In the age of cord-cutting and streaming dominance, Amazon has risen to the challenge with its Fire TV. There is so much to love about the Fire TV lineup which includes a Fire TV stick, Fire TV Recast and Fire TV Cube. Getting the most out of this product lineup requires a little know-how and plenty of tips and tricks. Over the years Amazon has added additional features you may not know. Let’s take a look at some of the best Fire TV tips and tricks.
Control Fire TV with Amazon Echo
While the Fire TV lineup already has Alexa baked in, it doesn’t work all that well when a TV is off. It’s even more difficult in the event you lose the remote. Thankfully, it is incredibly easy to sync your Fire TV product to your Amazon Echo and not miss a beat.
All you have to do is open up the Amazon Alexa app and click on Settings, then select “TV and Video.” Click the “+” sign next to Fire TV and locate your Alexa device. To complete the setup, follow the rest of the on-screen instructions.
You are now free to control a slew of features on your Fire TV including playing a movie or TV show, searching within apps, controlling movie and TV playback and much more. You can see the full list of commands here.
Use the App Over the Remote
In the event you lose the Fire TV remote or just want extra features, the Fire TV Remote app can ride to the rescue.
This app can do some awesome things like adding a keyboard for easy text entry. That alone makes it worth a download on Android or iOS. Voice search is still included, so you don’t have to get off the sofa to make any changes. Playback controls are alright on the screen so you can pause and grab the popcorn. Want to see all the recordings you’ve made with the Fire TV Recast? That’s right on the app too. Overall, this app is simple to use and at the low price of free, a no-brainer to download.
Listen with Bluetooth Headphones
Every parent knows that when the kids go to bed, silence in the house rules supreme. The last thing you want is a kid waking up because of too many explosions during your favorite action scene. That will not happen with Fire TV, as you can jump into “Settings -> Controllers -> Bluetooth Devices -> Other Bluetooth Devices” and add your headphones. Once synced with the Fire TV lineup, the headphones are remembered, so you do not have to sync them each time. Now all you have to do is throw on your headphones and enjoy the movie without waking the rest of the house.
Reboot with the Remote
In the event your Fire TV product freezes, fear not, as there is a quick solution to get things going again.
All you have to do is hold down the Play/Pause button and the “Select” button (the giant one in the middle of the remote) for around five seconds. You will know the reboot has worked once you see the Fire TV logo on the screen. Once everything boots back up, carry on with whatever you were watching.
Order from Amazon
Imagine you are deep into a movie you have been wanting to watch for weeks, and it hits you that you forgot to order toilet paper. You don’t have to get off the sofa. Just hold down the Alexa button on your Fire TV remote and say: “Order toilet paper from Amazon,” or whatever else you want to purchase. You will see items you want to purchase on the screen and can scroll through them until you find what you want. Hit the Select/center button to purchase and get right back to your movie.
Install Apps from Amazon.com
In the interest of total honesty, installing apps directly on the Fire TV service is kind of a pain. The best way to avoid this frustration is to install apps easily directly from Amazon.com. As long as your Fire TV product is linked to your Amazon account, all you have to do is find apps in the Amazon Appstore and purchase them. Amazon will ask you if you want to install it on the Fire TV, and that is all there is to it. Simple!
Last but not least, you can also set up a home theater system with Fire TV and Amazon Echo. Check it out.
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