Amazon has unveiled a redesigned Fire TV interface that prioritizes content visibility and streamlines navigation. This marks the first significant user experience update for Fire TV in several years, according to the company. The changes accompany an updated Fire TV mobile app and the introduction of new Amazon Ember Artline televisions featuring customizable frames.
Fire TV Vice President Aidan Marcuss described the motivation behind the redesign during an interview with TechCrunch. “As we brought that content forward, the [user interface] got a little cluttered — a lot of stuff and a lot of rows,” he said. “We know the data — there’s a lot of time spent searching,” he added. “We…know that it could just be easier.”
The new interface incorporates rounded corners, varied gradients, consistent typography, and greater spacing between elements to reduce visual clutter. Users can still scroll vertically through favorite content rows, such as upcoming items, while a horizontal row displays apps more prominently.
Previously, the home screen allowed only six pinned apps, a frequent user complaint. The update shrinks app icon sizes, expands capacity to 20 scrollable slots, and makes more apps visible at once.
Navigation at the top of the screen now uses distinct categories: Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News. A search button sits to the left of the Home tab.
New tabs consolidate access to ongoing viewing and content from subscribed services. They also highlight discovery options, including “For You” recommendations, free streaming movies, top movie and show lists, and additional subscription offerings.
The Live TV tab gathers streams from services with live content, plus broadcast and cable TV for subscribers. The Sports section lists current live games and scheduled events.
A hamburger menu icon hides secondary features, including Games, Art & Photos, Appstore, Music Video & Audio, a universal watchlist called “My Stuff,” Settings, and more.
Long-pressing the Home button opens a quick-settings panel. This provides controls for display adjustments, audio enhancements like dialogue boost, sleep timer, accessibility options, smart home integration, and Ring camera feed display—even while watching other content. Users can tweak TV brightness or view the camera feed alongside programming.
Amazon rewrote underlying code for improved speed. Marcuss noted, “On our most popular devices, this is 20% to 30% faster for the same functions, because it’s all about getting people to what they want to watch, fast.”
Alexa+ integrates directly into the interface. It handles natural-language queries for content search, follow-up questions, and visual context. For example, with a movie tile selected, users can say, “Tell me more about that one.” More nuanced requests work too, such as “find me more movies that have the same look.” Alexa+ also supports tasks beyond media, like calling an Uber, and assists with photos or art.
Alexa+ enters as an early-access opt-in feature. It will shift to a subscription add-on afterward and come included with Amazon Prime memberships.
The Fire TV mobile app now combines traditional remote functionality with phone-based content discovery. This allows multiple users to browse options on their devices rather than relying solely on the TV remote for searches.
The interface and app rollout starts in February in the U.S. on select devices: Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series.
Expansion follows this spring to additional countries and devices. These include Fire TV Cube (3rd Gen), Fire TV 2-Series, Fire TV 4-Series, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, and televisions from partners such as Hisense, Panasonic, and TCL. The redesign will also launch built-in on the new Amazon Ember Artline TVs.
The Ember Artline TVs represent Amazon’s entry into framed premium displays. Available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, they start at $899. Each features a 4K QLED panel with 800 nits peak brightness, a 1.5-inch thin profile, and matte screen finish to minimize glare. Support includes Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Wi-Fi 6.
Ten frame options enable decor matching: Walnut, Ash, Teak, Black Oak, Matte White, Midnight Blue, Fig, Pale Gold, Graphite, and Silver. These vary in colors, textures, and geometries.
The frames complement Fire TV’s Ambient mode, active when the TV is idle. It displays over 2,000 free art pieces or personal photos from Amazon Photos. Alexa+ enables voice-activated slideshows, such as “Alexa, create a slideshow of our family trip to Colorado” or “Alexa, show photos from our wedding.”
This redesign addresses user feedback on clutter and search times by expanding app access, categorizing content clearly, and accelerating performance. Quick settings and enhanced Alexa+ add convenience for daily use. The Ember Artline TVs extend these capabilities into new hardware with aesthetic appeal.
Amazon positions the changes as direct responses to data on user behavior, ensuring faster paths to entertainment. The phased rollout prioritizes high-end U.S. devices before broader availability.
