Amazon is on an Alexa improvement kick with the Amazon Fire TV Cube that has been bringing formerly Echo-exclusive features to the streaming device. The Fire TV Cube gained support for Alexa Announcements earlier this month and now Amazon has announced that the next update will add support for multi-room music and Alexa follow-up mode. Multi-room music support will make it possible to sync music playback on the Fire TV Cube with all other whole-home audio capable Alexa devices, such as the Amazon Echo speaker line up. Follow-up mode allows the Fire TV Cube to continue listening after responding to a voice command so that customers don’t need to repeat the wake word before follow-up requests.
A new software update with version number 6.2.5.8 and build value NS6258/1604 should begin rolling out to Fire TV Cubes this week with these two new features in tow. Both features will be configurable through the Alexa app, just as they are with smart speakers, like the Amazon Echo.
Support for multi-room on the Fire TV Cube poses a bit of a challenge, compared to devices like the Echo and Echo Dot, due to audio lag caused by the HDMI connection. Amazon tells me they’ve built-in the ability to adjust audio lag for music on the Fire TV to fix any sync issues that arise. If the music coming out of the Fire TV Cube is out of sync with other Alexa devices, you’ll be able to press the menu button on the Fire TV Cube’s remote to bring up an on-screen slider that lets you manually compensate for the HDMI lag and sync everything up.
As for follow-up mode, it’s fairly straightforward. It’s an optional setting that you can enable for the Fire TV Cube within the Alexa app. When enabled, they Fire TV Cube will continue to listen for additional commands after it responds to an initial Alexa command. The blue LED light bar on the Fire TV Cube, as well as the blue bar that appears on the TV screen, will remain illuminated for a few seconds after each response to see if you have a follow-up response to give. You can manually end the follow-up session by saying “Cancel,” “Stop,” “Exit,” “Thank you,” or by pressing any button on the remote.
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I’d just like programmable support for device controls, or at least basic support and awareness of HDMI switches. If I had that, this would be perfect.
It does.
Add new equipment on multiple HDMI inputs and the call it by name. You can also control the cable box or Fios box.
Alexa, Go to Cable
Alexa, Go Home (back to Fire TV)
My cube will not change HDMI inputs. Amazon been working on it for two weeks, finally said it will not work with Insignia. Looking for next move now, TV brand?
It makes sense. The Cube is basically a Fire TV and an Echo mashed together in one box so it should have the capabilities of both.
Will drop in ever be available?
This… really
It’s stupid it not being supported
Yeah, if it supported drop in I could move my echo out of my bedroom and just use the cube :(
Can somebody please test if spotify can be voice controlled by the cube? -like in Alexa, play music-
It was working fine but now Alexa replies saying “in order to use spotify you need to download it first. I will take you to the store”
But it is there and instead of taking me to the store it brings spotify to the foreground. I reported it to Amazon support and said they removed the feature, but I haven’t seen anything announced on that.
I saw this info on another site earlier in the week and went right to the Alexa app. Here’s the problem. I already had a Dot and Show in the “Everywhere” group, but my Cube wasn’t listed as an eligible device to add. So; I had to delete the group, create it again and only then could I add the Cube.
The Cube’s value proposition is weak compared to the 4K Fire Stick + optional Echo device. They need to beef up the Cube’s capabilities. I just hope this doesn’t cause more issues with the firmware. I still have to reboot occasionally — lately losing audio on Netflix and YouTube until I reboot. I’m still hoping for a way to turn off the always on Alexa processing and just use the voice remote. No such issues with the new 4K Stick which is fantastic.
Please Amazon, let me pair the Cube with my home cinema using bluetooth and then listen to music without the TV getting turned on, that’s all I want for xmas!!!
I would like option of playing music out of the built in speaker. It’s not a great speaker but it’s quick. Otherwise the TV needs to turn on.
So happy the Cube can now be part of Multi-Room music group
News flash! I can finally view Blink camera feeds on the Cube.
In order to get the Cube to join the other devices in a multi room music group, I had to delete my previous group (“Everywhere”) and create a new group with a different name. This process occurred after I forced the update on the Cube. Even after all this effort, I had to manually adjust the Cube sync by 102 milliseconds using the remote.
Having the same problem. Just have to reset cube. Also, from the Alexa app I see no way to add fire tv cube specifically in the add device screen. Also, in the amazon music app the fire tv cube does not show up in devices available. Is there a fix?
Now if only Alexa would get better hearing. Lately she has been getting more and more dead. Every update seems to be making it worse. first I would give orders to one Alexa and the echos in other rooms would respond!? Now I usually end up having to yell at her in order for her to listen. Not to mention the updates causing her to do the things she normally did correctly entirely wrong so frustrated with where they are taking Alexa.
Dead* not dead haha
Deaf! Holy cow
Hahahaha
I can’t hear you, could you repeat that?
Same Software Update came to my fire tv stick 4k yesterday night.
FireOS 6.2.5.8 (NS6258/1604)
I also received this FireOS 6.2.5.8 (NS6258/1604) update on my two FireTV-4K Sticks, this morning.
Anyone still not able to add cube to music group after following advice from above posts?
I am still not able to after deleting and renaming the group. My cube shows that it’s Version is 6.2.5.7 (NS6257/1657) and not the 6.2.5.8 (NS6258/1604) that this article says it will be after the update. On the Amazon.com help page it says that the current version for the cube is “Latest Software Version: Fire OS 6.2.5.7 (NS6257/1657)”. So, I have no idea. My cube is supporting the follow up mode though.
I added it and adjusted the volume and it was marvelous! But a couple days later when I tried to play on the everywhere group the whole group had shut off and would not work. Once I deleted the cube from the everywhere group it would work again. So there is some sort of glitch still with the cube being in the everywhere group for me. The problem is so new I can’t find any support for it online yet.
My cube isn’t showing the update being available. Says that 5.7 is the latest available. Any suggestions besides just being patient? I’ve tried the different ways to reboot.
Mine has the right version listed yet evey morning when i swith the cube on for first time, it says it’s been updated again with the new features yet ….
I can’t add the cube to multiroom music group
I’ve lost the ability to see may camera devices. “this device is not supported on this device”
I can’t increase volume by set amounts.
Joe
now let apple music work on the cube please
I was able to add my cube to 3 different music groups without deleting the groups. I’m now suffering from audio sync issues – cube is @ 1~2 seconds behind my dots. I’m not able to add delays to my Pioneer HDMI ports, so I’m kinda stuck and outta luck.
UPDATE – found an Audio Sync Adjust button on the Fire Cube remote when displaying lyrics/music info on a TV. Use the Menu (hamburger) button to adjust :-)
I have been able to add cube to multi room music but my dots will drop out without warning… When i take the cube out of the mix the echo and dots work fine. Any thoughts?
I have finally got the update this morning and I am having the same issue of my dots dropping out while the music continues on the cube. I assume Amazon will eventually have a fix for this.
Hi Jay,
I’ve been streaming all morning on 2 Dots and the Cube. No drops at all.
By coincidence, I did reboot them all yesterday due to issues I was having with them dropping randomly.
Greg
Thanks. I will try rebooting the devices.
Remember, a group is not the same compared to multiroom group. It is named group of speakers. You should go Alexa App, then devices and finally add (+ icon) then add a multiroom music group. There you can add a cube with echoes.
HELP!!!! So i restarted all dots, echo and cube. They will all play one song then the dots drop out. The echo and cube will continue. If i take the cube out of the group the dots and echo will all keep playing forever with no troubles. What do I do?
I have the update and I added it to the everywhere group. However, when I ask Alexa to play on the everywhere group, it plays everywhere, but the cube. I can’t figure out how to get it working on the cube. Any thoughts?
Never mind. It works now. It must have been a startup glitch.
how much if any did all of you have to adjust the audio sync