Fire "TV" & "Stick"

These devices obviously feature different hardware formats but essentially deliver the same functionality.

Fire TV : Product Details

Click here for a free App from Amazon called "Informer" that you can use to ....

• Identify the specific model of your Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Cube, or Fire TV Edition television.

• List your device's specification including CPU, GPU, RAM, Storage, Wifi, Video & Audio Support, and more.

Operating System

Amazon supply and maintain a customised version of Android called "Fire OS" that has a highly customised user-interface designed to be used with the supplied remote control.

N.B.

Control: You can opt for a compatible remote keyboard which is very useful for entering text that can otherwise be a bit tedious using the basic remote with the on-screen keyboard.

Launcher: The user interface is adequate but if you prefer more flexibility then an alternate launcher can be installed such as "Top TV Launcher 2" that is mentioned below.

Operating System : User Interface Update rolling out June 2022

Click here for a TechCrunch article called "Amazon revamps Fire TV user interface with new home screen, improved navigation and more"

Operating System : Major Update rolling out Dec 2020

Click here for a Streaming News video that introduces the revamped interface for all Fire devices.

It starts rolling out mid Dec 2020 through Feb 2021 [Lite and 3rd Gen sticks first, rest later] but the UI looks much better and it includes a handy FREE category.

The vlogger also states that tests are still to be run to ensure popular 'tricks' like sideloading etc. have not been blocked.

How To Set Up Your Device

This guide from WebSafetyTips will have you up and running in minutes.

How To Use Zoom In/Out & Calibrate Screen

This video demonstrates how to enable and use zoom, as well as instructions to calibrate output to your TV screen.

How To Update Software

This guide from WebSafetyTips works with every Firestick or Fire TV - no matter what version you are using.

How To Fix The Remote For Your Device

This guide from WebSafetyTips runs through a checklist of things to do if your remote is not working properly.

How To Speed Up Your Device

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is a very compatible and fast device that you can use to stream content, play games or simply browse the Internet. However, when you install more and more apps, it starts to slow down. Has this happened to you too?

The main reason why you may suffer from speed issues is low memory. But, not anymore!

We got your back with a little trick on how to speed up your Amazon Fire TV Stick and we are sure you will use it a lot.

Take a look at the step-by-step guide How To Speed Up Your Amazon Fire TV Stick and make sure to install the app suggested in there. One button can save you a lot of time and effort.

How To Disable Some Default Settings On your Device

The Firestick is an excellent device to use but like any other thing in life, it’s not perfect and it needs improvements from time to time.

While waiting for Amazon to do its work with the improvements, there are things you can do right now to improve Firestick performance and privacy without having to install any app.

The trick here is to turn off some Amazon Firestick settings that are ‘on’ by default.

Which are those? See Disable These Amazon Firestick Settings Urgently! and give your Firestick a chance to perform better!

Some settings should be turned off immediately because they put your privacy at risk.

Pre-installed Applications

The devices come with a number of pre-installed applications, as supplied by Amazon, but these can be extended by the user to provide more functionality.

User installed Applications

The first method is the installation of approved Apps from the Amazon Store which is quite straightforward provided you can find an App that meets your specific requirements.

The next method would be to obtain other 'standard' Apps that can be found in the Google Play Store.

Finally there are ways of 'sideloading' Apps from sources, other than the two 'Stores' mentioned above, and again once you have identified an App that you would like to install then you should 'Google' something like "How to install app-xxx on an Amazon Fire Tv or Firestick" and check the results.

You will either be informed that your particular "app-xxx" will not work on Fire OS or, more likely, it will be and you will find associated links to YouTube videos to assist.

Sideloading Applications - sometimes {perhaps incorrectly} referred to as 'Jailbreaking'

Click here to see an article from Dec 2022 by TroyPoint called "How to Jailbreak a Firestick with Free Apps (December 22)"

Click here to see an article from April 2022 by HowToGeek called "How to Jailbreak an Amazon Fire TV Stick"

Speed up your Firestick

Click here to learn about a few tips that may help you get better performance from your Firestick

Startup App automatically on Firestick

Click here to learn how to power on your Firestick and have it run your favourite App automatically at startup.

Top TV Launcher 2

Bored with the restrictive Android TV and Fire TV / Firestick stock menus?

Top TV Launcher 2 is very simple and easy to use. You can edit and customise everything from the remote, including icon packs and widgets, and it can all be setup within a few minutes.

Click here to learn how to replace the stock Fire TV Launcher.

Uninstall Apps from Your Device

With Amazon Fire TV, you can install apps in the easiest way. However, when an app is not working properly, then you should uninstall and install it again. Click here to learn how to uninstall unwanted apps when you don’t have enough memory in your device.