Most Annoying Amazon Fire TV Settings (and How to Fix Them)
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is an affordable streaming stick that’s great for watching Amazon Prime and supports all major streaming services, screen mirroring, and third-party apps. But the Fire TV Stick still has enough quirks – simple things like blocking third-party Android apps and auto-playing videos on your home screen – that can make things more annoying than they should be. Let’s take a look at some of these quirks.
Disable autoplay on home screen
After a recent redesign, Amazon is really pushing big top previews and grid recommendations, and the constant autoplaying previews on the home screen can be annoying when all you have to do is head over to the YouTube app.
You can turn them off in the settings. Go to Settings > Preferences > Recommended Content and turn off the Allow Video Autoplay and Allow Audio Autoplay options.
Install any Android app on your Fire TV Stick
While it may not look like this, the Fire TV Stick is based on Android, but there is no Google Play Store, and by default Amazon won’t let you install Android apps. But with the settings and Downloader changed, you’re done.
First go to Settings > My Fire TV > Developer Options . Turn on ADB Debugging , then click Install Unknown Applications .
Then download the ” Downloader ” app from the Amazon Appstore – it allows you to view, download and install Android APKs. Just open the app and search the Internet for any app APKs you want to install.
Configure Amazon Appstore Settings
The Amazon Appstore is the backbone of the Fire TV Stick, and you should take some time to tweak its settings.
Go to Settings > Apps > App Store . Here you can configure the following parameters.
- Automatic updates : Enable this setting so that apps can update in the background automatically (this does not work for downloaded unpublished apps).
- Disable in-app purchases : If you don’t want your family members (or yourself) to accidentally purchase in-app subscriptions, disable this feature.
- Subscription Management : This is where you can manage and cancel your in-app subscriptions.
- Notifications : Don’t want to receive Appstore notifications? You can turn them off here.
Stop annoying app notifications
By the way, notifications are actually one of the biggest annoyances when using the Fire TV Stick on a regular basis. Amazon loves to keep you informed of all the little things, from new releases to app updates. And it gets even worse when you factor in notifications from third-party apps.
To turn it off, go to Settings > Preferences > Notification Settings and select Do Not Interrupt to turn off notifications across the board. Alternatively, you can go to the App notifications section to turn off notifications for specific apps.
Mute click sound
The click sound of an interface is a subjective thing. Some users like it, some don’t. If you’re in the latter camp (someone who keeps their phone silent at all times), you probably want to turn off the click sound for the Fire TV Stick.
To do this, go to Settings > Display & Sound > Audio > Navigation Sounds > Off .
Make the Fire TV Stick the only remote control for your TV
If you have a modern TV with CEC functionality, you can also use the Fire TV Stick to control your TV. Pressing the Home button will turn on the TV, and when you put the Fire TV Stick into sleep mode, the TV will turn off.
This feature is usually automatically enabled, but if it is not, you can do it in Settings > Display & Sound > HDMI CEC Device Control .
Disable data collection
Amazon includes data monitoring by default. This feature allows Amazon to collect user data related to device and app usage. If you care about your privacy, you should disable this feature.
Select Settings > Preferences > Data Monitoring > Off . While you’re in the Settings section , go to the “Privacy Settings” section and turn off the “Device Data Usage”, “Collect App Data Usage” and “ Interest-Based Ads “ capabilities.
Connect Bluetooth headphones using Fire TV Stick
Do you like watching TV at night in the vicinity of those who prefer silence? Well, the Fire TV Stick supports Bluetooth headphones, but this feature is a bit hidden in the settings.
Go to Settings > Settings > Bluetooth Remotes & Devices > Other Bluetooth Devices . Here you can pair Bluetooth devices such as headphones, keyboards, mice, etc.