Amazon Fire TV range of devices will receive a new user interface in the coming months with a slew of new features. Amazon says the new update is Fire TV's biggest experience update ever. It brands a reimagined design & navigation, redesigned home screen, improved content discovery, user profiles and improved navigation with Alexa. The new Fire TV update will be rolled out to Fire TV Stick (3rd gen) and Fire TV Stick Lite users in the coming weeks. Old Amazon Fire TV devices will pick up the update in early 2021. With Android TV range of devices gaining momentum in India, it is high time for Amazon to revamp the interface of Fire TV, and it has done exactly the same. Continue reading to know more about the new features added by Amazon to Fire TV.
Fire TV User Interface Update: Revamped Design and Navigation
Starting with the design, the Fire TV update will reimagine the design and navigation. Amazon says it will be now easier and faster to get to what you're looking for. The Main Menu will now be in the centre of the screen, and it allows the users to navigate to key destinations like Home, Find, Live, Library, Profiles and more, easily. Users can click up to discover popular content and watch trailers or click down to browse expanded rows of shows and movies.
By clicking down, users can also access the apps, channels and games along with the ability to pin and rearrange the order of apps. With supported streaming services, users can now scroll over the app icon to quickly peek at what’s inside and begin playback, or simply jump into the app itself.
Fire TV User Interface Update: Redesigned Home Screen
Amazon also revamped the Home Screen of Fire TV UI. It now features a new look and feel with content tailored to each profile and the user viewing preferences. Users can now find show and movie recommendations from subscription-based apps like Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, SonyLIV and Voot. Content recommendations appear in the ‘Popular Movies & TV Shows’ row and will improve over time as the user watches content.
Fire TV User Interface Update: Improved Content Discovery
The Fire TV UI now features a newly designed 'Find' tab to filter content by content like Movies or TV Shows, or search recommended categories like Comedy, Action or Adventure as well. The Find tab also enables users to search for movies or TV shows using filters. And the Find tab also has support for Alexa search.
Fire TV User Interface Update: User Profiles
Amazon Fire TV users can now create up to six user profiles on Fire TV, which provides a personalised experience for everyone in a household. Profiles allow each user to access their viewing history, recommendations, watch list, live TV preferences, and select settings, including accessibility features. After setting up the Alexa Voice Profile, switching Fire TV profiles is as simple as saying “Alexa, switch to my profile.” Users will have to create a new 'User Profile' first and then create an Alexa Voice Profile for the users.
Fire TV User Interface Update: Improved Navigation with Alexa
Amazon has also improved the navigation with Alexa on Fire TV devices. Alexa allows users to use their voice to navigate throughout the UI; Users can just say “Alexa, go to Live” or “Alexa, go to Find.” Besides, they can also say “Alexa, show me action movies” or “Alexa, switch to my profile.”
On top of that, Alexa Explore, which is coming early next year, will provide a dedicated destination where the users can discover popular Alexa features, view connected smart home devices, see stocks, and more.
Fire TV User Interface Update: Tune In Live and Library
Lastly, the Live TV feature that was introduced very recently is also getting new features. The Main Menu bar features a dedicated Live tab where users can access shows (supported by the subscribed apps) currently on-air, or use the Channel Guide to browse for live sports, news, and TV channels.
After the update, users can quickly jump to their watchlist by visiting Library on the Main Menu bar.
Amazon confirmed the new Fire TV experience will be rolling out to Fire TV Stick (3rd Gen) and Fire TV Stick Lite customers over the coming weeks. The company also said the support for other Fire TV devices will be added early next year.
