Amazon is rolling out a new user interface for its Fire TV streaming devices. This update is designed to put more focus on content while simplifying navigation. It represents the first major Fire TV redesign in years and is initially available to Fire TV owners in the United States.
The changes arrive as an explosion of streaming content has made it more difficult to know what is available to watch on which service. This requires streaming platforms like Fire TV to serve more as a discovery hub than just a tool to launch apps.
The company first previewed the new design at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. The interface is intended to make Fire TV feel less cluttered. The updated design features rounded corners, varied gradients, consistent typography, and increased spacing between content. It also adds more space for pinned apps.
Previously, Fire TV users could only pin six apps to the home screen. Now, with smaller app icons, the update expands that to twenty slots for apps. This accommodates services like Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, and other top streamers.
The navigation bar at the top of the screen has been simplified into categories marked with simple icons. These include Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News. The search button is also easily within reach to the left of the Home tab.
Within these tabs, Fire TV surfaces the content you are already watching and displays other suggestions drawn from your subscribed services. These are organized in rows labeled “For You.” The tabs also highlight free movies to stream, top movies and shows, and other paid content you might enjoy.
The Live TV tab centralizes access to the live content available across your streaming services, plus broadcast or cable TV if you subscribe or use an antenna.
Less frequently used features now live under a three-line “hamburger” menu on the left. This menu includes Games, Art & Photos, the Appstore, Music Video & Audio, a universal watchlist called “My Stuff,” Settings, and other options.
Amazon’s AI assistant, Alexa+, is built into the new interface. It allows users to ask questions on almost any topic, not just movies and TV. Queries can be asked using natural language, and owners can refine them or ask follow-up questions. The AI can also interact with on-screen content. For instance, you could select a movie tile and say, “Tell me more about that one.” You can even ask nuanced questions like, “Find me more movies that have the same look.”
Amazon recently announced that Alexa+ is available to customers with a Prime subscription as an included perk. Others can choose to pay for access separately.
The new user interface launches first on the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and the Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series in the U.S. This spring, it will roll out to more countries and devices. This includes the latest generation of the Fire TV 4K streaming players and TVs such as the Fire TV 2-Series, Fire TV 4-Series, and Fire TV Omni QLED Series, as well as TVs made by partners like Hisense, Insignia, Panasonic, and TCL.
The update is also available on the new Amazon Ember Artline. This is a new series of televisions that can make your TV screen look like a framed work of art when not in use.