Amazon heralds the last phase of the rollout of the new Fire TV interface, in which older streaming products from the manufacturer are now also supplied. The update, which is automatically installed on the end devices, includes profiles for multiple users, a preview of app content, new search categories and Amazon Kids.
Amazon took about half a year to roll out the new Fire TV interface on all supported devices. The current Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite at the end of last year were followed this spring by the updates of the Fire TV Stick 4K, the Fire TV Cube and the 2017 3rd generation Fire TV. The current and probably last rollout phase brings the update to the 2nd generation Fire TV Stick, which came onto the market in autumn 2016. Amazon does not mention other devices in the announcement, according to the AFTVnews site, the surface has also been delivered for smart TVs and soundbars with integrated Fire TV since yesterday.
Start app content directly from preview
Amazon describes the new Fire TV interface as the “biggest update of the Fire TV experience to date”. One of the changes that the update brings with it are profiles, so that different users can log in with their personal settings and content preferences. In addition, Amazon has revised the menu bar and calls it easier to use. A new function for this area includes the pinning of favorite apps to the ribbon. Apps positioned in the menu bar provide a preview of the app content – provided they are compatible with this function – and can, if desired, start playback directly without opening the app. To make it easier to find series and films, new categories and filters such as films, series or children and family are available.
Amazon Kids for older Fire TV devices
The integration of Amazon Kids is now also relevant to the 2nd generation Fire TV Stick, especially for families with children. Amazon Kids includes a child-friendly selection of series and films in which parents should always keep control over the content by means of parental controls. The new Fire TV interface enables the creation of several profiles for several children and the transfer of existing kids profiles to the Fire TV. Purchased series, films and downloaded apps such as Netflix, Disney + or ZDFtivi can be added to the profile. In connection with Kids +, the offer from Amazon itself is also available.
Amazon Kids on the new Fire TV interface (Image: Amazon) With the help of parental controls, parents can also use the parental controls to set profile settings such as adjustable time limits, age filters and different settings for the Define days of the week and weekends. You can also assign a PIN to ensure that your children only see age-appropriate content. As on other Amazon devices, the Parent Dashboard can be accessed to view activity reports on the content that children have used in Amazon Kids.
Should the latest update it is the final phase of the rollout. As Golem reports, even older Fire TV products should not get the new Fire TV interface.