Amazon Fire TV's Biggest Update Yet Is Coming Sooner Than You Think

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If you own an Amazon Fire TV streaming device or a TV powered by Fire OS — get excited — because the platform is getting its first major UI overhaul in five years. It brings new visual layouts, smart color schemes, and new app experiences — like the option to pin your most used apps to the home screen. That's a fantastic way to ensure you have quick access to the most essential Fire TV apps. But most importantly, the redesign will deliver what Amazon refers to as an interface that "gets you to what you want to watch even faster."

The new update is scheduled to launch in February 2026 and will be available on devices like the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series TVs. Later in spring 2026, Amazon will also bring the update to "more countries and more devices," including last-gen Fire TV streaming media players. They specifically call out the Fire TV 2-Series, Fire TV 4-Series, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, and TVs made by partners from Hisense, Insignia, Panasonic, and TCL. The Fire TV mobile app is also getting a glow-up, and all of this coincides with the launch of Amazon's new Ember Artline series, featuring high-end lifestyle TVs. Ember Artline is remarkably similar in design to Samsung's The Frame series, offering a QLED TV that can display fine art and visual treats.

Amazon says its development team has retooled the Fire TV UI so that it's cleaner, faster, and better organized, allowing you to spend less time searching through troves of content and, hopefully, more time watching good media. They also clarify that this has been achieved by modernizing the design with improved layouts, rounded corners for media cards, new color gradients, updated typography, and optimized spacing. It does look like some of the app icons are smaller and look cleaner in the previews. A new shortcut panel — which you can open by long-pressing the Home button on your remote — will provide quick access to your most used controls, settings, connected smart home devices, and more. You can think of it as a multi-functional tool or app tray.

Moreover, Alexa+ — Amazon's generative AI-powered agent — is now integrated with the Fire TV platform. You can ask Alexa to play content that matches your mood, look for content from specific directors or actors, or just find something worthwhile to watch. Ultimately, as Amazon is describing it, it sounds like the new Fire TV update will introduce a more streamlined and intuitive experience for Fire TV users. If you own an older Fire TV device and want to experience the new update sooner, don't forget you can save money on upgrades by trading in your old device(s).