Giant online shopping leader Amazon's Fire TV devices are getting the biggest experience upgrade ever.
The Amazon Fire TV range of devices will receive a new user interface in the coming months with a host of new features. Amazon says the new update is the biggest update to the Fire TV experience. It marks a re-imagined layout and navigation, a redesigned home screen, better content discovery, user profiles, and improved navigation with Alexa.
The new Fire TV update will roll out for Fire TV Stick (3rd generation) and Fire TV Stick Lite users in the coming weeks. Legacy Amazon Fire TV devices will receive the update in early 2021. With the range of Android TV devices gaining momentum in India, it's time for Amazon to revamp the Fire TV interface and did the exact same thing. Read on to learn more about the new features Amazon has added to the Fire TV.
Fire TV UI Update - Revamped layout and navigation
Starting with the layout, the Fire TV update will re-imagine the layout and navigation. Amazon says it will now be easier and faster to get what you are looking for. The main menu will now be in the center of the screen and allows users to easily navigate to key destinations such as Home, Search, Live, Library, Profiles and more. Users can click above to discover popular content and watch trailers or click below to browse expanded rows of shows and movies.
By clicking below, users can also access apps, channels and games as well as the ability to lock and rearrange the order of apps. With supported streaming services, users can now hover over the app icon to quickly see what's inside and start streaming or just log into the app.
Fire TV UI update: Redesigned home screen
Amazon has also revamped the Fire TV home screen UI. It now has a new look with content tailored to each user's profile and viewing preferences. Users can now find program and movie recommendations from subscription-based apps like Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, SonyLIV, and Voot. Content recommendations appear in the "Popular Movies and TV Shows" row and will improve over time as the user watches the content.
Fire TV UI Update - Improved Content Discovery
The Fire TV UI now features a redesigned "Search" tab to filter content based on content like movies or TV shows or search for recommended categories like comedy, action, or adventure. The Search tab also allows users to search for movies or TV shows using filters. And the Search tab also supports Alexa search.
Fire TV UI Update - User Profiles
Amazon Fire TV users can now create up to six user profiles on Fire TV, providing a personalized experience for everyone in a household. Profiles allow each user to access their viewing history, recommendations, viewing list, live TV preferences and selected settings, including accessibility features. Once you've set up your Alexa voice profile, switching Fire TV profiles is as simple as saying "Alexa, switch to my profile". Users will first need to create a new "user profile" and then create an Alexa voice profile for the users.
Fire TV UI update: Improved navigation with Alexa
Amazon has also improved Alexa browsing on Fire TV devices. Alexa allows users to use their voice to navigate the user interface; Users can simply say "Alexa, go to Live" or "Alexa, go to Search". Additionally, they can also say "Alexa, show me action movie" or "Alexa, switch to my profile".
Additionally, Alexa Explore, coming early next year, will provide a dedicated destination where users can discover Alexa's popular features, view connected smart home devices, view actions, and more.
Fire TV UI Update: Tune Live and Library
Finally, the live TV function which was introduced recently is also getting new features. The main menu bar features a dedicated Live tab where users can access programs (supported by subscribed apps) currently on air or use the Channel Guide to search for live sports, news and TV channels.
After the update, users can quickly jump to their checklist by visiting Library on the main menu bar.
Amazon has confirmed that the new Fire TV experience will roll out to Fire TV Stick (3rd generation) and Fire TV Stick Lite customers in the coming weeks. The company also said, support for other Fire TV devices will be added early next year.