This Fire TV device is getting bricked, only one year after it was discontinued
Smart home devices are being abandoned and turned into bricks, but big companies like Google and Amazon usually keep their devices running for a long time. That’s not the case with the Fire TV Blaster, which was killed just a year after Amazon stopped selling it.
Amazon launched the Fire TV Blaster in 2019 as an option to control TVs, soundbars, receivers and cable boxes using Echo smart speakers or the Alexa voice assistant. You can use commands in Alexa such as “switch to HDMI 2 on TV” or “turn off TV”, and the Fire TV Blaster would emit IR signals (like any other remote) to complete the action. It was a useful way to add basic smart home connectivity to existing TV and audio equipment, and control them from Echo speakers or anything else with Alexa.
Amazon stopped selling the Fire TV Blaster in early 2025, and almost exactly a year later the company is now dropping all support for the device. An email sent by Amazon to owners of the Fire TV Blaster stated that it would stop working “in the coming weeks.”
Your Echo speakers can now be a surround sound home theater system
Amazon has finally started rolling out the updated Alexa Home Theater feature. This allows you to use the latest Echo speakers as a complete multi-channel surround sound system for your Fire TV. This update comes after the debut of the new Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max earlier this year.
This may be the first time Amazon has completely killed off one of its smart home devices. The original Amazon Echo speaker released in 2014 is still functional. The Fire TV Blaster doesn’t seem to be a popular device, but other less capable devices still work. The small Echo Flex smart speaker was introduced in 2019 and discontinued around 2021, but still works to this day.
The Fire TV Blaster was still available for purchase in 2025, so anyone who bought one near the end of its official availability could only use it for one year. It’s not the end of the world for a $35 device, but it’s still annoying, especially when there’s no direct replacement. A Switchbot Mini Hub or Home Assistant server connected to Alexa could be viable alternatives.
Amazon is reportedly offering $60 off a Fire TV Cube to affected customers. The Cube is a full-fledged TV streaming box, but it has an IR blaster that can be used to control set-top boxes and AV receivers via Alexa.
Source: AFTVnews
