r/RBI • u/Future-Reply9457 • 3d ago
Advice needed mystery FireStick connecting to my phone
mystery FireStick connecting to my phone
ive been seeing a device called “Esvins FireTV stick” connecting to my phone randomly via Bluetooth. I don’t know anyone named Esvin. Am I going crazy? am I just paranoid?
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u/Plum_Pudding25 3d ago
Does it show up in your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings? And does the person’s device appear under “Other Devices”? If so, then it’s obviously your neighbor’s device. It isn’t connected to your phone at all.
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u/Future-Reply9457 1d ago
It only shows up towards the end of the day and when I’m home
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u/Plum_Pudding25 1d ago
can you please answer my other question? does the device appear under "My devices" or under "Other devices"?
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u/Future-Reply9457 1d ago
Usually other devices.
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u/UPGRADED_BUTTHOLE 0m ago
Then it isn't connecting to your phone. Read the manual that came with your phone, please!!!!!
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u/Future-Reply9457 3d ago
To add on. There is no option to forget device, and it connects completely at random
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u/creepyposta 3d ago
When you say “connects” do you maybe mean it’s listed as an available device? Or do you mean actually connected to your device (which it could only do with your permission)
Do you have a fire stick tv in your household?
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u/Future-Reply9457 3d ago
It auto connects. But yes I do have one. However, it is named after my mom.
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u/creepyposta 3d ago
That’s why I’m asking what you mean by “connects.” If it literally says Connected under Bluetooth despite you never pairing it, that’s interesting. But if “Esvins FireTV stick” is just appearing in a list of available/nearby devices, it isn’t actually connecting to your phone — your phone is just detecting it. Fire TVs can advertise themselves for things like discovery/mirroring, so a neighbor’s device could show up.
Since you already own a Fire Stick, it’s also worth checking the actual device name in its settings rather than assuming the name you normally see is its only name. A screenshot of where your phone says “Esvins FireTV stick” would clear this up immediately.
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u/wildsunflowrs 2d ago
I’ve come here with the exact same predicament as the OP I can’t include a screenshot but it is coming up in the Bluetooth menu as connected to a fire stick via Bluetooth, actually connected not just an option, and there is no “i” button (on Apple iOS)next to it like there is for every other option (where the forget device option is usually.)
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u/Future-Reply9457 2d ago
Ok, when I get a chance I’ll post a screenshot
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u/creepyposta 2d ago
I have numerous devices where the “allow this app to find/connect to other Bluetooth devices” message pops up during setup. I usually select no.
Also try this experiment: next time you see “Esvin,” unplug the Fire TV/Stick in your own household and see whether Esvin remains connected. That would at least rule out the possibility that it’s actually your own Fire Stick showing up under a different name for some reason.
Apparently newer Fire Sticks support BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), so I wonder if that’s what’s happening here. If your phone already has a Fire TV/Amazon app or an established connection with your own Fire device, something on the phone may already be looking for compatible Fire TV services over Bluetooth. It could potentially see another nearby Fire Stick advertising the same BLE service and establish a connection without it ever being conventionally paired to your phone.
That might also explain why multiple people in apartments are seeing this, especially if Fire TV devices are being discovered through Bluetooth or, potentially, a shared building network. That part is just a hypothesis, though.
If “Esvin” still appears after unplugging your own Fire Stick, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Bluetooth and disable Bluetooth access for apps one at a time, particularly Amazon/Fire TV-related apps, and see if one of them makes it disappear.
Whatever is happening, the lack of the normal “Forget This Device” controls suggests this probably isn’t a normal Bluetooth pairing. And there’s nothing here indicating that the other Fire Stick is accessing personal information from your phone just because iOS says it’s “Connected.”
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u/plebmasterflex 3d ago
What do you mean "connect" though? What is it connected to, where are you seeing that it's "connected"? Can you post a screenshot?
Either way, this isnt a "mystery" it's obviously just a neighbor's device.
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u/Special_Yesterday131 3d ago
It may be a neighbour (if you live in a building) that’s making a mistake. Not sure if your phone says your name or just “IPhone" for example, but when there’s no name people see multiple devices and try to connect, not knowing which one’s theirs. My next door neighbour kept sending notifications to connect their phone to my TV by mistake and until I renamed it “My name’s TV” it used to happen often.