10 Tips and Hidden Functions to Master Amazon Fire TV

Efficient and inexpensive, Amazon Fire TV devices (such as the Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube) are one of the simplest solutions to turn your TV into a low-cost connected TV.

But my Amazon operating system, Prime Video Table and access to many streaming video sites like Netflix, Apple TV +, YouTube or Disney +, hides many secrets.

Underneath their apparent simplicity, Fire TV devices have many features that are often unused if not completely ignored by users. Find out everything you need to know to get full control of your Fire TV.

1. Use your smartphone as a remote control and keyboard

If you often lose your Fire TV remote control, be aware that you can control it from your smartphone while waiting to get your hands on it. How? ‘Or’ What? Thanks to the official Fire TV app provided by Amazon for download on Android and iOS.

However, for this to work, your smartphone must be connected to the same WiFi network as your Fire TV. After a quick scan of your network, launch the app to find Fire TV connected to your TV on its own.
After pressing the name of your Fire TV from the app, you will get a virtual remote control on the screen of your smartphone.

You can go to Fire TV’s menus with quick and easy access to installed apps, but above all the possibilities of entering your smartphone’s virtual keyboard text, for example, if you need to do so by entering a longer password in the app (copy and paste elsewhere).

2. Configure the keyboard, mouse or even the Bluetooth headset

In the same vein that allows the Fire TV app on smartphones, you might consider connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to your device.
This will allow you to use the built-in web browser on Fire TV to browse the web from your TV. Also keep in mind that you can connect a Bluetooth audio headset directly to the Amazon operating system to enjoy the content you want to see even more brilliantly.

To connect the new Bluetooth accessory to your Fire TV, go to Settings, Then enter the menu Bluetooth remote controls and devices.

Select Other Bluetooth devices, Then selectAdd Bluetooth devices.

Make sure your keyboard, mouse or headset is in connectivity mode to detect Fire TV. Select and verify it by pressing the Round Verification button on the remote control to connect your spouse to the Amazon Fire TV.

3. Control your Fire TV by voice

You can control your Fire TV by voice in a number of ways. First, by pressing and holding the button indicating the microphone, you will be on the remote control, and then say out loud what you want to do. Your Fire TV will run without even saying Alexa.

Alternatively, if you have Amazon Echo connected speakers, or use the Alexa app on your smartphone, you can also control your Fire TV by launching Alexa.

4. Use your photos as a screen saver

If you have a Fire TV, chances are you are a prime subscriber. In addition to free shipping and delivery within a working day, Prime Subscription offers a number of offers: unlimited online storage for all your photos, including Prime Video, Amazon Music Prime, Prime Reading or even Amazon Photos.

For example, you can use it to sync all photos from your Android smartphone or iPhone. But above all, you can configure your Fire TV to display a screen saver that displays images taken directly from Amazon Photos.

To do this, enter Settings Go to the menu from Fire TV Display and sounds.

Then enter Screen saver, And then select Screen saver is active Define the images you want to display on your screensaver.

5. Create accounts for each user

If you have multiple members in your household who watch prime video content from Fire TV, it is a good idea to create multiple user profiles. This way, each person will show suggestions on Fire TV to suit their preferences, based on the content they have seen before to show suggestions with Prime Video.

Although you can create multiple profiles in Prime Video by logging into your account from your web browser, you can also do so directly from Fire TV.

To do this, run Prime Video, Then at the top of the interface, go to the color dot associated with your profile and select the option Change profile.

You can select another existing profile or create a new one by selecting the button + «New Will be displayed on the right side of the screen.

All you have to do is fill in the information for the new profile and then check it by selecting the button Save.

6. Stream content from your smartphone to your TV

You may not know it, but your Fire TV can stream media from your smartphone to your TV.

Given the fact that all your devices are connected to the same WiFi network, you will find it in mobile applications like Android, iOS, YouTube, Netflix. A button to “send” content to display on your TV, just like a Chromecast device.

Find and tap the “Caster” icon on your mobile app. You can choose Custer Sur Fire TV.

7. Configure your Amazon Echo speakers on the Fire TV

If you have Amazon Echo smart speakers, you can use them to stream audio from your Fire TV.

To work, you need to connect all your devices to the same WiFi network. Then, open the Alexa app on your Android smartphone or your iPhone and go to the tab Devices. Then press the button + Select in the upper right Connect the speakers.

8. Make a forced restart from the remote control.

Instead of going to settings to get a proper restart of your Fire TV, you can do it directly from a distance.

To do this, press and hold the Verify button (located in the center of the circular navigation button) and the Play / Pause button for a few seconds. A message will appear on the screen informing you that your Fire TV is being restarted.

9. Disable ad tracking

By default, your Fire TV, like other Amazon devices, is set up to collect your application data, including delivering targeted ads to you. However, you can turn off data collection very easily.

To do this, go Settings From the Fire TV, enter the menu Options.

Access the menu Privacy settings, Then enter each option to disable Device usage data, The Application data collection, As well as Target Ads.

10. Install Android apps from your smartphone

Amazon offers its own set of applications to install on Fire TV. However, you may not always find what you are looking for.
Luckily for you, Fire TV runs on Fire OS, a modified version of Android. So Fire TV supports installing Android applications from APK files.

Although downloading APKs can go directly through Fire TV’s built-in web browser, there is another way to minimize a hassle: Page loading. You can use your Android smartphone to send your installed apps to your Fire TV.

To do this, you need a specific application on your smartphone. There are many, but we have set our sights Apps2Fire, Free application for Android.
For this to work with your smartphone and Fire TV, both devices must be connected to the same WiFi network.

Next, from your Fire TV, you must enable ADB Debugging and allow applications to be installed from unknown sources.
To do this, enter Settings Go to the menu from Fire TV Ma Fire TV.

Then enter Developer options.

Activate ADB fix (This allows you to remotely connect to your Fire TV), as well Applications from unknown sources.

If both of these options are enabled on the Fire TV, open Apps2Fire on your smartphone. To access the menu, drag all displayed tabs to the left Install.
Then press Fire TV Search. When Apps2Fire detects your Fire TV, a USB debugging alert will appear on your TV. Check by selecting OK Fire TV uses the remote.

Now, on the Apps2Fire from your smartphone, go to the tab Local applications. Tap the application you want to install on your Fire TV, then tap on the pop-up that appears. Install.

Wait a few seconds for the application to switch between your smartphone and your Fire TV and then install.
However, keep in mind that installing applications this way is not a safe science. Because the Android apps on your smartphone want to work on the mobile device, they will not work on your Fire TV.