Things You Didnt Know You Could Do on Your Firestick
Amazon Fire TV Tips, Tricks and Subconscious Features: 12 secrets you might non know about the Fire Television receiver and Fire TV Stick, including all the best hacks you lot demand to brand the most of your new streaming gadget.
Amazon's Fire Telly has rapidly get one of the best ways to turn a dumb TV smart. The cheap Fire Goggle box Stick, which recently got a 2017 update, makes any HDMI-enabled tv much more capable than even £ii,000-plus sets in terms of services and apps, while the Fire TV box can take the identify of a games console and is at present capable of 4K streaming.
There's more to these ultra-accessible gadgets than you'll appreciate when you outset take off the cellophane and jam in the remote's AAA batteries, though.
Here are 12 tips, tricks, hacks and secret features yous might not know almost the Fire Goggle box family unit.
Burn down Boob tube vs Fire TV Stick – choosing the right device for you
Showtime of all, permit'south explicate the primal differences between the Burn Boob tube box and its more than affordable sibling, the Fire Boob tube Stick.
While the Fire Tv box may be twice the price, it'south a lot more powerful and has access to more games equally a result.
You lot'll see some tiresome-downwards in 3D games at times with the Stick, for example, equally it uses a remedial dual-core CPU. It's fine if y'all want a cheap media machine, but it is no panel-replacer.
The Fire TV Box is a lot more powerful, with a 64-bit MediaTek 8173C CPU that has two Cortex-A72 cores and two Cortex-A53 cores – equivalent to the power of a very good mid-range phone. It besides has more connections, with an Ethernet port, optical audio output and a USB. Finally, it can output in 4K where the Stick's max resolution is 1080p.
The "all-new" 2017 Fire Stick has a much more powerful processor and is absolutely fine for streaming Television receiver shows and films.
All the same, if you've not nevertheless bought a Fire Television device and want to play games, you're improve off with the box version. Information technology supports many more than games because information technology has that extra power on tap – the likes of Minecraft: Pocket Edition, Asphalt 8 and many others merely don't piece of work on the dual-core Fire TV stick, fifty-fifty if yous sideload them.
More on that later, simply now it's time to look at how y'all tin make the nigh of your Burn TV.
1) Find shows in Netflix and iPlayer with vocalization control
When the Amazon Fire TV with mic starting time launched, it would just expect upwardly Amazon goodies: movies from Amazon and apps from the Amazon Appstore.
This was annoyingly limited, but at present information technology's actually quite useful as it'll look up videos in Netflix and iPlayer, too, and we'd expect Spotify support to be incoming before long.
Related: A guide to BBC iPlayer in 4K
2) Brand gaming better with a gamepad
Some titles don't work all that well when gaming with the Fire Telly's remote. Information technology's only too simplistic for console-mode games, merely you tin get a Fire Idiot box gamepad that makes these titles much more fun.
Here are some of the games that really do good from a gamepad – some of them won't piece of work without one, in fact.
- GTA: San Andreas (gamepad required)
- Minecraft: Pocket Edition (gamepad required)
- Asphalt viii
- The Bard's Tale (gamepad required)
- RipTide GP2
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Democracy (gamepad required)
Buy At present: Amazon Burn TV Game Controller
3) Adding voice support to non-mic Television receiver sticks
As we've explained, Amazon's Burn down TV games controller is a lot like the pads you get with an Xbox One or PS4. Nonetheless, it has ane actress special feature.
Also equally mirroring the controls seen on the Fire Idiot box remote, including playback buttons, there's a mic that lets you lot talk to the media box straight.
Become a gamepad and you tin pretty much relegate the remote to a drawer, if you like.
four) …Or buy a voice remote separately
If yous bought one of the cheaper Fire Goggle box Sticks and regret information technology, information technology'southward worth knowing that you can purchase a vox remote separately.
Too every bit having an inbuilt mic, the college-end remote is longer and more than ergonomic. It just feels better-made in general, as where the entry-level remote is made of cheap-feeling plastic, the voice remote has a overnice soft-touch finish and higher-grade buttons.
Buy At present: Amazon Fire Tv set voice remote
5) 3rd-party controllers that work with Burn Goggle box
You lot don't have to buy the official £40 (RRP) Fire Goggle box games controller to get a consummate gaming experience with the Fire TV, as loads of 3rd-party pads are supported.
Many wired remotes work with the total-fat Burn down TV just by plugging them into the box's USB port. The most interesting of the lot are console controllers, as many of you may already have one of these lying around. The PS4'south DualShock four works, as exercise wired and wireless (with the USB adapter accessory) Xbox 360 pads.
Xbox One pads don't work without hacking the Burn TV. We wouldn't recommend this equally you'll void your warranty at all-time, and brick your Fire TV at worst, but if you lot're intent on rooting your device, you tin can find instructions over on the XDA Developers Forum.
The simpler pick? Check out a decent quality, cheaper alternative like the Nyko PlayPad Pro.
six) Sideload apps for greater option
Fresh out of the box, the Fire Telly'southward app library tin can seem express, peculiarly if y'all have the Boob tube Stick rather than the larger Burn Television. However, you tin sideload apps, which means to install them manually. It'due south like shooting fish in a barrel too.
Get to Settings > System > Developer Options and enable ADB Debugging and Apps from Unknown Sources. Next, download Apps2fire on your phone.
This lets you lot install APK files (Android application packages, or Android apps to y'all and I) directly on your Fire Telly from your phone.
Large apps take quite a while to load, so it'south best to gear up your phone's screen to dim merely afterwards almost ten minutes to avert the app closing.
Related: How to install Kodi on a Fire TV Stick
7) Alexa is here!
Amazon's smart vocalisation assistant has now landed on UK Fire TV devices, significant you tin can at present practise loads of stuff without lifting a finger, like request for the atmospheric condition, getting read out information from Wikipedia, and hearing sports results.
We're hoping that in time we'll be able to control our smart home gear likewise – things likes Philips Hue lights – right from the Burn Television remote or games controller.
Notwithstanding, when Amazon really wants you to buy an Echo or Echo Dot every bit well as a Fire TV, so nosotros'll have to meet whether that pans out.
Related: Amazon Echo tips and tricks
8) Use your phone as a Fire Tv remote
One of the nifty side features of the Burn Television set is an official phone app that lets you use your iPhone or Android as a replacement for the remote. It's specially useful if the Fire TV remote keeps ending upwardly under the sofa, in the kitchen, or inexplicably down the loo.
The app is free and also lets you talk to your Fire TV or Burn down Television set stick using your phone'due south microphone.
Get information technology for iOS here or Android here.
9) Send music to your Bluetooth headphones
The Fire TV is fantastic for solo belatedly-night movies if you own a pair of Bluetooth headphones. You can connect a gear up in the Bluetooth part of Settings, with the ii hooking up but like a telephone and wireless headphones would.
It'south a fantastic feature given how popular wireless headphones are, yet very few home entertainment devices offer standard Bluetooth streaming – the PS4 and Xbox One don't, almost all TVs don't, and only the very latest home cinema receivers practise.
It's all a scrap featherbrained, really, so savor the fact your new Fire Television does!
Related: All-time wireless headphones
10) Mirror your phone's screen on the Fire Boob tube
A Fire TV can take whatever'due south on your phone'south screen and pass information technology over to your Tv using mirroring. This isn't an Amazon tech, it'due south Miracast, so you can use it with almost phones.
Just long-press the home button on your Burn Boob tube remote to get to the quick-access menu, where you lot'll see a mirroring option.
Now, you lot just have to find the corresponding mirror option on your phone. Information technology'll be in the Settings menu, and may be called Miracast, Mirrorshare or screen mirroring, depending on your model.
In our experience, it's far from perfect, with lag and lots of image break-up, so you lot wouldn't desire to watch a film or play a game like this.
Even so, if your domicile internet is fast at both uploads and downloads yous may have better luck, and things like showing off your latest holiday snaps should work just fine.
11) Add together to your storage
Fire TVs only have 8GB storage – aka not much. Yet, there are a couple of means to add together to this.
For ane, you tin insert a microSD card, which will merg with the device'due south internal storage, letting you lot install apps as if it is part of the system's core databank.
Y'all can likewise plug USB sticks or drives into the Fire Television receiver box. These can then exist used equally storage for videos and other media, just they can't be merged with the internal storage in the same manner, so microSD cards are probably your best bet, depending on your needs.
12) Delete the vocalism recordings Amazon stores
If you're worried about your privacy, using Amazon'south hardware isn't a smashing thought – it loves knowing more about yous so it knows what it can sell you side by side.
The Burn Television automatically records everything you lot say though the mic, allegedly so it can apply the info to make your phonation searches better. Whatever the real intent, it'south still damn creepy, but it's easy plenty to negate.
You can wipe your Amazon phonation recording history by going the company's website, and so heading to your "Business relationship" page.
From there, go to "Manage Your Content and Devices", so discover your Fire Boob tube under the "Devices" tab. In this page, y'all'll run across a link chosen "Manage Vocalization Recordings".
Click this and you'll see the selection to delete all those sneaky recordings.
Which yous consented to, of form, because you didn't read Amazon'due south T&Cs, did you?
What are your favourite Fire TV tips and tricks? Let the states know in the comments below.
Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/amazon-fire-tv-tips-tricks-hacks-secret-features-2948201
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