Amazon FireStick is a streaming device that unlocks thousands of hours of content. While you can use official apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Peacock, the true potential lies with a jailbroken FireStick.
What is a Jailbroken FireStick?
A jailbroken Amazon FireStick is a regular Fire TV Stick that can sideload third-party streaming apps like Kodi without any restrictions.
However, the term “jailbreak” is a bit confusing. Jailbreaking a FireStick is entirely different from jailbreaking an iPhone or rooting an Android. Jailbreaking or rooting involves changing the system files and installing unauthorized apps. This may void the warranty, and if the jailbreak doesn’t go as planned, it may even harm your device.
Thankfully, jailbreaking a FireStick is neither complicated nor risky. You don’t need to modify system-level code or install firmware created by a third-party developer. Jailbreaking unlocks the Amazon Fire TV Stick, letting you access and run third-party streaming services.
When jailbreaking a FireStick, minor and superficial reversible changes are made.
Online vendors and retailers use the term “jailbreak” to lure consumers into buying jailbroken FireSticks. They make it look like they’ve made some major changes to the device to provide limitless entertainment to viewers.
As you’ll discover later in the post, jailbreaking is a simple process you can do at home.
Before we discuss the standard practices in the jailbroken FireStick Market, let’s understand what a jailbroken Amazon Fire TV Stick does and why jailbreaking is popular.
Attention FireStick Users
Governments and ISPs across the world monitor their users' online activities. If you use third-party streaming apps on your Fire TV Stick, you should always use a good FireStick VPN and hide your identity so your movie-viewing experience doesn’t take a bad turn. Currently, your IP is visible to everyone.
I use ExpressVPN, the fastest and most secure VPN in the industry. It is very easy to install on any device, including Amazon Fire TV Stick. Also, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don't like their service, you can always ask for a refund. ExpressVPN also has a special deal where you can get 4 months free and save 61% on the 2-year plan.
Read: How to Install and Use Best VPN for FireStick
What Does a Jailbroken FireStick Do?
When Amazon Fire TV Stick was launched in November 2014, Amazon opened the App Store for all kinds of apps, including unverified ones that might not have carried licensed content.
Over the years, the store has weeded out apps that distribute illegal content. Apps on other stores, such as Google Play and Apple Store, were removed after being associated with unlicensed content distribution. The store also made strict rules to only host apps with legal content.
FireStick users are already used to these third-party streaming services like Kodi and applications like Cinema HD. Removing these apps from the official store didn’t diminish their popularity. They found a way to install them on FireStick through jailbreaking.
A jailbroken Fire Stick allows you to install third-party streaming apps and services on your FireStick to enhance your streaming experience.
You can sideload applications that are unavailable on the Amazon App Store.
Since FireStick runs on an Android-based operating system called Fire OS, you can install third-party apps from unknown sources using verified APKs.
You only need an app on your FireStick that can download APKs from the web, and you’ll be ready to install third-party streaming applications on it.
Jailbroken FireStick for Sale — What Do Vendors Do?
You may have seen vendors claiming to sell jailbroken FireStick devices on eBay or their websites. So what do they do before selling you the FireStick? How do these FireSticks differ from the ones that Amazon sells? Let’s dig more into that.
Third-party vendors buy their FireStick devices from Amazon and jailbreak them. Then, they install popular third-party streaming service apps and Kodi addons and sell them to you with guarantees of unlimited entertainment.
Sometimes, these vendors install popular IPTV services and advertise that they offer thousands of live TV channels, movies, and TV shows for free for a specific time.
Some vendors also purchase subscriptions to popular IPTV providers. They bundle the apps and active IPTV subscriptions with the Fire TV Stick and claim to offer all content for free. However, such subscriptions last only for a few days or a month.
Users often fall for these promises and click the buy button without knowing much about the device they are about to buy. You may want to understand the legal implications of buying or selling jailbroken FireSticks.
Is It Legal to Buy or Sell Jailbroken FireSticks?
Buying or selling jailbroken FireSticks is technically legal.
But there is a catch. The legality depends on the types of apps and services the vendor installs or integrates with the Fire TV Stick.
If a vendor bundles the Fire TV Stick only with official apps such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Peacock, it won’t get anyone in trouble.
However, that doesn’t make sense to the buyer. Why buy a FireStick containing official apps that demand pricey subscriptions? After all, you don’t need to jailbreak a FireStick to install such apps on your device. Anyone can get legal apps from the Amazon App Store.
That’s why vendors offer FireSticks with preloaded third-party apps and IPTV services. They promise you a free or cheaper way to stream your favorite movies, TV shows, sports, and live channels.
The services that offer such content are third-party applications. They include Kodi, Kodi addons, and unofficial IPTV services. The promise of free and limitless entertainment attracts buyers to the jailbroken Fire TV Sticks.
They install apps like Kodi or IPTV services like Yeah IPTV and Iconic Streams. These streaming apps may offer copyright-protected content without the proper licenses. This may be illegal for both the seller and the buyer.
Please remember that Kodi is perfectly legal to download and install on Fire TV Stick. It is available in the Google Play Store, and Google will never host apps that offer illegal content.
So, where is the problem here? The problem arises when you add Kodi addons and other software that stream copyrighted TV shows and movies on your Amazon Fire TV Stick.
While there are official Kodi addons like Pluto TV and Plex Live that offer free TV, movies, and TV shows, most addons that offer free content are unofficial. These third-party addons may contain pirated content, which could land you in legal trouble.
When you watch movies, TV shows, and live TV using local media companies and legitimate apps like Netflix, you are assured that these entities have streaming rights for the content. That’s not the case with third-party streaming services and Kodi addons on a jailbroken FireStick.
These media companies pay millions to acquire rights to stream popular sports events, TV series, or movies. They then make profits by distributing the content to viewers through subscriptions. With a jailbroken FireStick, you don’t pay a dime to access the same content. Sometimes, you pay a fraction of the price for the said content.
According to the controversial Digital Economy Bill, those infringing copyrights can receive ten-year prison sentences. The bill warns that those downloading or streaming illegal films—using torrents—will be committing a criminal offense. Just last year, we saw users streaming content through Kodi addons receive police letters threatening them with jail.
With all the complications surrounding selling or buying a jailbroken FireStick, you may wonder, Should I purchase a Jailbroken Fire Stick with an Alexa voice remote? Let me elaborate more on that.
Should You Buy a Jailbroken FireStick?
As mentioned above, the term “jailbreak” is overhyped for FireStick. However, with some guidance, anyone can jailbreak a FireStick. It involves changing some default FireStick settings and sideloading third-party applications.
You may not want to jailbreak a FireStick yourself, but here are some factors that will discourage you from buying a jailbroken one. First, as I mentioned, no hack or technical knowledge is required to jailbreak a FireStick at home. Besides, jailbreaking a FireStick is 100% legal (however, streaming copyrighted content is not).
Most jailbroken FireSticks are preloaded with Kodi, Kodi addons, and IPTV apps. Like many apps, Kodi developers release newer versions every year, sometimes even twice per year. The same happens with addons to keep up with the latest Kodi updates.
You will need to reinstall these updates in the future. If you bought a preloaded FireStick, you may lack the know-how to go about the updates. Why buy a preloaded FireStick while you can learn to jailbreak it now rather than later?
You will eventually have to go through the sideloading process on the FireStick or Fire TV after the preloaded versions become outdated. If you will need to go through that process in the future, why not jailbreak the FireStick yourself in the first place and save some bucks?
Besides, if you are familiar with the jailbreaking process on Fire TV, you can fix any error during APK installation or sideloading on the device. You no longer need to rely on a vendor or another person to troubleshoot issues on FireStick.
Another factor discouraging you from buying a jailbroken Fire TV device is the short-lived subscriptions you must renew to continue watching. Vendors will buy short-term IPTV subscriptions and promise you free live TV channels. They even set up the IPTV services with IPTV players. You just have to open the apps and start streaming live TV.
The issue comes when the IPTV subscription runs out in a month or two, and the vendor asks you to give them more money to renew the subscription for you.
This is unnecessary because buying IPTV is easy if you learn how to do it. It is more convenient to learn how to jailbreak your FireStick at home and set up free or cheaper services.
We have seen vendors getting caught by authorities for selling streaming devices with copyrighted content. Authorities charge the vendors with criminal offenses and send notices to buyers of such devices.
When you order online, the third-party vendor saves your address details. The authorities may access your address via shipping details and send you a notice letter threatening you with jail.
By jailbreaking the FireStick yourself, you can avoid all the hassle and headache and not worry about being investigated in the future. In the meantime, you won’t have to pay extra for a jailbroken device, so you can use those savings to buy a subscription to an IPTV service.
How to Jailbreak a FireStick Yourself?
As I have mentioned several times in this post, jailbreaking a FireStick at home is very easy. You don’t need to apply advanced coding knowledge or install modified firmware. You will also learn how to sideload third-party streaming apps on FireStick by going through the jailbreaking process.
We have a dedicated step-by-step guide with screenshots for jailbreaking a FireStick. Follow the simple instructions, and you will have a jailbroken Fire TV Stick in under 30 minutes.
Popular Apps for Jailbroken FireStick
If you have followed our jailbreaking FireStick guide above, you have unleashed the Amazon Fire Stick’s true potential.
Your FireStick is ready to install all the well-known third-party streaming apps, including Kodi and IPTV services. But which are the best apps for jailbroken FireStick? How can you find them on the web? And how can you install these apps on FireStick?
Thankfully, you have come to the right place. We have a separate post on the best apps for jailbroken FireStick, which I highly advise going through. We have hand-picked the top apps, including Cinema HD, Kodi, and dozens more. We have also included dedicated installation guides for the apps and Kodi addons.
Remember that once you install the apps using the sideloading process, they may provide copyrighted content. The scary part is that watching copyrighted content on FireStick may land you in legal trouble. So, I urge you not to get involved in watching copyrighted streams and instead enjoy tons of content available in the public domain without worrying about legal hassles.
Your local government and ISP provider can see the content you consume on your FireStick. They can also track your location via the IP address. So, don’t think that your online activity remains unnoticed.
Now, the question is, what if you end up streaming copyrighted content unintentionally?
I highly recommend connecting to a VPN service like ExpressVPN on FireStick to hide your online identity and browse anonymously. It is a small investment that will keep your online experience safe. Again, it would be best to use a VPN not to stream unauthorized content but to protect your privacy.
Please read our guide on how to install ExpressVPN on FireStick.
FAQ’s
Are jailbroken FireSticks legal?
A jailbroken Amazon FireStick is legal. Streaming unlicensed content using third-party applications and IPTV services is illegal. I recommend using a VPN app like ExpressVPN to conceal your streaming activities on your FireStick or, better yet, only stream public domain content.
What does a jailbroken Amazon FireStick do?
A jailbroken FireStick unlocks the full potential of the popular streaming device. By default, a FireStick only permits installing apps in the Amazon App Store. Jailbreaking the device lets you install apps and IPTV services from third-party sources, which offer unrestricted access to a wide range of content, including movies, TV shows, sports, and live TV.
What channels can you get with a jailbroken FireStick?
There is no direct answer to this question. It largely depends on the third-party streaming services, Kodi addons, and IPTV providers you use. Every addon offers different TV channels, shows, and other content.
How much does a jailbroken FireStick cost?
The price of a jailbroken FireStick is significantly higher than the original FireStick. But as I mentioned earlier, there are downsides to buying a jailbroken FireStick. You are better off jailbreaking a FireStick yourself at home and saving money.
Is it legal to buy a jailbroken FireStick?
It is legal to buy a jailbroken FireStick as long as it doesn’t contain copyrighted content. However, most jailbroken FireSticks come with apps that carry such unlicensed content, so it’s advisable to avoid buying jailbroken devices.
Is jailbreaking a FireStick worth it?
Absolutely! It lets you download any third-party streaming service on the device, utilizing the FireStick’s potential here.
What can you watch on a jailbroken FireStick?
It mainly depends on the type of streaming apps or IPTV services you use on your Fire TV Stick. Such apps can carry hundreds of live TV channels, movies, sports, and TV shows.
Is Netflix free on a jailbroken FireStick?
You can’t create a free Netflix account with a jailbroken FireStick. However, you can install an IPTV provider or Kodi addon that offers thousands of shows and tons of other content.
What channels are free with the jailbroken FireStick?
You won’t get any free channels just by jailbreaking the FireStick. You are only unlocking the FireStick to install streaming apps on the device. The channels you can watch depend on the types of apps you sideload on your Fire TV Stick.
Where can I buy a jailbroken FireStick?
You can get a fully jailbroken FireStick from eBay. But as I discussed earlier, you don’t need to rely on shady vendors to get a jailbroken FireStick. You can jailbreak your FireStick at home without breaking a sweat.
Does Best Buy sell jailbroken FireSticks?
No, Best Buy doesn’t sell jailbroken FireSticks. As a reputed retailer, it’s in Best Buy’s best interest not to sell fully loaded FireSticks, as some contain unlicensed content.
Wrapping Up
Here is everything you need to know about jailbroken FireStick, including what it is and whether you should buy one or do it yourself (DIY). I hope I have convinced you how easy it is to jailbreak a FireStick at home. If you have further questions, comment below or check out our guide on jailbreaking a FireStick.
Related:
- How to Use a Jailbroken FireStick
- How to Install Mercury Kodi Addon
- How to Install Kodi Addons Over Builds
- How to Install Kratos Reborn Kodi Addon
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I got a jailbroken FireStick off someone last year and it’s worked brilliant . He wants an annual payment to keep it going . Once he’s done it as he the capability to turn mine off once the years date as passed or is this a bit of a con
Hi Kev, definitely sounds like a scam. No one can control your FireStick remotely. I suggest resetting your FireStick to factory settings and jailbreaking it yourself. Here are the resources from our website:
Reset FireStick: https://www.firesticktricks.com/how-to-reset-firestick.html
Jailbreak FireStick: https://www.firesticktricks.com/jailbreak-fire-stick.html