While Amazon offers a wide range of Fire TV products across different price ranges, they all run the same Android-based Fire OS underneath. Fire TV may be simple enough to provide plug-and-play functionality, but don't be fooled by its simple interface. Fire OS is jam-packed with thoughtful add-ons. If you already own a Fire TV device or are planning to get one, read along to learn some useful tips and tricks.




Pin your most-used apps to the Fire TV home screen

If you have installed dozens of apps from the Amazon Appstore, things might get messy if you want to find the ones you actually want to use on a regular basis. It’s time to pin the most-used ones to the home screen for easy access.



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



Move to a frequently used app from the list.



Click the hamburger button on the Fire TV remote.



Select Move to front from the side menu.



The system will pin the app at the top.



Repeat for more apps.






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



Use Alexa on Fire TV

Similar to Google Assistant on Android TV and Chromecast, Fire TV comes with Amazon’s Alexa assistant. Keep pressing the mic button on Fire TV remote to invoke Alexa.

You can control a number of Fire TV features with Alexa-enabled devices. Alexa can play content from Prime Video and other supported apps, you can navigate the OS, browse search results, and even use it to pause and play content.

The usual Alexa requests such as ‘Show me the weather,' ‘open to-do list,’ etc. are also available. Check all the Alexa features on Fire TV from the Amazon Help Customer Service page.



If you have another Alexa-enabled hardware in the room, you may need to clarify with “on Fire TV” at the end of your request to avoid any confusion.





Disable automatic audio and video playback on Fire TV

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 can get irritating. Use the steps below to disable video and audio autoplay.



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



Go to the Preferences menu.



Scroll down to Featured Content.



Select Allow Video Autoplay and turn it off.



Do the same for Allow Audio Autoplay.






The next time you see the Fire TV home, it will only show TV shows/movies recommendation banners. The system won't automatically start audio or video.



Use parental control on Fire TV

Using the default parental control tools, you can restrict access to videos, purchasing, and exploitative content.



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



Click on Parental Controls.



Enable Parent Controls and enter a new five-digit PIN using the remote.



Enter the same PIN again to confirm.






Fire OS will enable parental controls on your device and place PIN protection on purchases and app launches. It will also add restrictions for content rated Teen and above on Prime Video.



Tweak privacy settings on Fire TV

Amazon collects your personal data from Fire TV for marketing and product improvement purposes. The Appstore also tracks the frequency and duration of use of downloaded apps. If you are not comfortable with constant tracking, disable the behavior from the Privacy menu.



Open Fire TV Preferences in Settings.



Click on Privacy Settings.



Select Device Usage Data.



Turn it off.



Select Collect App Usage Data and disable it.



For extra protection, do the same for Interest-based Ads.








Use the virtual Fire TV remote on your phone

If you have misplaced the Fire TV remote, or run out of batteries at home, you can use the Fire TV remote app on your iPhone or Android handset and easily control your device.

Make sure to connect the phone and Fire TV to the same Wi-Fi network, You should see your Fire TV appear in the mobile app.







Restart Fire TV using your remote

At times, your Fire TV might become unresponsive. That means you won’t be able to restart the device from the Settings menu. You must use the Fire TV remote to perform the reboot.

To do so, hold down the Select and Play/Pause button together for about five seconds. The remote will restart the Fire TV.




Sideload apps on Fire TV

Most people are perfectly fine using official apps from the Amazon Appstore, but sometimes you might look at Android TVs and their bigger selection of apps with envy. And since the Fire OS is based on Android, it allows users to sideload APK files on the device.

To get started, you need to make a tweak from Settings.



From Fire TV Settings, select My Fire TV.



Select Developer Options.



Click on Apps from Unknown Sources.



You will see a security warning.



Select Turn On.






You are all set to sideload apps on your Fire TV. You can either use mobile apps like Apps2Fire or the Downloader app on Fire TV to download and install APK files; check all the details in our guide on how to sideload any app to Fire TV.

Don’t be bummed out if sideloaded apps don't look great on Fire TV, though. These unofficial apps aren’t designed with the Fire OS interface in mind. 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 those.



Collect all live TV channels in one place on Fire TV

Constantly switching between apps to cycle through live TV channels offered through various streaming services can prove a cumbersome experience. Thankfully, Fire TV comes with a dedicated Live TV section that gathers them in one place.



Open Fire TV Settings.



Select Live TV.



Go to the Manage Channels menu.



Check the Live TV sources and the number of channels that the app offers.



When you are scrolling through the live TV channels, keep pressing the select button on the remote to add it to the Favorites menu.



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








Set data alerts on Fire TV

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



Launch Fire TV Settings.



Select Preferences.



Select Data Monitoring.



Enable Data Monitoring.



Select Set Data Alert.





Set a data limit (in GB) for your Fire TV.



Select Next.



Enter the start day for your monthly internet bill.



Select Next.



Select Confirm.






You will receive an on-screen alert when your Fire TV is reaching the data limit.



Once you reach the set data limit, Fire OS will warn you about it. This is just informational, and the system won’t block data consumption after the limit is reached.





Customize the Fire TV screen saver

After 5 minutes of inactivity, your Fire TV goes into the screen saver mode and starts showing wallpapers, the date, and the time. If you are not a fan of the default screen saver settings, you can customize them.



From Fire TV Settings, select Display audio.



Select Screen Saver.



Change slide style, slide speed, screen saver start time, enable/disable display info, date, and time to your preference.








Troubleshoot problematic apps on Fire TV

Are you experiencing problems with an app? Before you resort to uninstalling and reinstalling it, you can force stop and re-open the culprit.



Open Applications in Fire TV Settings.



Scroll down to Manage Installed Applications.



You will see a list of installed apps in alphabetical order.



Find and select the app that’s giving you trouble.



Select Force stop.



Go back to the Fire TV home and try using the app again.



If this doesn't help, you can also try to clear the app cache and data from the same menu.






While Fire TV works just fine out of the box for most people, these are just some tricks and tips on how you can improve your TV watching experience. Do you have any tips for optimizing your Fire TV? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.









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About The Author





Parth Shah
(6 Articles Published)







Parth started his career by covering tech news. A tech enthusiast by heart, you will find him talking about how-tos, guides, app comparisons, tutorials, and troubleshooting tricks on Android Police and Guiding Tech. Take away his mechanical keyboard and you will see him dealing in diamonds in Surat, India.




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