Is it Illegal to Jailbreak Amazon Firestick?

by
Frederik Lipfert
Dr. Frederik Lipfert Founder, vpncheck
Updated on 21 Apr 2022

Preface

If you’ve come here, chances are that you’re looking to dabble with your Amazon Fire TV Stick. However, one consideration that most Firestick users think about is whether to ‘jailbreak’ their device or not. For people not very familiar with the term, they might be wondering if jailbreaking their Firestick is legal or illegal.

Just like you, there are many other Firestick users with questions like, “Should I buy a jailbroken Amazon Firestick?” Or “Is it illegal to jailbreak my Amazon Firestick?” If these are lingering in your mind, you’ve come to the right place. We will explain in detail all the aspects of jailbreaking Amazon Firestick and whether it is legal or illegal.

What is a Jailbroken Firestick?

Let’s first understand what a jailbroken Firestick is. To put it simply, jailbreaking means removing the restrictions on a device to improve its capabilities. The restrictions are placed on a device by the developers or the manufacturers. A jailbroken Firestick is one that gives you easy access to all the features of the device. Jailbreaking is not a difficult thing. In fact, in this era, even a kid can jailbreak Firestick easily.

You can easily download different apps and modify the device to perform better. A jailbroken Firestick is one that has a media server (like Kodi) or a downloader application installed on it. This allows the users to stream content that is unavailable to them on Firestick. 

Best Apps for Jailbroken Firestick

Is it Illegal to Jailbreak Amazon Firestick?

No, it isn’t illegal to Jailbreak Amazon Firestick. Jailbreaking or ‘hacking’ Amazon Firestick is not illegal because it’s your device, and you can improve its performance and capabilities in whatever way you want. However, you must make sure that you aren’t harming anyone else or anyone’s interests.

Hence you can jailbreak your Amazon Firestick without worrying about breaking the law. Once you’ve installed a media server on your device, you can enjoy streaming tons of content for free. For example, if you sideload Kodi on Firestick, you can access numerous apps and videos which might not be available to you because of geo-restrictions.

So, in short, it isn’t illegal to Jailbreak Amazon Firestick, but it might be illegal to watch copyrighted content on it. There are some streaming channels or apps that have copyrighted content and are available to people only after subscription. If you watch such content for free on your Firestick, you might face legal issues. 

Your ISP or government keeps track of your internet activities. If they detect anything illegal, they can suspend your internet account.

Luckily, there is one way that can prevent you from facing such trouble. You can use a good VPN (Virtual Private Network) that can protect you from being caught. A VPN will help you bypass geo-restrictions and watch the content that is restricted in your region. It will help you access any type of blocked content while protecting your identity and keeping you anonymous.

How to Keep Yourself Protected While Streaming

When it comes to a jailbroken Firestick, the problem starts when you watch pirated content. Streaming by illegal means is equivalent to breaking the law. So if you still want to double-check and be safe while you stream content on your Firestick, you must use a VPN. This is because when you stream content on a jailbroken Firestick, ISPs can detect what you’re streaming.

We use ExpressVPN as it is very secure and super fast. It is also easy to install and allows you to stream freely from Kodi and other apps on your Firestick. So if you have now decided to jailbreak your Amazon Firestick, you must learn how to use a VPN. 

Here are the steps that you should follow to keep yourself safe while streaming on a jailbroken Firestick:

Step 1: Go to the ExpressVPN website and subscribe. The subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. With it, you can use the VPN service for free (depending on your package) and then get a refund if you aren’t satisfied with it. However, most subscribers end up being permanent subscribers of ExpressVPN because of how great its service is.

Step 2: After subscribing to ExpressVPN, go to your Firestick. Navigate to the Find option on the home screen using your Firestick remote.The Find button highlighted on Amazon App Store’s screen

Step 3: Go to Search.

Step 4: In the search bar, type ExpressVPN. Choose the app from the list of suggestions. vpncheck-spectrum-searching-expressvpn-on-amazon-firestick

Amazon Firestick Express VPN highlighted on home screenStep 5: Click on download. The app will start downloading. 

ExpressVPN installation option on Firestick

ExpressVPN downloading screen on FirestickStep 6: ExpressVPN is now installed on your Firestick. 

Step 7: Open the ExpressVPN app. ExpressVPN.com with the Get ExpressVPN button highlighted> Go to ExpressVPN.com and sign up.

You will see a screen that asks you to sign in or whether you’re a new user. Since you’ve already subscribed for the service, choose Sign in.Sign In option on ExpressVPN

Step 8: Enter the email address and password that you used to register on the website. 

Step 9: Click on the Power icon and connect to a server of your choice. Your device is now secure with the strongest protection of ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN home screen with Connect button highlighted

Verdict

Jailbreaking Amazon Firestick means you can use Kodi or other software on it. These open up numerous free streaming options, which are otherwise not free to watch and come with a subscription fee. These open-source software media centers allow you to watch movies, TV shows, podcasts, various TV channels, and so much more!

Recently Kodi has also been getting flak as it allows people to watch copyrighted content through its addons. It may be legal software, but the copyright-bypassing addons that run through this app aren’t. We always recommend our users not to access any copyrighted content because that is a straight violation of the law. But we also understand the need to consume content that isn’t available from a specific location. To avoid the prying eyes of the government and ISPs, we ask our users to run a premium Firestick VPN to be on the safe side.