How to Check if Your Amazon Fire Stick is Jailbroken

Jailbreaking is mostly associated with iOS devices, especially the iPhone. It’s common knowledge that Apple is much more restrictive in terms of control and how their devices can be used. This makes Apple devices harder to customize than their Android counterparts.

These prohibitions are sometimes called “jail.” So, trying to have certain apps you’re not supposed to have on your device is hence called “jailbreaking.” You can jailbreak different kinds of devices and get different kinds of benefits. However, there are also downsides to jailbreaking.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how to tell if your Fire Stick is jailbroken.

What Is Jailbreaking

Jailbreaking is the act of enabling your device to install 3^rd party and unofficial apps. As for jailbreaking a Fire Stick, it can’t be jailbroken like an iPhone or an Android device because Fire Stick doesn’t prevent you from installing apps that aren’t found on the app store.

Therefore, every Fire Stick with a 3^rd-party app or media server software is considered jailbroken. Kodi is the most popular option among Fire Stick owners who opt to jailbreak their devices.

What Is Kodi Exactly?

Kodi is a media center app that is essentially similar to Fire TV’s operating system. Both are oriented towards online streaming. One of the main differences, though, is that Kodi is much more customizable.

You might be wondering if using this app is legal. The short answer to that is yes. As just a tool, Kodi doesn’t have any illegal properties. But, as it is with many similar things, browsers, apps, and whatnot, it can be used for illegal purposes.

Kodi is an open-source platform and can have a lot of different add-ons. Sometimes, those add-ons are of questionable legality. This is especially true for apps and add-ons that allow you to watch pirated content. However, the app itself doesn’t promote piracy and can be found on Google Play Store. However, you still can’ find it on Fire TV. If you find yourself with a Fire Stick that has Kodi installed, or any other third-party app for that matter, that’s how you’ll know that it is jailbroken.

Is a Jailbroken Fire Stick Slower?

This is something you might be worried about. Jailbroken or not, you want your Fire TV content to run smoothly. Most third-party apps, like Kodi, are pretty lightweight in terms of how they impact the performance of the Fire Stick.

But you have to keep in mind that the Fire Stick has limited storage capabilities, and most of it has already been utilized. So, make sure whatever kind of Fire Stick you have, that it runs without slowing down.

Is Jailbreaking a Fire Stick Illegal?

It is perfectly legal to jailbreak your Fire Stick. However, the legality of a jailbroken device depends on how you use it. If you proceed to stream copyrighted content without paying for it, that’s illegal. Your best bet is to keep to streaming the content you paid for. If you want free stuff, you can stream what’s already in the public domain.

Do You Have to Have an Amazon Account?

The short answer to this question is yes. In order to set up and use a Fire Stick, you have to create an Amazon account. This applies to both jailbroken devices and otherwise. Jailbreaking your Fire Stick gives you access to a number of third-party apps and channels, but you should be careful what you install and what you stream.

What You Do After Jailbreaking Counts

As established, jailbreaking a Fire Stick is not a problematic action on its own. If you use it responsibly, it just gives you more freedom and more choice. And a lot of people appreciate that. Whether you use Kodi or another app to get extra channels and content, it’s up to you.

Jailbreaking isn’t supposed to slow down your Fire Stick and you should probably do something about it if it does. There are limitations to what sort of apps you can use on your Fire Stick and how much you can actually get out of them. But, jailbreaking certainly widens the scope of available options.

Let us know if you ever used a jailbroken Fire Stick in the comments section below.