Amazon Fire TV tips and tricks: How to get the most from your Fire TV device

(Pocket-lint) - Amazon offers a fewer Fire TV devices, from the entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite up to the Fire TV Stick 4K Max and Fire TV Cube. These each travel with an Alexa Voice Remote, truthful not lone bash they entree streaming services including Netflix and Amazon's ain Prime Video, but they tin respond to dependable commands similar an Amazon Echo speaker. The Fire TV Cube adjacent includes its ain built-in far-field mics truthful Alexa tin perceive you.

Whichever Fire TV instrumentality you ain oregon are looking to buy, present are plentifulness of tips and tricks to assistance you get the astir from your streaming media player.

squirrel_widget_6075146

Using Alexa

To usage Alexa via the dependable remote, clasp down the microphone fastener connected the distant power inquire what you privation - you don't request to accidental "Alexa".

You tin besides usage an Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, oregon different Alexa-enabled instrumentality to power your Fire TV, meaning you don't adjacent request the distant astatine all. If you person an Echo successful the country (or Fire TV Cube), you tin simply bark commands and the Fire TV Stick volition obey.

Alexa connected Fire TV tin beauteous overmuch bash immoderate an Echo tin bash but with the payment of Visual Cards. For example, accidental "what's the upwind like?" and Alexa volition reply for your existent area.

Here are immoderate different commands you tin try:

• "What was the Manchester United score?" - oregon immoderate different athletics oregon team, of course.
• "What's connected my calendar?" - you tin specify days, etc too.
• "Who is the pb vocalist of Coldplay?" - oregon different set oregon trivia question.
• "Play Happy Mondays!" - your Fire TV volition play songs from an Amazon Music oregon Music Unlimited account.
• "Jump guardant 1 minute!" - each mode of commands tin beryllium made during video playback.
• "What's the postulation like?" - you request to acceptable up your commute oregon question details successful the dedicated Alexa app for iOS, Android oregon Amazon Fire devices.
• "What's successful the news?" - again, acceptable up your favourite quality root successful the Alexa app; Sky News is acceptable arsenic the default.

You tin besides perceive to vigor shows, audiobooks, and overmuch more. To find retired much astir Alexa, check retired our abstracted guide.

Using dependable search

You tin besides usage Alexa to hunt for contented utilizing your voice.

Just accidental the sanction of a TV show, film, actor, director, etc, and the hunt results volition instrumentality immoderate applicable content. The quality of Amazon's strategy is that not lone volition it instrumentality results from Amazon's services, but different services too. So, if a amusement oregon movie is connected Netflix, it volition look successful the results and you tin take wherever you privation to ticker it.

Take your Fire TV Stick connected holiday

It is imaginable to instrumentality a Fire TV Stick with you connected vacation arsenic you tin link it to edifice Wi-Fi, adjacent if the net requires further details to log on, specified arsenic country number. It besides works if you are a student, say, and request to stock dorm Wi-Fi. Just caput to Settings > Network find the web you privation to link to and if much details request to beryllium entered, a webpage volition unfastened with the further boxes required by the edifice oregon nationalist location.

It works, therefore, overmuch similar a smartphone oregon tablet successful that way. Once the web transportation is successful, you tin usage the Fire TV Stick.

Set your location

When you archetypal footwear your Amazon Fire TV Stick, you volition beryllium asked for your Amazon relationship details and a postcode/zip code. The erstwhile is to nexus it to your account, whether you person Prime rank oregon not. The postcode is to guarantee you get close details based connected your location, specified arsenic section upwind reports done Alexa. If you didn't acceptable your postcode oregon request to alteration it astatine a aboriginal date, you tin find the enactment successful Settings > Preferences > Location. 

squirrel_widget_166802

Change featured content

The location surface features a ample barroom crossed the apical that recommends contented - mostly from Amazon. By default, this volition autoplay video trailers and the similar but you tin crook disconnected that option. Go to Settings > Preferences > Featured Content and you tin power disconnected "Allow Video Autoplay" and "Allow Audio Autoplay" independently. By switching them disconnected you volition prevention net bandwidth and usage - for example, if you are connected a constricted information program oregon are hotspotting.

Turn disconnected notifications

Certain installed apps mightiness interrupt your viewing acquisition with pop-up notifications. These volition apt not interfere excessively much, but if you privation to crook them off, conscionable caput to Settings > Preferences > Notification Settings and you tin either fell each notifications by turning connected "Do Not Interrupt" oregon connected an app to app basis.

Turn disconnected targeted advertising

Some apps connected the Amazon Fire TV Stick oregon Fire TV, including Amazon's own, volition people adverts astatine you depending connected erstwhile information it has gathered astir your interests. You tin crook this off. You'll inactive spot adverts, but they won't beryllium based connected information gathered - indeed, information volition halt being gathered astir your interests and "advertising profile". Head to Settings > Preferences > Advertising ID and you tin power them disconnected determination and/or reset your "Advertising ID".

Set up Parental Controls

The Amazon Fire TV devices connection broad parental controls wherever you tin PIN-protect purchases and apps, adjacent the Prime Photos app truthful a four-digit PIN is required earlier accessing immoderate of those features. In addition, you tin acceptable the viewing level disposable without needing a PIN.

For example, if you power connected parental controls, the default viewing level is "Family", which allows each Amazon Video contented rated PG and beneath to beryllium viewed with a PIN. Anything rated higher requires the PIN to beryllium entered each time. You tin besides acceptable the ratings to General (U), Teen (12, 15), and Mature (18, Unrated, Not Rated). To crook connected and set parental controls caput to Settings > Preferences > Parental Controls.

You whitethorn request to set parental controls for different services separately - specified arsenic Netflix.

Calibrate your display

Some apps mightiness request you to guarantee the Fire TV instrumentality is decently calibrated to your surface size. This volition necessitate you to cheque the options connected your idiosyncratic television, though determination is simply a useful surface successful Settings with arrows to amusement the close scaling. You tin find it successful Settings > Display & Audio > Display > Calibrate Display. The grey arrows top, bottom, near and close should beryllium disposable with the constituent ending astatine each edge. If not, set your TV settings.

Set your ain photos arsenic the screensaver

If you are an Amazon Prime member, you tin usage your ain photos, taken connected a smartphone oregon camera and stored connected the Prime Photos unreality service, arsenic your Fire TV screensaver. Prime Photos is simply a free, unlimited unreality retention work for each Prime members, which tin beryllium acceptable to store each of your smartphone pictures automatically, uploaded to done a browser oregon app, oregon linked with a Facebook and/or Twitter relationship to sync images posted socially.

You tin find retired much astir Prime Photos and however to entree your relationship here. If you person photos stored connected Prime Photos, they tin beryllium accessed via a Prime Photos app pre-installed connected a Fire TV device. You tin besides acceptable them to enactment arsenic your screensaver.

A Fire TV Stick automatically scrolls done beauteous pictures of scenery if you permission a paper surface static for excessively long. You tin alteration the photos it shows by going to Settings > Display & Audio > Screen Saver. Here, you volition spot "Amazon Collection" arsenic the default Album, click connected it and you tin alteration it to immoderate postulation oregon folder of your ain images you person stored connected Prime Photos. You tin besides alteration the mode the pictures determination and the velocity they refresh.

Turn disconnected paper clicks

By default, the Fire TV paper clicks erstwhile you scroll. Turn this dependable disconnected by heading to Settings > Display & Audio > Audio and turning Navigation Sounds off.

Cast your telephone oregon laptop's screen

Fire TV makes it casual to formed your instrumentality onto your TV screen. If it's connected to the aforesaid Wi-Fi, you should spot the sanction of your Fire TV instrumentality connected the database of places disposable to formed too. Unfortunately, this won't enactment with Apple devices.

Fire TV Remote app

If you've mislaid your remote, you tin inactive power your TV done the Amazon Fire TV app, which not lone lets you navigate the Fire TV paper but besides gives you entree to Voice contol conscionable similar a regular Fire TV remote. Check retired the Google Play store mentation of the app here, and here is the mentation for iOS.

Uninstall apps

It's casual to instal apps - chiefly done the location surface oregon hunt - but little evident arsenic to however to uninstall them again if you privation to wide immoderate abstraction for caller downloads. To uninstall an app, caput to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications and scroll down to the app you privation to delete. Click connected it and you tin spot the uninstall enactment 3 lines down. You tin besides delete each of your saved information from these apps connected the aforesaid menu.

• Read our Fire TV Stick 4K Max review

Change your devices name

If you privation to alteration the sanction of your instrumentality to thing much palatable than [Your name's] Fire TV, you tin easy alteration the sanction to thing else, similar Living Room TV. You tin spell to this website connected your browser and selecting the device's sanction you'd similar to change.

You tin besides bash it connected your telephone by opening the Alexa app > Devices > Echo & Alexa > and past take the instrumentality you're renaming.

Add games to Fire TV

Sick of bingeing? You tin besides play games connected your Fire TV device. Sure, it's nary PlayStation 5, but the Fire TV does person entree to immoderate classics similar Sonic, Crazy Taxi, and a fewer Final Fantasy titles, arsenic good arsenic immoderate Amazon Fire TV exclusives similar Jeopardy and Who Wants to beryllium A Millionaire. Add games by scrolling to Apps connected the paper astatine the apical of the Fire TV homepage, and past prime games from the drop-down paper that appears.  

Delete your dependable recordings  

Every clip you talk to Alexa, it is storing your dependable commands to assistance her amended larn your voice. You tin spell and delete each of these recordings by going to the Manage Your Content and Devices leafage connected your browser, oregon bash it successful the Alexa app, by going to Settings > Alexa Privacy. From there, you'll beryllium brought to a Review Voice History page, wherever you tin take to delete your dependable recordings from the past 24 hours, 7 days, oregon 30 days. 

Restart your instrumentality with your remote.

Amazon's dependable power distant has a nifty instrumentality for resetting your TV Stick. Simply property the Select fastener (center of the ellipse connected your controller) and the Play/Pause button. Hold them some down for 5 seconds and your instrumentality should reset. 

Pair Bluetooth headphones for quiescent streaming

You tin easy acceptable up your favourite Bluetooth headphones for listening. This mightiness not look utile for immoderate people, but it's amended than risking waking up your important different oregon missing lines of dialog due to the fact that the measurement is excessively low. Just spell to Settings > Controllers & Bluetooth Devices > Other Bluetooth Devices, from determination you sync you travel the instructions of your headphones to decorativeness syncing the devices.

You tin besides adhd a controller for gaming pursuing the aforesaid process. It works with a fig of Bluetooth controllers - but bash cheque compatibility earlier you bargain one. 

Writing by Rik Henderson and Maggie Tillman. Editing by Britta O'Boyle. Originally published connected 8 May 2017.