The Amazon Fire Remote and Amazon Fire TV Remote App are used to access entertainment on the Amazon Fire TV. Amazon Fire TV is Amazon’s streaming technology that can be used to watch movies, read books (Amazon Fire 7 tablet only), watch shows, or even check the weather. This can all be done on a personal television by hooking up an Amazon Fire Stick or the Amazon Fire TV box, or by purchasing a television with Amazon Fire already integrated in. With the purchase of an Amazon Fire TV product comes the Amazon Fire Remote.
Amazon Fire Remote
The Amazon Fire Remote is a handy (albeit small) remote that comes with Amazon Fire TV or Amazon Fire TV stick. The remote has some basic remote features: play/pause, forward, rewind, home, and back. These can be used to control a movie or show and navigate through the content on screen. One very helpful feature that comes with the remote is the capability of speaking to Alexa and having her find shows, movies, or apps for you. With just a push of a button and an auditory command, Alexa can help you find what you are looking for without having to go through the tedious process of searching or typing in words.
Who is Alexa?
Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant that has been integrated into many Amazon products. She is most well known for her capabilities of helping people in their homes through the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot. Users can ask her any number of questions and give a variety of commands such as “Alexa, what is my schedule for today?” or “Alexa, turn off the music.” Alexa is even available to third party developers to give her voice to their products, known as Alexa accessories. With basic commands, users can now utilize Alexa to help perform tasks through smart home hookups and even the Fitbit.
Amazon Fire TV Remote App
Back to the Amazon Fire TV products and remotes. Although all products come with an Amazon Fire TV Remote equipped with Alexa’s voice to help users search through content, keeping track of the small remote might not be so easy. Or maybe you are someone who prefers to use their phone to navigate content (no doubt larger than the remote). Luckily, Amazon has developed the Amazon Fire TV Remote App for these reasons. The app works identically to the remote but is on a larger screen and allows users to swipe in addition to push buttons. Additionally, the app also comes with a keyboard that users can type words into (not found on the physical remote). The app also comes with Alexa’s capabilities built in as well for easy searching. One caveat is that Alexa is not available to help search content within another app. For instance, if you open up Netflix or AMC to watch a show or movie, Alexa cannot help you search for content within those apps. With the capability of the keyboard, however, users might find it easier to just type in what they are looking for which is much quicker than on the physical remote.
Amazon Fire Remote with Alexa and the Echo or Echo Dot
Don’t like remotes at all? If you have an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, the latest update lets you speak directly to Alexa and have her navigate content for you. Although this feature has been available for Google Home and Google Assistant, Amazon has finally integrated it into their products as well. For people who own the Amazon Fire TV 4K, Alexa can turn the volume up or down as well as control other TV features (a separate remote is needed for a non-Amazon TV). It is not clear if Alexa on the Echo or Echo Dot can help navigate content within other apps, but if not it means you will still need a remote to search content. So take your pic: Alexa, Fire Remote, or the Fire Remote App. All have their uses and strengths to help users enjoy the Amazon Fire TV.