In this text, I will proportion some wonderful FireStick hidden capabilities you may no longer be taking benefit of. These functions work on any Fire TV tool, including Fire TV Cube, FireStick Lite, Fire TV Stick Second Gen, FireStick 4K, and FireStick 4K Max.
There’s no returning to cable once the cord has been reduced. Instead, users revel in all the content material at their fingertips through the internet for a fraction of the price.
The Amazon FireStick is easily one of the most satisfactory streaming gadgets on the market. There are numerous reasons for this. The device is finance-pleasant, easy to navigate, get hold of common updates & more.
The abundance of features way many customers are unaware of a number of them. This can be considered a “proper problem.”
But it means that some FireStick proprietors use the device without understanding they may release even higher levels of personal revel.
In this newsletter, we will unveil several hidden features on the FireStick to be able to let you revel in the streaming device even greater. Many of these capabilities are not in person manuals or advertised to the public.
Read: How to Install and Use Best VPN for FireStick
Top 10 FireStick Hidden Features
Here is the list of the excellent hidden capabilities of FireStick.
1. Control FireStick With Your Smartphone
Your FireStick comes with a faraway manager that lets you navigate and choose options. Newer generations even offer Alexa’s voice controls to make things easier.
Still, the FireStick far off may be proscribed, in particular when typing at the device’s on-display keyboard. Also, because of its length, it can slip into small spaces and without difficulty go missing.
One manner to get around these issues is to use the official Amazon Fire TV cell app on your smartphone. This app is to be had for each Android and iOS device.
The Fire TV app grants you features like:
- On-display screen keyboard
- Navigation buttons
- Voice manipulate capability
- Easy shortcuts
- Playback controls
- Quick get admission to apps & video games
It might be high-quality to pair your phone with FireStick to apply the Fire TV app. The system is simple. You need to go into a code as a way to be furnished to you.
To get begin, download and launch the Fire TV app. Then, pick out your tool from the Connect to Remote pop-up.
2. The Text Banner
The Text Banner is an accessibility feature recently brought to the FireStick. Amazon designed this assistive device to assist customers with visible impairments, together with muscular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa.
The Text Banner is a strong-coloured history that shows data with greater clarity. According to Amazon, all professional Amazon-affiliated apps aid this selection, which goes across the FireStick interface.
The easiest method to permit the Text Banner is to press and hold the Rewind (<<) and Fast Forward (>>) buttons on equal time for 2 seconds. To turn it off, genuinely redo the same procedure.
Alternatively, right here’s how you could allow Text Banner from inside the settings:
1. Select the Settings button from the FireStick home screen.
2. Select Accessibility.
3. Click Text Banner.
4. Choose Text Banner to turn it on.
5. Read the Text Banner Tutorial and click OK to show it on.
Note: The first time you turn at the Text Banner, a pop-up will seem to display the statistics approximately the function.
6. Here’s how the Text Banner presentations on your display.
Note: Long press the >to cover Text Banner.
Lastly, you could customize the Text Banner of your choice. You can alter the banner size, font size, color, timing, and different alternatives.
3. The Screen Magnifier
Screen Magnifier is any other beneficial accessibility characteristic.
Like Text Banner, Screen Magnifier can be very useful for users with visual impairments. With it, you can zoom in and out of the show display screen.
As you will assume, zooming in amplifies text and photographs on the screen, permitting them to be seen genuinely. The characteristic also helps you to pan to other regions of the display.
Screen Magnifier is likewise placed in the accessibility settings. To flip it on, right here’s what to do:
1. Select the Settings button from the Fire TV domestic page.
2. Select Accessibility.
3. Click Screen Magnifier.
4. A list of far-flung button combos could be displayed. These combos will help you manipulate the feature by zooming inside and out and panning in exceptional directions. Click OK to turn on the Magnifier.
4. Instant Reboot
While the FireStick is a splendid tool, a few minor troubles can’t be removed. This can encompass performance issues consisting of a frozen display and numerous others. In many instances, rebooting your device is all it takes to clear the issues. Rebooting allows the FireStick to return to top overall performance.
The apparent and maximum not unusual technique of rebooting the FireStick is unplugging it from the energy outlet, waiting a few seconds, and then plugging it lower back in. However, the FireStick comes with a shortcut that helps you to reboot your tool without getting up.
To right away reboot using this approach:
- Press and keep the Select and Play/Pause buttons simultaneously.
- The FireStick will close down and reboot after a few seconds.
5. Connect Bluetooth Devices
If you’re an audiophile, the possibility is your TV’s audio system does not cut it for you whilst streaming on FireStick. Even if you are an everyday consumer, you may be interested in connecting your Bluetooth audio gadgets.
And it doesn’t forestall with sound. You can even connect add-ons like Bluetooth-enabled mouse and keyboard gadgets, controllers, etc.
Unfortunately, many customers have no concept that this option exists on FireStick. Here’s the way to join a Bluetooth device on FireStick:
1. Navigate to the Settings button for your FireStick home display.
2. Select Controllers & Bluetooth Devices.
3. Now, you have three alternatives: Amazon Fire TV Remotes, Game Controllers, and Other Bluetooth Devices. Pick an option in keeping with the tool you want to connect and follow on-screen instructions to finish the technique.
Note: The connection range is constrained to ten meters.
6. Use Custom Launchers
FireStick’s interface is nicely designed compared to streaming gadgets like Roku. However, it isn’t precisely free of muddle.
Some take into account Fire TV’s interface messy, specifically with several Prime Video advertisements spread on the display. Some customers decide upon minimalist UIs, at the same time as others may look for something exceptional.
Whatever the case, custom launchers redesign the format of your FireStick. Android smartphone users can be acquainted with launchers. They visually exchange one-of-a-kind UI factors, giving it new pores and skin and ensuring users don’t get bored with the equal look and sense.
Custom launcher paintings with Fire TVs the equal way. There are numerous custom launchers to choose from. That stated Wolf Launcher is one of the maximum surprisingly rated options. Like maximum launchers, it’s far a third-celebration app that can not be established directly.
Follow this step-by-step method to install Wolf Launcher on FireStick.
7. Personalize Your Screensaver
A screensaver pops up whilst you go away the FireStick idle for a few minutes. By default, the snapshots shown are scenic inventory pics. While they may be cute, you could choose to use your gallery.
You can customize your screensaver with the help of Amazon Photos. This is available as an app on FireStick and for your Android, iOS, and computer gadgets.
Amazon Photos shops your captured pictures and helps you to view them whilst your screen is idle. There isn’t any compression or alteration for your pix, so you can expect to view them as sharp as you would on your cellphone.
Follow this complete guide to customize your FireStick screensaver.
8. Connect USB Drive to FireStick
The FireStick comes with 8 GB of inner reminiscence. That’s no longer exactly a whole lot of area. You may additionally find little storage space left for downloading video games, video content material, apps, and app records.
Thankfully, one of the excellent FireStick hidden capabilities types this out.
The FireStick doesn’t characteristic an integrated USB port. By default, it best has a port for powering it. However, that does not avert the usage of a USB force at the FireStick through a special USB port OTG cable or adapter.
Adding a USB port on your FireStick lets you attach flash drives, card readers, and even keyboards that use a USB adapter.
Amazon recommends using a USB 3.0 flash pressure with no more than 128 GB of garage area for the most effective performance.
You should format the flash drive earlier than transferring FireStick apps or media. You’ll be prompted to try this when your FireStick recognizes the USB. Remember that formatting your USB will erase any records already on it.
9. Mirror Your Smartphone to Your FireStick
Another lesser-regarded characteristic FireStick users can take gain of is Display Mirroring. This characteristic lets you mirror your mobile smartphone display screen for your FireStick.
With FireStick’s integrated Display Mirroring option, you can use any Android-primarily based device to solidify its display on your huge display screen. Head over to our article on the way to solid your Android cellphone or iPhone to FireStick.
10. Use an Internet Browser
Not many people recognize they can get right of entry to websites on a FireStick, just like on a computer or cellular smartphone. The FireStick lets you do this with the usage of The Silk Browser.
You can surf the net out of your sofa and on a much larger display through Silk Browser. You can use your far-flung manipulate, or Alexa’s voice controls to function the browser.
With Alexa, you could input seek phrases and URLs with your voice in preference of typing them out with the far off manipulate on an on-display screen keyboard. Or, as I noted within the first hidden feature in this text, you could use your smartphone as a FireStick far-flung even as browsing the internet.
Amazon Silk is the official alternative, however, different browsers are to be had for download on FireStick. Follow this manual for the best FireStick internet browsers and setup instructions.
Credit to: wikipedia.org