Firefox does not support Fire TV or Echo Show devices
The Mozilla Foundation announced that the Firefox web browser will not support Amazon Fire TV or Echo Show devices starting April 30.
Firefox came to Fire TV devices at the end of 2017, which gave Fire TV owners a way to watch YouTube in the midst of the dispute between Google and Amazon, and it is available alongside Amazon's Silk browser.
Although there are many reasons to access the web via Fire TV, the browser appeared within these devices because the YouTube platform application was not available during the period of the conflict between Google and Amazon, and Firefox provided an easy alternative.
Google has returned the official YouTube app, as well as YouTube TV and YouTube Kids apps, to Fire TV since 2019 after Google and Amazon reached an agreement, significantly reducing the need for a third-party web browser.
Starting April 30, 2021, Mozilla Foundation will no longer support its browser via Fire TV or Echo Show, and it is also removed from the Amazon Appstore.
- Mozilla said in a support document: You will no longer be able to install Firefox via FireTV, receive security updates, or reinstall the application if you uninstall it starting April 30, 2021.
- She added: If you set Firefox as the default browser via Echo Show, you will be redirected to Amazon Silk to browse the web starting April 30, 2021.
The Mozilla Foundation browser came to the Echo Show for the first time, along with the Amazon browser called Silk, in conjunction with the launch of the Echo Show 10 in September 2018.
There is still no YouTube app for the Echo Show device, so the two browsers have provided a way to watch YouTube on the Amazon smart screen device.
- Mozilla said: We realized in 2017 that there is a void in the market, and the need for consumers to continue to access the content they want via Fire TV devices, and we worked quickly to meet this demand through our Fire TV browser and later versions.
- She added: Consumers now have more options to access content via these devices, so we decided to shift our focus and resources to building new experiences that add value to people's lives and continue to offer alternative options to people in the market.