Amazon Fire TV gets a major update: Here’s what has changed

Amazon today rolled out a major update to the user interface of its Fire TV devices. The update does not bring a more personal and faster experience but it also brings a host of new features to the Fire TV interface.

Amazon says that the latest update is Fire TV’s biggest experience update ever and that it will be rolling it out to third-generation Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite customers over the coming weeks. The company also said that it will roll out this update to other Fire TV devices early next year.

Here’s what has changed:

Redesigned UI

The company says with the redesigned Main Menu that will appear in the centre of the screen, users will be able to navigate to key destinations like Home, Find, Live, Library, Profiles and more easily. Here, users will also be able to access apps, channels and games with the ability to pin and rearrange the order of the apps as per their convenience.

How to customise the order of apps in the Main Menu: Focus on an app you’d like to move > click the menu icon on your remote > select “move” > move the app to your desired position,

Redesigned Home screen

The company has also redesigned the Home screen of the Fire TV UI such that it is tailored to each profile and its user’s viewing preferences. The company says that users can find show and movie recommendations from subscription-based streaming services like Prime Video, Zee5, SonyLiv and Voot plus free content from ad-supported apps. Content recommendations, on the other hand, can be found in the ‘Popular Movies & TV Shows’ row.

Find tab

Amazon has also released a new Find tab to filter by content like Movies or TV shows or search recommended categories like Comedy, Action or Adventure. The company says that users can also filter content from subscription-based apps or content which is available for free.

User profiles

Amazon has also added the capability to create up to six user profiles on Fire TV. These profiles will allow each user to access their viewing history, recommendations, watch list, live TV preferences, and select settings, including accessibility features. The company says that after setting up your Alexa Voice Profile, switching Fire TV profiles is as simple as saying “Alexa, switch to my profile.”

How to create a new Profile: Select the profiles icon on the Home screen > select Add Profile > select New profile > choose a name and icon for your profile.

Improved Navigation

In addition to the above-mentioned features, Amazon has also improved navigation using Alexa. Alexa now allows users to use their voice to navigate throughout the UI. All they need to do is say, “Alexa, go to Live” or “Alexa, go to Find.”

Amazon says that early next year, Alexa Explore will provide a dedicated destination where users will be able to discover popular Alexa features, view connected smart home devices, see stocks, and more.

Tune In Live

Amazon has included a dedicated Live tab in the Main Menu that features a dedicated Live tab where users can access shows currently on-air, or use the Channel Guide to browse for live sports, news, and TV channels.

Library

Lastly, the update brings the Library tab. Users can jump to their watchlist by visiting the Library on the Main Menu bar.