Have a Fire TV set-top box or stick in your home? Go check it, because Amazon is rolling out a new software update which adds the option of controlling Fire TVs via an Alexa-powered device such as the Amazon Echo speaker.
The update will bump the software version up to Fire OS 5.2.4.1 or 5.2.4.2 depending on which device you own. The update is compatible with all of Amazon’s Fire TV devices, save for the first generation Fire TV Stick.
The Fire TV already has the Voice Remote which includes Alexa, but in this case, you’ll need to press a button on the remote to bring up the virtual assistant. With the new update, everything becomes hands-free.
To get started, you’ll need to link your Fire TV to your Alexa device using the Alexa app on your smartphone. Once the pairing is done, you’ll be able to use voice commands to instruct Alexa to do things like search for videos, skip to the next episode of open apps.
The new update puts the Amazon’s Alexa-fueled devices on par with the Google Home speaker which already offered the option of queuing up videos on a Cast-enabled TV.
Are you seeing the update on your Fire TV? Let us know in the comment section below.
