10 Life Hacks Every Amazon Fire TV User Should Know
The first thing to understand about Amazon Fire is that Fire TV and Fire TV Stick are not the same thing. Some hacks only work on Fire TV, others only on Fire TV Stick, and still others work on both. You can have a Google TV (or any other TV) and connect a Fire TV Stick to it, so if you don’t have a Fire TV, know there’s a simple $30 solution that can fix that. I’ve been using Fire OS for years, and while it’s not my favorite operating system, it has some pretty cool hacks that no other OS has.
Make menu navigation more detailed.
Pressing and holding the “Fast Forward” and “Fast Rewind” buttons simultaneously for two seconds activates a text banner in the navigation menu. A white box appears at the bottom of the screen with additional information about the selected navigation menu item. You can view the IMDB rating, movie or TV show duration, release year, rating, synopsis, and more. Use the fast-forward arrow to access additional information from the banner. An expanded menu is also available by pressing the “Menu” button, where you can add movies or TV shows to your watchlist or select streaming platforms.
Quickly restart your Fire TV Stick.
Fire TV Sticks and Fire TVs are mini-computers, so they can occasionally crash and need to be rebooted. Hold down the Circle button and the Play/Pause button simultaneously for five seconds, and your Fire Stick will reboot immediately. This is much easier than searching for a reboot option in the menu or physically unplugging it.
Mirror your iPhone’s screen to Fire TV.
While Fire TV and Fire TV Stick can directly mirror Android smartphones, doing so on an iPhone requires some effort. And just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it’s impossible. You’ll need to download a paid app, such as Screen Mirroring for Fire TV . (There are other free alternatives (AirScreen, DoCast, LetsView), but they will have limitations, such as displaying ads or setting time limits, until you purchase the app.) To get started, after selecting the app, hold down the Home button for five seconds and select the “Mirror” option that appears. Then, open the mirroring app and make sure you’re on the same network as your Fire TV. Then, follow the on-screen instructions.
You don’t need a Fire TV remote control to use Fire TV.
Losing your remote (or buying a used TV without one) doesn’t mean you’re stuck. There’s a simple and free solution. Download the Amazon Fire TV app, which essentially turns your phone into a Fire TV remote, often with advanced features. To set it up, you’ll need to make sure you’re on the same network as your TV. One of my favorite reasons to use this app instead of a physical remote is the ability to type any text you want on your phone instead of selecting each letter individually with the remote.
Watch almost everything for free with Kodi.
Kodi is a free, open-source media system that lets you reliably stream your entire media collection to any local device, like a Fire TV Stick. The catch is that setup takes a while, but don’t worry. I’ve detailed the steps in this guide to make installation easy. Plex and Jellyfin are also good alternatives, as they’re easy to download from the official Amazon app store (but check out our reviews of their pros and cons).
Use your computer as a Fire TV.
If you want to watch Fire TV on the go or don’t have a TV, it’s convenient to watch content on a computer (Mac or PC)—especially if you already have Kodi installed on your Fire TV Stick. To do this, you’ll need to install open-source software like OBS Studio . This essentially gives you another way to watch your TV shows and movies.
Use Fire TV Stick as a computer.
You can access the internet through a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, and it’s surprisingly easy. Download the Amazon Silk app to your Fire TV or Stick, and you can check email, social media, or do anything else you do in a browser on your TV. And if the thought of using a remote to type is daunting, consider the Amazon Fire TV app I mentioned earlier, or you can buy one of these inexpensive remotes for easy typing. If you get really good at it, you can create shortcuts to your favorite websites on the homepage, just as if they were apps.
Use your Alexa speaker as a hands-free remote control.
Sometimes our hands are full, or we can’t find the remote or phone before the next episode announcement ruins our viewing experience. If you have an Alexa speaker handy, simply use voice commands to say, for example, “Pause TV.”
Listen to TV through Bluetooth headphones.
Many people notice the Bluetooth feature on TV set-top boxes and don’t think much of it, but it’s a very useful feature. You can connect a wireless keyboard for searching, gamepads for gaming, a surround sound system, or portable speakers, and, perhaps most conveniently, connect Bluetooth headphones to listen to TV without disturbing your neighbors. Go to Settings > Controllers & Bluetooth Devices > Other Bluetooth Devices > Add , and the system will find any device that’s in sync mode.
Find out who’s at your door, right on your TV screen.
If you have an Alexa-compatible camera, there’s a way to display it on your Fire TV. These brands include Nest, Arlo, Blink, Wyze, Logitech, Ecobee, TP-Link, Aqara, Honeywell, Kami, Reolink, Zmodo, Amcrest, Canary, Vivint, and SwitchBot. These may have different feature sets and on-screen options, so it’s best to check your model’s capabilities on Fire TV and learn how to set each one up correctly.