If you’ve just purchased a new Amazon Fire TV Stick or Fire TV, you may be wondering if you should rely on the included Alexa remote for all your control needs, or if there’s another way to do things.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick remote is a useful way to jump between streaming services, close apps, and find your favorite show, especially if you rely on Alexa voice control to do a lot of work. However, you don’t really know need use the remote.
If you’ve lost your Alexa remote, can’t get it to work, or, like me, are just too lazy to dig up the couch cushions to find the thing every time you want to watch TV, there’s an alternative. You can actually use your smartphone to control your Fire TV.
Wondering how to do it? Follow these steps and we’ll help you set up the Fire TV app so you can use your smartphone to control your TV.
What you will need
- Fire TV (either set or Fire TV Stick)
- Or Android phone or tablet running Android 7.0 or higher
- Or iPhone or iPad on iOS 13 / iPadOS 13 or later
How to set up the Fire TV app
How to use your phone to control Fire TV at a glance
- Set up your Fire TV
- Download the Fire TV app
- Connect your app to your Fire TV device
How to use your phone to fully control your Fire TV
The first thing you’ll want to do is set up your Amazon Fire TV device, if you haven’t already. This is generally a very simple process, but it can take some time if you need to install a lot of apps and updates.
To use the Fire TV app on your phone, you’ll need to make sure your Fire device is plugged in and connected to the Internet.
You will then need to install the Fire TV app on your device. To do this, you can go to the Play Store (if you’re on an Android device) or the App Store (if you’re on an iPhone or iPad). If you are currently reading this article on your chosen gadget, press the store name and it will take you straight to the app listing.
Simply go through the normal process of installing the app, which you’ve probably done many times before, and your phone will automate itself to some extent. Once installed, you’ll likely find it on your phone’s home page unless you’ve set the apps to appear elsewhere.
When you open the app for the first time, you will be presented with a screen that says “Searching for device…”. Below that, you’ll see a button you should press that says “Set up a new device.” You will now be asked to sign in to your Amazon account, which you should do.
Next, select the type of streaming device you’re setting up: Fire TV, in most cases, then your phone will try to find all compatible devices nearby.
An important reminder
Your Amazon account should recognize all connected Fire TV devices, making setup a lot easier.
Note: if your phone can’t find your Fire TV device, there are a few things you can try. Make sure your phone is connected to the Internet and Bluetooth, and that Fire TV is turned on. You can also go to the Fire TV’s ‘Settings’ menu, scroll down to ‘Controllers and Bluetooth devices’, then ‘Add a mobile device’, and the device will start searching for your phone.
Eventually, your mobile will find the device you are trying to connect to. Select it on your phone and it will ask you for a four-digit PIN code. This PIN will be displayed on your Fire TV, but if it doesn’t appear, return to the Fire TV home page and try again. Sometimes during testing we found that the PIN would not appear if we were in the app.
Enter your PIN and then the Fire TV remote app will be installed. You’ll be presented with an interface on your mobile that resembles an Alexa remote: directional icons, a home button, even an Alexa button so you can speak into your phone.
The app also has a button you can press (top right corner) to display the keyboard and easy search, and next to this is another button (three squares and a plus sign) that brings up a list of all your apps. You can use them for easy navigation.
You can set a few additional features in the ‘Settings’ menu of the Fire TV app. You can change navigation from drag-able arrow keys, you can add a little Alexa remote layout to your phone’s lock screen so you don’t have to unlock your device to control your Fire TV, and you can turn on vibrations on your smartphone for when you’re navigating.
With this feature installed, you never have to worry about where your Alexa remote is hiding again!