Your Amazon Fire TV is about to receive a free update to make it faster and easier to use: here’s what you need to know

• Amazon’s first major Fire TV software overhaul in five years
• Initially for Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED
• Currently, the launch is only in the US; will expand in the spring

Amazon is now rolling out its most exciting Fire TV device update yet, featuring the first major redesign of its software in five years and some major internal changes that promise to significantly speed up its devices.

The rollout has begun in the US, and it looks like Amazon is taking it slow: to start, it’s coming to just three devices. Those devices are the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2023, 2nd generation), Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED TV.

The update will roll out to more countries and more devices in spring 2026, and third-party Fire TV devices (like TVs from TCL, Panasonic, Hisense, Insignia, and more) will also be updated.

What’s new in the Amazon Fire TV update?

This is not just a minor update, although everything has been modified to make it look better. There’s a lot more space for subscriptions and pinned apps, giving you 20 slots instead of the current six. There is also a new optimized navigation bar.

One of the key goals of the update is to reduce the amount of time you spend searching for something to watch, with improved recommendations and easier access to live content too.

The focus on viewing means that less-used features, such as games, photos, music videos and the Appstore, are hidden in a three-line hamburger menu.

Alexa+ will let you ask questions using natural language, ask follow-up questions, and generally chat with Amazon’s digital assistant. If it’s as good as Amazon says you’ll be able to do interesting things like ask Alexa to recommend movies that have a similar visual style. Alexa+ is included in your Prime subscription; Non-subscribers can pay separately to enable the feature.