The Amazon Fire TV Stick has plenty of features to keep its users entertained, from streaming your favourite shows and music to downloading new apps and games, there is not much that the small plug-in device can’t do.
However, some customers have been left angered as one much-loved feature has been removed from some devices. This sneaky move has led to some users threatening to ditch the devices and use another service.
But what feature has caused this much uproar and has it also been removed from your device without you realising it? The Express reports that the latest Fire OS upgrade to the device has seemingly removed the option to ‘Hide Apps’ from the menu panel.
The option allows you to remove your apps from the main screen, rather than uninstalling them from the device. This was first spotted by the team at AFTVnews.
At first glance, this may not seem like the biggest deal to most Fire TV Stick users. However, as Amazon has many apps that are pre-installed and therefore cannot be deleted or removed – such as Prime Video and Freevee – many users are annoyed that they cannot now declutter their homepage, which can hinder their viewing experience.
Additionally, the function was useful if you wanted to hide any new apps or games so younger members of the family cannot find them. The feature has been removed from the premium Fire TV Stick Max and the 1st-gen Fire TV Stick 4K, with other versions of the device expected to receive this update in the coming weeks.
The AFTVnews team has said: “The removal of the option to hide apps has been confirmed on both the older 1st-gen Fire TV Stick 4K, running Fire OS 6, and the current 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick Max, which uses the latest Fire OS 8, so it’s likely that this change will be applied to all Fire TV models.”
Users aren’t exactly pleased with the update and the removal of the feature. On Reddit, one user posted: “Hey everyone, I’m on a Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen) and just noticed the option to hide apps has disappeared with the latest update.”
In response, another person replied: “Yeah, I’ve been trying to get them off too, but you can’t now, which sucks.” While another user has threatened to ditch the device, writing: “It makes Fire Sticks officially a deal breaker. If I am unable to get rid of the useless Amazon bloatware icons, I am done with Fire Sticks.”
Unfortunately, there is no way to stop the update coming from Amazon, which is currently affecting devices running on Fire OS 8.1.2.7. However, at the time of reporting, not all Fire TV Stick users have lost the much-loved option.
The Daily Record has approached Amazon for comment.
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