Along with the all-new 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite, Amazon has announced that Fire TV’s will be getting a completely new redesigned interface. This will be only the second time that the Fire TV interface gets overhauled and the first time since the last one in 2016. The new interface will first come to the new Fire TV Stick later this year and other existing Fire TV models soon after.
A big change being introduced with the new Fire TV interface is system-wide user profiles. User profiles were introduced for Prime Video earlier this year, but the new Fire TV interface brings profile selection to the new home screen, right in the navigation bar which has been moved from the top of the screen to the center.
Up to six user profiles can be configured with the new interface. Each profile will have its own individual content recommendations, viewing history, and watch lists. Amazon also says each profile will have custom “preferred settings,” but they haven’t given any specifics on which Fire TV settings will be linked to profiles. Switching profiles can be done through the aforementioned navigation menu or by voice by saying “Alexa, switch to my profile.” After a bit of setup, Alexa will automatically recognize the voice and switch to the correct profile.
In the new centered navigation menu is a new “Find” option. Navigating to it brings up the search function, as you’d expect, but it also now includes ways to discover new content. This is where you’ll now find the various Fire TV navigation tabs, like Free, Movies, TV Shows, and Apps.
Below these main areas are now various categories you can select to find something to watch. Categories in the screenshots provided include Kids & Family, Sports, Drama, Action, Comedy, Romance, SciFi, Horror, Adventure, and Western.
As you’d expect, there will be a lot of Alexa integration into this new interface. You’ll be able to navigate around by saying “Alexa, go to Live” or “Alexa, go to Find.” Amazon says there will also be a dedicated Alexa Explore area which will display popular Alexa features. It sounds like this will be similar to the Alexa Smarthome Dashboard that Amazon began experimenting with on Fire TVs earlier this year.
There are plenty of unknown aspects of the new Fire TV interface that Amazon hasn’t fully shared yet. They say “you can now jump into your favorite streaming service directly” and that you’ll be able to “scroll over supported apps to quickly peek at what’s inside and begin playback,” but we don’t know what that will look like or how it will work.
As mentioned, the new interface will arrive later this year and come to the new 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite first. Amazon says the new interface will also eventally come to other Fire TV models, but we don’t yet know which ones or when.
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Really resigning myself to the idea if I ever want to get a new beast of a box, I’m going to have to get a Nvidia Shield. And all the games I bought for my Fire TV 2 are basically stuck there.
Lets hope they work out a deal with the publishers where owners can access games they bought in Amazon’s new cloud game service. Like Nvidia allowing games bought on Steam.
Not good like a local solution but it is something
I was where you are at over a year ago, but made the leap. The interface of Android TV (Nvidia) is much more user friendly. The Play Next feature, operating like an on-board favorites/bookmarks, is the main reason I have eliminated Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV 2 (+Amazon games). The only drawback of Nvidia is its lack of app support. Many app publishers are just sticking to Chromecast, which I prefer not to use.
The Android TV interface is so user friendly that Google ditched it for their new Chromecast TV.
“you can now jump into your favorite streaming service directly”
Let’s see how that turns out. They better don’t make me click four times to access the apps. I’m already annoyed by the current UI that requires me to navigate down twice before being able to do anything useful — and that every darn time I go to the home screen.
Any indication of removing or moving around elements. This at least looks less cluttered. If I could customize it, that would be great.
Agreed customization would be a welcome upgrade.
Be curious to see the “settings” screen for the new interface. Specifically, if sideloading (unknown sources) will be an option?? As it looks like HBO Max and Peacock may still not availble in the Fire TV ecosystem for some time.
That would be serious FU to the Fire TV users that built up the platform over the years, I can’t see them removing it. Particularly as it’s major part of Android too.
I suspect this will wreak havoc with Fire TV First Gen (if they even get it). It’s time to retire mine to the graveyard anyway although they still work great for basic HD streaming.
All I want is an app only home screen option.
It’s one of they main reasons I don’t use a Fire TV, nor recommend them.
i don’t need new interface, i need google ‘s service like cast receiver!
ALL I want is My Apps and Channels.
How do I get there please, how many clicks???
Is there a 3rd party home screen one can set up with only MY Apps and Channels, and ability to switch back and forth to this nightmare if needed.
…the navigation bar which has been moved from the top of the screen to the center.
HOW does this make any sense??
Why ??
The UI was already cluttered, this goes from bad to worse.
“Jumping to your favorite streaming service directly” seems to indicate to me one of two things (or both): 1. You’ll be able to have preferred apps always available on the centered navigation menu bar and/or 2. You’ll be able to “set” a preferred app as the main app on the home screen, so that app’s content is on that screen rather than the Amazon Prime Video content.
As for the ability to “scroll over supported apps to quickly peek at what’s inside and begin playback”, that could simply be similar to what I laid out above: scrolling over to, say, YouTube on the centered navigation bar would automatically present YouTube content below the navigation menu area. Scrolling over to Disney+ or Hulu would do the same for those respective apps and their content. Of course, that’s provided the companies behind those apps and Amazon come to an agreement.
any way to enrol for beta updates to firetv os ?
Sabrina is getting more compelling every day. According to the latest leaks it definitely has a more powerful SOC than the Fire TV Stick 4k (no hardware based AV1 decoding, but still better)
so does this mean the expandable storage options from the 3rd gen stick will coke to the 4k sticks when the new interface rolls out?
Awful. Only 6 apps in the corner.
Why won’t they just list all your apps like Roku, Google TV, and Apple on the home page?
Stop selling me content and let me get to my apps!
Hi, but how do you activate the picture in picture function? Thanks