Amazon Fire TV: 13 simple tips and tricks to get you started – Android Police | Hot Mobile Press

While Amazon offers a wide range of Fire TV products at different price points, they all use the same Android-based Fire OS. Fire TV might be simple enough to provide plug-and-play functionality, but don’t let its simple interface fool you. Fire OS is packed with thoughtful add-ons. If you own a Fire TV device or are planning to buy one, read on for some useful tips and tricks.

Pin your most used apps to the Fire TV home screen

When you have dozens of apps installed from the Amazon Appstore, it can get confusing trying to find the ones you plan to use regularly. It’s time to pin the most used ones to the home screen for easy access.

1. From the Fire TV home screen, scroll to
   Apps & Games
   Menu. It is represented by three small squares and a plus symbol.

2. Switch to a frequently used app from the list.

3. Click the hamburger button on the Fire TV remote.

4. Choose
   Go forward
   from the side menu.

5. The system fixes the app on top.

6. Repeat for other apps.

You can pin up to six apps and games to the Fire TV home screen.

Use Alexa on Fire TV

Much like Google Assistant on Android TV and Chromecast, Fire TV comes with Amazon’s Alexa assistant. Hold down the microphone Button on Fire TV remote to bring up Alexa.

You can control multiple Fire TV features with Alexa. It can play content from Prime Video and other supported apps, navigate the Fire OS, search search results, and pause and play content.

The usual Alexa requests such as “Show me the weather” or “Open to-do list” are also available. Check all Alexa features on Fire TV on the Amazon Help & Customer Service page.

If you have another Alexa-enabled hardware device in the room, you may need to clarify “on Fire TV” at the end of your request to avoid confusion.

Disable automatic audio and video play on Fire TV

By default, the Recommended Content page on the Fire TV home screen automatically starts playing the latest movies and TV shows from partner apps, which can get irritating. Follow the steps below to disable automatic video and audio playback.

1. From the Fire TV home screen, scroll right and open the
   settings
   Menu (with the gear icon).

2. Go to
   settings
   Menu.

3. Scroll down to
   Featured Content
   .

4. Choose
   Allow automatic video playback
   and turn it off.

5. Do the same for
   Allow automatic audio playback
   .

The next time you see the Fire TV home screen, you’ll only see the TV show and movie recommendation banners. The system does not start audio or video automatically.

Use Parental Controls on Fire TV

Standard parental control tools allow you to restrict access to videos, purchases, and exploitative content.

1. Start the Fire TV
   settings
   in
   settings
   (check the steps above).

2. click
   child lock
   .

3. Enable
   Parental Control
   and enter a new five-digit PIN using the remote control.

4. Enter the same PIN again to confirm.

Fire OS enables parental controls on your device and protects purchases and app launches with a PIN code. It will also add restrictions on content rated Teen and above on Prime Video.

Tweak privacy settings on Fire TV

Amazon collects your personal data from Fire TV for marketing and product improvement purposes. The Appstore also tracks the frequency and duration of usage of downloaded apps. If you’re uncomfortable with the constant tracking, turn off the behavior in the privacy menu.

1. Open FireTV
   settings
   in
   settings
   .

2. click
   Privacy Settings
   .

3. Choose
   Device Usage Data
   .

4. Turn it off.

5. Choose
   Collect app usage data
   and disable it.

6. For added protection, do the same for
   Interest-Based Ads
   .

Use the Fire TV Virtual Remote on your phone

If you’ve misplaced your Fire TV remote or run out of batteries at home, you can use the Fire TV Remote app on your iPhone or Android handset and easily control your device. Make sure you connect the phone and Fire TV to the same Wi-Fi network. You should see your Fire TV in the mobile app.

Restart Fire TV with your remote

Sometimes your Fire TV may become unresponsive. This means that you cannot restart the device from the settings menu. You must use the Fire TV remote to restart.

To do this, press and hold Choose and game break button together for about five seconds. The remote restarts the Fire TV.

Sideload apps on Fire TV

Most people are fine with official apps from the Amazon Appstore, but sometimes Android TVs and their wider selection of apps make you look with envy. And since the Fire OS is based on Android, users can sideload APK files onto the device.

To get started, you need to make an adjustment in Settings.

1. From FireTV
   settings
   choose
   My FireTV
   .

2. Choose
   developer options
   .

3. click
   Apps from unknown sources
   .

4. You will see a security warning.

5. Choose
   turn on
   .

You are ready to sideload apps on your Fire TV. You can use mobile apps like Apps2Fire or the Downloader app on Fire TV to download and install APK files. Check out all the details in our guide to sideloading an app on Fire TV.

However, don’t be disappointed if sideloaded apps don’t look good on Fire TV. These unofficial apps were not designed for the Fire OS interface. Also, forget about installing a third-party launcher. Amazon appears to be blocking them as the company cannot show ads and sponsored content on them.

Create multi-user profiles

You can create separate profiles for your mom, dad, or wife on your Fire TV. Users get a personalized Fire TV experience with pinned apps, TV shows, and movie recommendations.

1. Open the Fire TV home screen and scroll left to your profile picture. click it

2. Choose
   Add profile
   Button.

3. Choose
   Create a new profile
   Possibility.

4. Give it a name and set a profile icon.

5. click
   Add to
   and the new profile is ready to use.

Gather all live TV channels in one place on Fire TV

Constantly switching between apps to cycle through live TV channels offered by different streaming services can prove cumbersome. Fire TV has its own Live TV section that collects them in one place.

1. Open FireTV
   settings
   .

2. Choose
   Live TV
   .

3. Go to
   manage channels
   Menu.

4. Check the live TV sources and the number of channels the app offers.

5. Press and hold while scrolling through live TV channels
   choose
   button on the remote control to add it to the
   favourites
   Menu.

6. Repeat this process for your most used channels for easy access to them
   Live TV
   >
   favorite channels
   Menu.

Set up data alerts on Fire TV

The Fire TV can be data hungry when using 4K content streaming. If you’re short on data plans at home or in the office, you can set a data usage alert on Fire TV.

1. Start FireTV
   settings
   .

2. Choose
   settings
   .

3. Choose
   data monitoring
   .

4. Enable
   data monitoring
   .

5. Choose
   Set data alarm
   .

6. Set a data limit (in GB) for your Fire TV.

7. Choose
   Next
   .

8. Enter the start day for your monthly Internet bill.

9. Choose
   Next
   .

10. Choose
    Confirm
    .

You’ll be notified on-screen when your Fire TV reaches the data limit.

Once you reach the set data limit, Fire OS will warn you about it. This is informative only and the system does not block data consumption after the limit is reached.

Customize the Fire TV screensaver

After five minutes of inactivity, your Fire TV will go into screensaver mode and begin displaying the wallpaper, date, and time. If you’re not a fan of the default screensaver settings, you can customize them.

1. Go to
   FireTV settings
   and select
   Display & Sound
   .

2. Choose
   screensaver
   .

3. Change slide style, slide speed, screensaver start time, enable/disable display information, date and time according to your preference.

Troubleshoot problematic apps on Fire TV

Having trouble with a specific app? You can force quit and reopen the app and try to fix the problem.

1. Open
   applications
   in
   FireTV settings
   .

2. Scroll down to
   Manage installed applications
   .

3. You will see a list of installed apps in alphabetical order.

4. Find and select the app that is giving you trouble.

5. Choose
   force stop
   .

6. Go back to the Fire TV home page and try using the app again.

7. If this doesn’t help, you can
   clear the app cache
   and
   Data
   from the same menu.

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Amazon Fire TV is more powerful than you think

The latest addition to the Fire TV lineup is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which brings significant performance improvements. While Fire TV works out of the box for most people, these are just a few tricks and tips on how to improve your viewing experience. If you’re looking for one, check out the best Amazon Fire TV devices you can buy.