18 easy tips and tricks for hardcore streamers

Summary

• Change your Fire TV name to avoid confusion with multiple devices under the same Amazon account.
• Pin your most-used apps to the home screen for quick access on your Fire TV.
• Control your Fire TV with Amazon Alexa for hands-free navigation and content playback.

Your Amazon Fire TV stick is more than a gateway to your favorite streaming apps. It allows you to watch local TV channels, install useful add-ons, connect to Bluetooth headphones for private listening, and more. We explain everything your Fire TV can do and the essential settings to change after setup to get you started. The latest Fire TV streaming devices run the same Android-based OS (Fire OS), so you can follow this guide for any generation of Fire TV stick, Fire TV Cube, or other Amazon Fire TV device.

1 Change the Fire TV name to identify your devices

When you buy and set up a Fire TV device, Amazon auto-assigns a name based on your account’s name. It can be difficult to identify if you have several Fire TV devices under the same Amazon account.

1. Go to the Manage Your Content and Devices menu on the Amazon website.
2. Select your Fire TV.
3. Click Edit beside the Fire TV name. You can also check the device’s health, registration, warranty, and other details from this menu.
4. Edit the device name and click Save.

   

2 Pin your most-used apps to the home screen for easy access

The Amazon Appstore is the gateway to useful apps and add-ons, but losing your most-used apps is easy. Pin your most-used apps to the home screen for easy access.

1. Go to the Fire TV home screen and scroll to the Apps & Games menu. It is represented by three small squares and one plus icon.

   

2. Move to a frequently used app from the list.
3. Click the hamburger button on the Fire TV remote.
4. Select Move to front from the side menu.

   

5. The system pins the app near the top of the home screen

You can pin up to six apps and games on the Fire TV home screen.

3 Control your Fire TV with your voice

Similar to Google Assistant on Android TV and Chromecast, Fire TV comes with the Amazon Alexa assistant. Press and hold the mic button on the Fire TV remote control to activate Alexa.

You can control several Fire TV features with Alexa. It can play content from Prime Video and other supported apps, navigate through apps, search for content, and pause and play content. The usual Alexa requests, such as “Show me the weather” or “Open to-do list,” are also available. Check the Alexa features on Fire TV from the Amazon Help & Customer Service page.

If you have an Amazon Echo device in the same room, you may need to clarify your request with “on Fire TV” at the end to avoid confusion.

Install the Alexa app on your Android or iOS device to explore more Alexa features, including
automated routines
that can chain multiple actions (for example, turn on your Fire TV and dim the lights with one voice command).

4 Deactivate automatic audio and video playback on the home screen

By default, the Featured Content page on the Fire TV home screen automatically starts playing the latest movies and TV shows from partner apps, which be irritating. You can easily turn off video and audio autoplay.

1. Scroll to the right on the Fire TV home screen and open the Settings menu (with the gear icon).

   

2. Go to the Preferences menu.

   

3. Scroll down to Featured Content.

   

4. Select Allow Video Autoplay and turn it off.

   

5. Do the same for Allow Audio Autoplay.

The next time you see the Fire TV home, it only shows the TV shows and movie recommendation banners.

5 Enable parental controls to restrict content and purchases

You can restrict access to videos, purchasing, and exploitative content using the Fire TV’s parental control tools.

1. Launch the Fire TV Preferences in Settings (check the steps above).

   

2. Click Parental Controls.

   

3. Turn on Parent Controls and enter a new five-digit PIN using the remote.

   

4. Enter the same PIN again to confirm.

   

Your TV now locks purchases and app launches behind the five-digit PIN. It also adds restrictions for content rated Teen and above on Prime Video.

6 Stop Amazon tracking your activity by changing privacy settings

Amazon collects your personal data from Fire TV for marketing and product improvement. The Appstore also tracks the frequency and duration of use of downloaded apps. If you are uncomfortable with constant tracking, turn off the behavior from the Privacy menu.

1. Open Fire TV Preferences in Settings.
2. Click Privacy Settings.

   

3. Select Device Usage Data.

   

4. Turn it off.
5. Select Collect App Usage Data and turn it off.
6. For extra protection, do the same for Interest-based Ads.

You can also delete your voice recordings from the Manage Your Content and Devices menu. However, this may negatively affect your Alexa experience on the Fire TV.

7 Connect Bluetooth headphones to listen to shows privately

If you don’t want to disturb others while streaming late-night Netflix shows or movies, connect your Bluetooth headphones to the Fire TV. This only outputs sound to your headphones.

1. Open Fire TV Settings (check the steps above).
2. Select Remotes & Bluetooth Devices.

   

3. Select Other Bluetooth Devices and click Add Bluetooth Devices.

   

4. Turn on Bluetooth pairing on your headphones.
5. Select your headphones on the Fire TV screen to pair them.

You can also connect a gaming controller via Bluetooth to play games on your Fire TV.

8 Turn off navigation sounds for less noise

If the default navigation sound on your Fire TV is annoying, turn it off.

1. Go to Fire TV Settings and select Display & Audio.
2. Select Audio.

   

3. Select Navigation Sounds to turn it off.

   

9 Use the virtual remote app to control your Fire TV with your phone

If you misplace the Fire TV remote or run out of batteries at home, use the Fire TV remote app on your iPhone or Android handset to control your device. You must connect your phone and Fire TV to the same Wi-Fi network to use the virtual Fire TV remote.

10 Restart your Fire TV using the remote

If your Fire TV becomes unresponsive, reboot it with the Fire TV remote. To do so, hold the Select and Play/Pause buttons for about five seconds.

If your Fire TV continually restarts automatically, try these steps to
restore it to working order
. You can also repair your remote by holding the home button for ten seconds.

11 Access more content by installing apps from other sources

The Amazon Appstore has a large library of apps. You can also install apps that are only available on Android TV and Google TV with this nifty workaround. Since Fire OS is based on Android, you can sideload APK files on the device.

To get started, go into the Settings app to allow apps from sources other than the Amazon Appstore.

1. From Fire TV Settings, select My Fire TV.

   

2. Select Developer Options.

   

3. Click Apps from Unknown Sources.

   

4. You’ll see a security warning. Select Turn On.

You’re now set to sideload apps on your Fire TV. You can use mobile apps like Apps2Fire or the Downloader app on Fire TV to download and install APK files. For details, check out our guide on how to sideload any app to Fire TV.

Sideloaded apps may not look great on Fire TV. They aren’t designed for the Fire OS interface. In addition, forget about installing a third-party launcher. Amazon appears to block them, as the company can’t showcase ads and sponsored content on them.

12 Personalize everyone’s content by creating multiple users

You can create separate profiles for your mom, dad, or spouse on your Fire TV. Users get a personalized Fire TV experience with pinned apps, TV shows, and movie recommendations.

1. Open Fire TV home, scroll left, and click your profile picture.

   

2. Select the Add Profile button.

   

3. Select the Create a New Profile option.

   

4. Give it a name and set a profile icon.
5. Click Add, and the new profile is ready to use.

   

13 Save live TV and local channels to your home screen

Constantly switching between apps to cycle through live TV channels offered by various streaming services can be cumbersome. Fire TV has a dedicated Live TV section that gathers them in one place.

Local TV channels are valuable sources of free news and entertainment, but your Fire TV doesn’t activate them by default. Saving your favorite local channels to your home screen keeps them easily accessible at all times.

1. Open Fire TV Settings.
2. Select Live TV.

   

3. Go to the Manage Channels menu.

   

4. Check the Live TV sources and the number of channels the app offers.
5. While scrolling through the live TV channels, keep pressing the select button on the remote to add it to the Favorites menu.

   

6. Repeat for your most-used channels to access them from the Live TV > Favorite Channels menu.

14 Avoid running out of data by setting data limits

Your Fire TV can be data-hungry when it streams 4K content. If you have tight data plans at your home or office, set a data consumption warning on Fire TV.

1. Launch Fire TV Settings.
2. Select Preferences.

   

3. Select Data Monitoring.

   

4. Turn on Data Monitoring.
5. Select Set Data Alert.

   

6. Set a data limit (in GB) for your Fire TV.
7. Select Next.

   

8. Enter the start day for your monthly internet bill.
9. Select Next.

   

10. Select Confirm.

You receive an on-screen alert when your Fire TV reaches the data limit.

When you reach the set data limit, your Fire TV notifies you when you approach the set data limit. However, it doesn’t reduce or stop data use after reaching the limit.

15 Customize the screensaver to show relevant information

After five minutes of inactivity, your Fire TV goes into screensaver mode and shows wallpapers, the date, and the time. You can customize these features to suit your preferences​​​.

1. Go to the Fire TV Settings and select Display & audio.

   

2. Select Screen Saver.
3. Change the slide style, slide speed, screensaver start time, display info, date, and time to your preference.

   

16 Force stop apps to fix common bugs and issues

If an app doesn’t work properly, restart it. This may fix the issue. If these steps don’t resolve the problem, uninstall and reinstall the app.

1. Open Applications in Fire TV Settings.

   

2. Scroll down to Manage Installed Applications.

   

3. You’ll see a list of installed apps in alphabetical order. Find and select the app that’s giving you trouble.

   

4. Select Force stop.

   

5. Go back to the Fire TV home and use the app again.
6. If this doesn’t help, clear the app cache and data from the same menu.

17 Sign in to all your cable packages at once

If you own a cable package, you can install the relevant apps on your Fire TV. However, signing in to one app also signs you in to the other apps included in your cable package. Therefore, install all the network apps included in your cable subscription before signing in.

18 Use the HDMI extender for easy Fire TV stick installation on any T

If your Fire TV stick doesn’t comfortably fit in your TV’s HDMI port, use the extender included in the box to reorient it. Don’t throw this away. It’s a handy tool for when you travel or change TVs.

Amazon Fire TV is more capable than you think

Your Fire TV device is a great way to watch shows and movies, but there’s an easy way to watch content unavailable in your region. A VPN lets you trick your Fire TV into thinking you’re in another region, allowing you to watch content only available there. Not all VPNs are suitable for Fire TV, so choose one of the best VPNs for multiple devices to avoid wasting time setting up an incompatible service.