5 helpful Fireplace TV Stick options I remorse not utilizing sooner

I’ve had a Fire TV Stick 4K Max for a very long time, but I nonetheless uncover options I wasn’t conscious of very often. It is easy to attach it to your TV, begin streaming, after which overlook about all the pieces else. For a streaming device that typically prices as little as $20 on sale (relying on the mannequin you select), it is spectacular how a lot it could truly do.

For those who personal an Amazon Fireplace TV Stick and wish to elevate your streaming experience, it is fairly simple. Most of those settings/options solely take just a few seconds to take a look at, so there isn’t any purpose to not give them a shot. For those who’re an skilled Fireplace TV Stick consumer, you would possibly already know a few of these, however when you’ve not too long ago purchased one for the primary time, these options might be useful. From one Fireplace TV Stick consumer to a different, listed here are 5 helpful options I want I had found sooner.

1

Rapidly repair stuttering or freezing

You need to use a shortcut in your Alexa distant to repair this

One of the irritating facets of utilizing any streaming stick is when it begins to lag or freeze. More often than not, my Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max runs simply high-quality, however each as soon as in and whereas, it does begin to stutter and never load issues. Usually, to repair this, I’d use the tried-and-tested methodology of merely unplugging and plugging it again in. Nevertheless, I then found a a lot simpler method to restart it with out having to succeed in for the again of my TV or navigate to restart within the settings menu.

To restart your Fireplace TV Stick tremendous shortly, all you need to do is maintain down the Choose button and the Play/Pause button on the distant on the similar time for 5 seconds (as highlighted in inexperienced within the picture above). As soon as you’ve got executed that, your Fireplace TV Stick ought to immediately restart. As soon as it is booted up once more, any freezing or stuttering points you will have skilled needs to be gone, and your system will really feel a lot smoother. I like to recommend doing this as soon as per week to forestall any points from arising within the first place.

2

Join Bluetooth audio gadgets

Take heed to your Fireplace TV Keep on with AirPods or different Bluetooth headphones

Throughout the summer time, I made a decision to strive a brand new method to make use of my Fireplace TV Stick. As a substitute of hooking it as much as my TV, I plugged it into my monitor at my desk so I may stream in 4K there at any time when I wished. Throughout this course of, I found a function I did not even know the Fireplace TV Stick had, however which made excellent sense for it to have: the flexibility to attach Bluetooth audio gadgets. In spite of everything, you’ll be able to join a controller to your Fireplace TV Stick, so why not Bluetooth audio gadgets?

In case you have a pair of Bluetooth earbuds or headphones, like Apple’s AirPods, you’ll be able to join them to your Fireplace TV Stick by navigating to Settings > Remotes & Bluetooth Units > Different Bluetooth Units. From there, allow pairing in your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, and you’ll join them proper to your Fireplace TV Stick. Since I’ve began utilizing my Fireplace TV Stick at my desk close to my PC, I’ve discovered this extremely helpful for listening to my PC’s audio (linked through USB-C) and my Fireplace TV Stick (through Bluetooth) concurrently with my SteelSeries Arctis 7 Nova headset. It is a good way to observe TV late at night time with out disturbing anybody else in your family with loud noises.

3

Use your telephone as a distant

Cannot discover the distant? Your telephone can resolve that downside

I just like the Alexa Voice Distant that Amazon contains with its Fireplace TV Sticks, however typically it isn’t essentially the most handy to seek out or choose up. I’ve a nasty behavior of leaving my distant midway throughout the room or within the kitchen, which is problematic once I sit down to observe one thing, and my cat instantly jumps on my lap, and it does not want to be moved. Fortunately, I at all times have my telephone in my pocket, and in case you have the Fireplace TV app, you should use it as a distant to your Fireplace TV Stick.

The Fireplace TV app is out there on each iOS and Android. When you obtain it, you will be given the choice to attach it to your close by Fireplace TV Stick. As soon as linked, your telephone’s display screen turns right into a distant, displaying a consumer interface similar to your bodily distant — full with the navigation dial and all of the button instructions you want, corresponding to dwelling, pause/play, rewind, and ahead. You possibly can even quick-launch apps in your Fireplace TV Stick immediately from the Fireplace TV app, like Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+, or another app you select to pin. The Fireplace TV app is completely free to obtain, so it is price testing when you like the concept and the added comfort of utilizing your telephone as a distant management.

4

Mute featured content material

No extra audio leap scares

Each now and again, I used to get leap scared by my Fireplace TV’s dwelling display screen once I unintentionally hovered over one of many sponsored exhibits or adverts Amazon has on its homepage within the featured content material tab, as these are set to play with audio by default. For those who’re like me and would moderately not have your Fireplace TV Stick immediately play audio with out you clicking on a present or film to observe, it is fairly easy to repair.

To cease computerized audio playback in your Fireplace TV Stick, head to Settings > Preferences > Featured Content material. From there, you will see two choices: Permit Video AutoPlay and Permit Audio Autoplay. By default, each of those are set to on, however when you’d favor to not hear it or have it play any video in any respect for featured content material on the homepage, you’ll be able to set each to off.

5

Play video games from the cloud

Xbox Cloud Gaming is not unhealthy for single-player titles on the Fireplace TV Stick

Bethesda

After I purchased my Amazon Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max, I knew it may help cloud gaming by way of the Xbox app, however I by no means tried it, fearing it will be too laggy. Not too long ago, I scored a deal on an Xbox Sport Cross Final subscription for a month, so I made a decision to strive Xbox Cloud Gaming and see the way it performs. To my shock, enjoying Xbox video games on the Fireplace TV Stick is not that unhealthy.

To be clear, would I play aggressive multiplayer video games on it? Completely not. However for chill single-player titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the expertise wasn’t too unhealthy. Sure, there’s a tiny little bit of latency, and your expertise could fluctuate relying in your web pace (Xbox recommends utilizing 5GHz Wi-Fi with no less than 20 Mbps pace for optimum efficiency), however it was playable. My greatest gripe is that the Xbox app itself might be considerably laggy when looking for video games to play, however I consider that is because of the limitations of the Fireplace TV Stick’s {hardware}.

For those who personal a Fireplace TV Stick and do not have a gaming console, however wish to play new video games, Xbox Cloud Gaming is price attempting, and I consider the expertise will solely enhance as Microsoft continues to refine it. Simply take into account that you will want a wi-fi Bluetooth controller to play, corresponding to an Xbox controller, Sony DualShock 4, or Nintendo Swap Professional Controller, and an Xbox Sport Cross Final subscription (which prices $20/month). You possibly can play it with cheaper Sport Cross subscription tiers, however you’ve gotten to join the Xbox Insiders program. You possibly can play video games by way of the cloud through Amazon Luna in your Fireplace TV Stick, however I believe the Xbox app is the higher alternative resulting from its bigger catalog of video games.