Walmart's Onn devices bricked after update

2026-05-10T15:10:54Z

204.112.184.18: Added new information for Canada

Canadian update - After having to perform a factory reset on the Onn box, which was purchased legally in Canada from Wallmart, it could no longer be set up, it was blocked from use in Canada. When I called Wallmart I could not get past the AI chat bot and thus could not get any help. A VPN with a USA IP address was needed to trick the unit into believing it was in the United States and I was able to get the unit working again. {{Incomplete|Issue 1=Weak sources}}
{{IncidentCargo
|Company=Walmart
|StartDate=2025-06-13
|EndDate=2025-07-25
|Status=Active
|ProductLine=Onn
|Product=Onn 4K Box, Onn 4K Pro, Onn HD Stick, Chromecast 4K, Chromecast HD
|ArticleType=Product
|Type=Firmware lockout
|Description=Walmart refuses to replace bricked Onn devices after a forced Android update bricked devices, with devices over a year old being ineligible for refund
}}

In June 2025, '''[[Walmart]]''' began rolling out an Android 14 update for its first generation and 2021 Onn streaming devices that utilized Android 10 and 12 respectively.<ref name="AFTV-2">{{Cite web |last=Saba |first=Elias |title=Onn streaming devices are getting bricked by the Android 14 update — Rollout halted |url=https://www.aftvnews.com/onn-streaming-devices-are-getting-bricked-by-the-android-14-update-rollout-halted/ |website=AFTVnews |date=13 Jun 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704160716/https://www.aftvnews.com/onn-streaming-devices-are-getting-bricked-by-the-android-14-update-rollout-halted/ |archive-date=4 Jul 2025}}</ref> This forced update on older devices would cause devices to {{Wplink|Booting#Bootloop|boot-loop}}, display error screens, and even become {{Wplink|Brick (electronics)|bricked}}. When users contacted Walmart support, they were told bricked devices past their one-year manufacturer's warranty could not be refunded.

==Background==
On 3 June 2025, it was reported Walmart was upgrading their Android 12 Onn streaming devices to Android 14, the latter being the latest version of Android.<ref name="AFTV-1">{{Cite web |last=Saba |first=Elias |title=Android TV 14 update arrives for the Onn 4K and Onn 4K Pro |url=https://www.aftvnews.com/android-tv-14-update-arrives-for-the-onn-4k-and-onn-4k-pro/ |website=AFTVnews |date=3 Jun 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622163417/https://www.aftvnews.com/android-tv-14-update-arrives-for-the-onn-4k-and-onn-4k-pro/ |archive-date=22 Jun 2025}}</ref> During this time, minor issues were being reported, such as the settings crashing when changing frame rate and {{Wplink|Dolby Vision}} not working.

==Streaming device bricking through forced update==
On 13 June 2025, multiple reports were made of Chromecast and 2021 Onn streaming devices being bricked by the forced update.<ref name="AFTV-2" /> This would cause the rollout of Android 14 for these devices to be halted until 25 June 2025, when a majority of issues with the Android 12 devices were fixed.<ref name="AFTV-3">{{Cite web |last=Saba |first=Elias |title=Android TV 14 update resumes rolling out to Onn and Chromecast streaming devices |url=https://www.aftvnews.com/android-tv-14-update-resumes-rolling-out-to-onn-and-chromecast-streaming-devices/ |website=AFTVnews |date=25 June 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251105203743/https://www.aftvnews.com/android-tv-14-update-resumes-rolling-out-to-onn-and-chromecast-streaming-devices/ |archive-date=5 Nov 2025}}</ref>

==Walmart's response==
It was reported on 15 July 2025 that Walmart was refusing to repair or replace Onn streaming devices outside the one-year warranty. When an owner of a two-year-old Onn device requested a refund that included all necessary information (pictures, videos, questions, copy of receipt), the Onn device support agent responded with this statement:
<blockquote>"After thorough consultation with our after-sales service team, we regret to inform you that an exchange isn’t feasible under current warranty guidelines."<ref name="AFTV-4">{{Cite web |last=Saba |first=Elias |title=Walmart refuses to replace Onn streaming device bricked by its forced OS update |url=https://www.aftvnews.com/walmart-refuses-to-replace-onn-streaming-device-bricked-by-its-forced-os-update/ |website=AFTVnews |date=15 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250716163601/https://www.aftvnews.com/walmart-refuses-to-replace-onn-streaming-device-bricked-by-its-forced-os-update/ |archive-date=16 Jul 2025}}</ref></blockquote>

Walmart later resumed the rollout with a newer version that had fixed the bricking issue, but devices affected by the earlier problems possessed no readily available means of installing the update (effectively permanently bricked).<ref name="AFTV-4" />

==Consumer response==
In an unboxing of the Onn 4K Plus Streaming Device by YouTuber BigC Vlogs, he described the setup as "the worst Onn experience I've ever had" and mentioned how the WiFi was "on perfectly fine before the update", speculating how "whatever was in that [...] update that ran broke something because now it just won't connect to WiFi after that update".<ref>{{Cite web |author=BigC Vlogs |title=Onn 4K Plus Streaming Device Unboxing: Bricked After Software Update |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvOXCBdrilM |website=[[YouTube]] |date=28 May 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=jvOXCBdrilM |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref> In the next video, he noted how Walmart would only do an in-store refund card instead of a device exchange.<ref>{{Cite web |author=BigC Vlogs |title=Onn 4K Plus Streaming Device Setup & Review |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuHG10N43uo |website=[[YouTube]] |date=29 May 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=fuHG10N43uo |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

YouTuber UG Tech believed Walmart should have had more flexibility with refund cases and described the incident as saying "it's like if someone just reached into your device and was like, 'Fuck you, this is your last day using it.'"<ref>{{Cite web |author=UG Tech |title=Walmart BRICKED your ONN box and wont replace it |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4wSEPBb4AQ |website=[[YouTube]] |date=17 Jul 2025 |access-date=20 Feb 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=k4wSEPBb4AQ |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Walmart]]
[[Category:Incidents]]
[[Category:2025 incidents]]

Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Walmart's Onn devices bricked after update