Old PIK box Not able to use as android box

[PeterDaly]

I have the previous PIK TV box which worked, until today, as an Android box, but suddenly, it's not working. It displays a screen that says PIK won't work any more. That was just one function of the box for me, (and I didn't even use that!). It seems the only life left for this is recycling! That is environmentally a disaster! Shame on Telus for forcing us to throw away a perfectly functional piece of equipment. There must be thousands of these going into the landfill for no justifiable reason. Now that I've ranted, is there any way to get past this intentional blockage of functionality for a piece of gear I'v obviously paid for?

[NFtoBC]

If I recall, that device was replaced by a newer one because Google was not going to be updating it, and the base operating system was to be deprecated. If you choose another device meeting your needs, it too will likely be of little use in a few years, as they become obsolete very quickly.

[PeterDaly]

For one thing, Telus is blocking my device without replacing it. For another, as I thought I made clear, the device was working perfectly as an Android box before Telus blocked it.

[WestCoasterBC]

If you subscribe to piktv you are offered a free replacement box. Contact Telus to get a free replacement for the new hardware. The old Piktv box was deemed EOL (end of life) based on the hardware age and no longer supported by android security updates. While it could function it's not secure any longer.

[KHR · Accepted solution]

Hi @PeterDaly 

As @WestCoasterBC and @NFtoBC mentioned, the legacy Pik Media Box is running Android P, which was no longer supported by Google with security upgrades as of January 31, 2021, and no further OS upgrades are available on this chipset. The box was released by TELUS in early 2017, so it is quite outdated. This box was not sold by TELUS after January 31 2020, and it came with a 1 year warranty. Unfortunately, we cannot continue to support all equipment forever. 

TELUS identified customers who were using the Pik Media box to watch Pik TV and proactively replaced these with a newer Android set-top box. Unfortunately, if you don't use it for Pik TV, we have no way to know if these devices have been recycled or are still being used for Netflix, Prime Video or other applications. 

While the box no longer supports the Pik TV application, it should still be functional (though not secure) as an Android TV box for other applications, TELUS has done nothing to block anything other than the Pik TV app - i'd suggest a factory reset if it's not working for you. TELUS won't be able to support you beyond this, however.

Finally, TELUS is committed to sustainability, and no electronics that come back to TELUS are simply taken to a landfill - if they can't be refurbished for re-use, they are passed to our electronics recycler for responsible recycling of the plastics, metals, etc. If you're done with any electronics, I'd urge you to take them to an e-cycler.

[PeterDaly]

When I restarted my box to continue using it as an Android box, I could only get a screen saying Telus no longer offered PIK TV on that box. I could not move past it, until I did a Factory Reset (unplug the box, hold in the reset button with an unbent paper clip, plug in the box, two lights go red, use remote to scroll to “factory reset”). Once I did that, I was able to get into the Google home screen and disable the PikTV app. Now it seems to be working as an Android box again. That’s a bit technical for some people!

I suppose there’s a security vulnerability still because Google’s not patching it, anyone doing this would have to accept that. There’s a firewall between the box and the internet of course, when you use a router. Risk would depend what you do with the unit, I suppose!

--PD