Regardless of whether you agree or not but Amazon Fire Stick can surely make your dumb TV smarter. But most often get confused between Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV device. Both of them mostly offer similar functionalities yet are entirely different. Fire Stick is basically a cheap alternative capable of streaming a lot movies and TV shows. On other hand the Fire TV box console is almost double the price and is far more powerful. Fire TV allows you to watch all your favorite content in 4K HD quality and also gives you access to a lot of games as well.
So, if you just got yourself the Amazon Fire TV this season here are a few tips and tricks to make the most of this device.
1. Take Alexa’s Help
Amazon’s virtual voice assistant—Alexa is well coordinated and synced with both Fire Stick and Fire TV console. So, you can start taking Alexa’s help to do a lot of things like control playback, play music or find content based on name, genre or actor and more. To take a look at a handy guide which includes all the things Alexa is capable of head on to Settings > Alexa > Things to Try for inspiration.
2. Forget the Remote
Just like all other remotes, you can also tend to lose your Fire TV remote or maybe it can just get stuck between the couch or broken by your pet. So, if by any chance you’re unable to find your Fire TV remote, you can download the Fire TV app to navigate controls in the exact same way.
3. If Gaming is All that You Need
Gaming is the only thing which differentiates Fire Stick from Fire TV device. If you’re one hard core gaming junkie then Fire TV is all you need. Its dual controller, D-pad, shoulder buttons make it your perfect gaming destination.
4. Update your Current Location
If you wish to get more personalized weather updates on your Fire TV it’s better that you update it with your exact current location postal code. To do so, head to Settings > Preferences > Location and enter your current postcode there.
5. Disable Advertisements
Targeted advertising can be really annoying at times. Yes, we know it’s quite useful too! We get too see personalized ads based on our interests and preferences. But if you’re not into this you can disable targeted ads from Fire TV settings. Go to Settings > Preferences > Advertising ID. Here you can customize the ad settings and make it more generalized so that you don’t get hit by personalized ads.
6. Side load Apps for More Options
If you’ve got nothing to do on weekends, the Fire TV library may seem a bit limited to you. But don’t worry! You can easily download third party applications on Fire TV, but for that you need to download the APK file first. Go to Settings > System > Developer Options and enable ADB Debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources. Next, you have to download Apps2fire on your phone. In this way, all the APK files that you install on your Smartphone can be directly used on Fire TV.
7. Set your Personalized Screensaver
If you don’t want Fire TV to show up landscape sceneries from around the world, and prefer to watch your personal photographs instead that’s very much possible. You can choose all the pictures that are stored on Amazon Prime cloud account (Prime Photos). To choose them, go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Screensaver and pick the collection of photos which you want Fire TV to display.
8. Enable Parental Controls
Kids can be really notorious at times (especially when you’re not at home). So, if you don’t want your little ones to see explicit content on Fire TV, setting up a parental control protection might just help. To manage parental controls on Fire TV head on to Settings > Preferences > Parental Controls. Here you can add a 4-digit PIN and create a separate profile in order to stop you kids from viewing anything irrelevant.
So folks, hope these quick tips will enhance your Amazon Fire TV experience and help you to make the most of this device!