine with running the NetGuard app as I don't use this Firestick with a VPN. I have another Firestick 4K that I was able to fully hijack the home button of for VPN. That one is set to reject updates and was set that way before the firmware that broke those commands was pushed by Amazon.

I am still curious and I don't understand this part of your reply.

To help figure out if the looped command is still running, use the 'Home' icon to go to the Amazon Launcher. The Amazon Launcher is being force closed every 5min. To make testing easier, you can decrease the counter in the loop from 30 to 3 so that Amazon Launcher closes ever 30sec.

((++n%30)) change to ((++n%3))

After I make this change how would I be able to monitor whether the script is working by use the 'Home' icon to go to the Amazon Launcher. ??

Also, I am sorry to bother you but I don't know what you mean by "Use the Home Icon"
[Fire TV General] Finnzz:
@martytoo Launcher Manager isn't disabling Amazon Launcher it just makes sure the custom launcher sits on top in the foreground. On your custom launcher screen there should be a tile/icon called 'Home' which will open Amazon Launcher like it was an app. If you don't see 'Home' it might be a dead yellow bird on a white background icon/tile.

When you are on the Amazon Launcher screen, and the ADB loop command force closes it, the screen will go black, or the custom launcher will appear again. That's how you know the ADB loop command is still running. If you are able to sit on the Amazon Launcher for more than 30sec (after changing the counter), and it's not closing on you, the loop isn't active.
[Fire TV General] martytoo:
@Ffinnzz

Thank you for your detailed answer regarding the Amazon Home.

Regarding Launcher Manager, when AdepFOS does whatever it does, I can no longer see Launcher Manager listed in my installed apps in the Manage Installed Apps area. It seems to hide it probably so that it's harder to uninstall and reinstall it.

The only way I've been able to uninstall it in this situation has been by using ES Explorer.

I'll experiment with your suggestions and the adb commands.
[Fire TV General] SyCoREAPER:
First saw this new method on ATV News and am curious.

So if getting back to certain menus can be challenging, why not just change the interval timing to say every 60 seconds instead of 30?

Alternatively you could just do the “permanent” disable, do what you need and just resend the ADB command to reinstate it but am curious about more on that specific interval?

Also the above brought up a good point about one ADB connection. If LM is looping the command, it means it's holding the ADB connection indefinitely blocking any other ADB requests.

----

Please excuse if I don't respond (immediately), I'm not active these days for reasons.
[Fire TV General] Starmina:
I think it's up to you, I personally kill the launcher too, every 10 seconds, because I like it that way and I don't see any issue with that. I can access all settings menu I need trough Launcher Manager, and it works great, I don't really need the Amazon launcher to be "Alive".