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

1 Change the Fire TV name

When you buy and set up a Fire TV device, Amazon auto-assigns a name based on your account name. When you have several Fire TV devices in your home or office, it can be difficult to manage them when they have an identical name. You can change the Fire TV name from your Amazon account on the web.

  1. Go to the Manage Your Content and Devices menu on the Amazon website.
  2. Select your Fire TV.
  3. Click Edit beside the Fire TV name. You can check the device health, registration, warranty, and other details from the same menu.
  4. Edit the device name and click Save.
    change Fire TV name

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

If you installed dozens of apps from the Amazon Appstore, things might get messy when you want to find the ones you use regularly. It's time to pin the most-used ones to the home screen for easy access.

  1. From the Fire TV home screen, scroll to the Apps & Games menu. It is represented by three small squares and one plus icon.
    applications menu on Fire TV
  2. Move to a frequently used app from the list.
  3. Click the hamburger button on the Fire TV remote.
  4. Select Move to front from the side menu.
    move apps to the front
  5. The system pins the app at the top.
  6. Repeat for more apps.

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

3 Use Alexa on Fire TV

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

You can control several Fire TV features with Alexa. It can play content from Prime Video and other supported apps, navigate the Fire OS, browse search results, and pause and play content. The usual Alexa requests, such as "Show me the weather" or "Open to-do list," are also available. Check the Alexa features on Fire TV from the Amazon Help & Customer Service page.

If you have another Alexa-compatible hardware device in the room, you may need to clarify with "on Fire TV" at the end of your request to avoid confusion.

4 Deactivate 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 turn off video and audio autoplay.

  1. Scroll to the right on the Fire TV home screen and open the Settings menu (with the gear icon).
    go to Fire TV Settings
  2. Go to the Preferences menu.
    Fire TV preferences menu
  3. Scroll down to Featured Content.
    open features content
  4. Select Allow Video Autoplay and turn it off.
    disable video and audio autoplay on FireStick
  5. Do the same for Allow Audio Autoplay.

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

5 Use parental control on Fire TV

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

  1. Launch the Fire TV Preferences in Settings (check the steps above).
    Fire TV preferences menu
  2. Click Parental Controls.
    Parental control on Fire TV
  3. Turn on Parent Controls and enter a new five-digit PIN using the remote.
    turn on parental controls
  4. Enter the same PIN again to confirm.
    set parental control PIN

Fire OS activates parental controls on your device and places PIN protection on purchases and app launches. It also adds restrictions for content rated Teen and above on Prime Video.

6 Tweak privacy settings on Fire TV

Amazon collects your personal data from Fire TV for marketing and product improvement. The Appstore also tracks the frequency and duration of use of downloaded apps. If you are uncomfortable with constant tracking, turn off the behavior from the Privacy menu.

  1. Open Fire TV Preferences in Settings.
  2. Click Privacy Settings.
    Fire TV privacy settings
  3. Select Device Usage Data.
    turn off Amazon tracking
  4. Turn it off.
  5. Select Collect App Usage Data and turn it off.
  6. For extra protection, do the same for Interest-based Ads.

7 Connect Bluetooth headphones

If you don't want to disturb others while streaming late-night NFL games, UFC fight cards, or trendy Netflix shows, connect your Bluetooth headphones to the Fire TV and stream audio directly to the connected device.

  1. Open Fire TV Settings (check the steps above).
  2. Select Remotes & Bluetooth Devices.
    remote and bluetooth devices on Fire TV
  3. Select Other Bluetooth Devices and click Add Bluetooth Devices.
    add Bluetooth devices on Fire TV

Fire TV searches for your Bluetooth headphones. Complete the pairing setup, and you are good to go.

8 Turn off navigation sounds

You may not prefer the default navigation sound on your Fire TV. Follow the steps below to deactivate it.

  1. Go to Fire TV Settings and select Display & Audio.
  2. Select Audio.
    display and audio in Fire TV settings
  3. Select Navigation Sounds to turn it off.
    select navigation sounds

9 Use the virtual Fire TV remote on your phone

If you misplace the Fire TV remote or run out of batteries at home, use the Fire TV remote app on your iPhone or Android handset to 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.

10 Restart Fire TV using your remote

At times, your Fire TV might become unresponsive. That means you can't restart the device from the Settings menu. You must use the Fire TV remote to perform the reboot. To do so, hold the Select and Play/Pause button for about five seconds. The remote restarts the Fire TV.

restart Fire TV with remote

11 Sideload apps on Fire TV

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

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

  1. From Fire TV Settings, select My Fire TV.
    Go to My Fire TV
  2. Select Developer Options.
    Select developer options
  3. Click Apps from Unknown Sources.
    install apps from unknown sources
  4. You'll see a security warning. Select Turn On.

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

Don't be bummed if sideloaded apps don't look great on Fire TV. 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.

12 Create multi-user profiles

You can create separate profiles for your mom, dad, or spouse on your Fire TV. Users get a personalized Fire TV experience with pinned apps, TV shows, and movie recommendations.

  1. Open Fire TV home and scroll left to your profile picture. Click it.
    Open Amazon profiles
  2. Select the Add Profile button.
    Select add profile on Fire TV
  3. Select the Create a New Profile option.
    new profile on Amazon Fire TV
  4. Give it a name and set a profile icon.
  5. Click Add, and the new profile is ready to use.
    Enter profile name

13 Collect all live TV channels in one place on Fire TV

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

  1. Open Fire TV Settings.
  2. Select Live TV.
    Open Live TV on Fire TV Settings
  3. Go to the Manage Channels menu.
    manage live TV channels
  4. Check the Live TV sources and the number of channels the app offers.
  5. While scrolling through the live TV channels, keep pressing the select button on the remote to add it to the Favorites menu.
    Check live TV sources
  6. Repeat for your most-used channels to access them from the Live TV > Favorite Channels menu.

14 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, set a data consumption warning on Fire TV.

  1. Launch Fire TV Settings.
  2. Select Preferences.
    Fire TV preferences menu
  3. Select Data Monitoring.
    data monitoring on Fire TV settings
  4. Turn on Data Monitoring.
  5. Select Set Data Alert.
    data alerts set on Fire TV
  6. Set a data limit (in GB) for your Fire TV.
  7. Select Next.
    enter data limit on Fire TV
  8. Enter the start day for your monthly internet bill.
  9. Select Next.
    monthly day bill on Fire TV
  10. Select Confirm.

You receive an on-screen alert when your Fire TV reaches the data limit.

When you reach the set data limit, Fire OS warns you about it. This is informational, and the system doesn't block data consumption after reaching the limit.

15 Customize the Fire TV screensaver

After five minutes of inactivity, your Fire TV goes into screensaver mode and shows wallpapers, the date, and the time. You can customize the default screensaver settings if you aren't a fan of them.

  1. Go to the Fire TV Settings and select Display & audio.
    go to display and audio menu
  2. Select Screen Saver.
  3. Change the slide style, slide speed, screensaver start time, display info, date, and time to your preference.
    check screen saver settings

16 Troubleshoot problematic apps on Fire TV

Are you facing issues with a specific app? You can force stop and re-open the app to fix the issue.

  1. Open Applications in Fire TV Settings.
    go to applications menu on Fire TV
  2. Scroll down to Manage Installed Applications.
    installed apps on Fire TV
  3. You'll see a list of installed apps in alphabetical order. Find and select the app that's giving you trouble.
    open Apple TV on Fire TV
  4. Select Force stop.
    force stop apps on Fire TV
  5. Go back to the Fire TV home and use the app again.
  6. If this doesn't help, clear the app cache and data from the same menu.

Amazon Fire TV is more capable than you think

The newest addition to the Fire TV lineup is the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, which brings performance improvements. While Fire TV works just fine out of the box for most people, these tricks and tips will help you improve your TV-watching experience. Now, glance over the best streaming services for your Fire TV and cut the cord in style.