Amazon is set to release a significant update for select Fire TV Stick models, aiming to enhance user experience. The update includes a refreshed design with a more modern interface, updated typography, redesigned color gradients, and improved layouts on the homescreen. Users can expect faster navigation, with performance enhancements of up to 30 percent when moving through menus.
Apart from visual changes and speed improvements, users will now be able to pin up to 20 apps to the home screen, up from the previous limit of six. Access to Games, Art & Photos, and the Ambient Experience has been simplified through the Menu button on the remote.
A new shortcut panel has been added, accessible by long-pressing the Home button, providing quick access to Fire TV controls like audio and display settings. Additionally, Amazon has introduced Alexa+, an upgraded assistant that will offer an enhanced content discovery experience in the UK later this year.
In addition to the Fire TV Stick update, Amazon is redesigning the Fire TV mobile app to allow users to browse content, manage watchlists, and play titles directly on their TVs. The app’s new look mirrors the updated Fire TV interface, turning smartphones into a secondary screen for easier content discovery and watchlist management while on the go.
Amazon has confirmed that the major update will first roll out in the U.S. and later expand to other regions. The new Fire TV update will be available for the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series in the U.S., with plans to extend availability to more devices and countries, including the latest Fire TV 4K streaming media players, later in the spring.