Downloader, an app frequently used by cord cutters to get a browser on the Fire TV and download content to your device, has once again been pulled from the Google Play store. This time, Warner Bros. Discovery appears to be the one behind the move.
The app was built by Elias Saba, the owner of AFTVnews, who posted on his site that Downloader was removed from the Google Play Store. He said that the person who made the copyright claim was Ishita Singh, the chief operating officer of MarkScan, who claims to represent Warner Bros. Discovery. Cord Cutters News reviewed the takedown notice, which lists the app as “suspended” but doesn’t provide any specific copyright violations.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery wasn’t immediately available to comment. Markscan also couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
“Given that my app still does not contain any copyright-infringing content and never has, I’ve countered this new DMCA takedown which will, hopefully, mean the app will be restored sometime in the coming weeks,” Saba said in the post. He noted that you can still sideload the app to your Google TV or Android TV device by downloading the APK. It’s still available on the Amazon Appstore.
First launched in 2016, Downloader quickly added a full browser, making it the first way to browse the web on the Fire TV. It also became a popular way to install Kodi after it was removed from the Amazon app.
This isn’t the first time the app has been removed from the Google Play store. In May, the app went down after a law firm representing Israeli cable and satellite TV companies sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act complaint to Google. The app returned to the store the following a month after Saba was able to successfully dispute the claim.