- Fire TV’s massive makeover comes to the phone app too
- The app becomes a second screen to control your Fire TV
- Rolling out to everyone in the coming weeks
Amazon‘s Fire TV mobile app has just been upgraded, and it looks like it could become your go-to remote for all your Fire TV needs, whether you have a Stick or a full Fire TV set.
The app hasn’t just been given a makeover. It’s been designed as a second screen for your Fire TV, enabling you to browse for stuff to watch on your phone and manage your watchlist, then play titles on your TV by selecting them in the app.
You can also use your phone as a full remote control, and it seems like it could be way more convenient than endlessly scrolling using your TV remote, especially for looking at different categories.
It’s also been redesigned to match the current, newly updated Fire TV user interface that we saw Amazon announce last week. And it looks like it’ll be arriving faster than the TV upgrade, especially if you’re outside the US.
What’s new in Fire TV?
The Fire TV redesign is the most significant rework in five years, and while it’s currently US-only and for three Fire TV models it’ll be rolling out to more devices in more countries this spring. The redesigned mobile app isn’t rolling out so slowly and it isn’t limited to the US: it’ll be rolling out to all customers in the next few weeks, starting today.
Amazon says it’s redesigned the Fire TV user interface to be “cleaner, faster and better organized” so that you’ll spend less time searching and more times watching: Amazon quotes research saying that on average US customers spend 12 minutes deciding what to watch, and Amazon wants to reduce that.
In addition to the redesigned layout, Amazon’s engineers have also made Fire TV faster: according to the firm “we’re seeing up to 20-30% gains in speed” in some cases.
One of the simplest and most effective changes in the new UI is that you can now pin up to 20 apps to your home screen, up from the current six. And the menu button on your remote delivers faster access to games, art & photos, and Amazon’s Ambient Experience.
Alexa’s a big part of the new interface too, especially in its Alexa+ incarnation. That’s free to Prime subscribers and available as a separate subscription to non-subscribers. Amazon says you’ll be able to ask Alexa+ for informed recommendations, for example telling you about movies that share a visual style, and to ask questions as if you were talking to a friend rather than your TV.
The Amazon Fire TV update is rolling out to US customers now and more widely in the spring.
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