Amazon Fire TV Is Changing Its Look - Here's What You Need To Know

By Nichols deCourville
An image displaying the new Amazon Fire TV update, which shows various different movies users can watch directly from the Home screen Amazon

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Your Amazon Fire TV is about to get a refresh. From smart TVs to Amazon Fire Sticks, the Fire TV UI is a solid way to gain access to a variety of streaming apps or services, including some essential Fire TV apps everyone should be using, and now it's receiving its largest update in over five years. With larger updates for software, there's usually a good amount of new features for users, and Amazon's update is no exception. Announced in January during CES 2026, the update is currently rolling out to U.S. users, though only on select devices for the time being.

However, the update should be arriving on more devices sometime soon, as well. For this update, making things speedier was a priority for Amazon, though the update also features a "modern" UI redesign that features new layouts, rounded corners, optimized spacing, and more. There are also a few quality-of-life improvements and some voice assistant support, as well.

To check for an update on a Fire TV device:

  • Navigate to Settings using your remote.
  • Select either My Fire TV or Device & Software
  • Select About
  • Then choose Check for System Update.

However, Amazon does state that the update will arrive automatically for users, so you may want to sit tight if you haven't received it yet. There are also some pretty cool things you should know about an Amazon Fire TV Stick if you didn't already.

Fire TV update arrives to users on select devices

A TV showing the new Amazon Fire TV update, which focuses on the Home screen and the available streaming apps that are on the device Amazon

The Amazon Fire TV update promised at the start of the year is now rolling out to users across the U.S. Available for free, the update aims to reduce the time users spend searching for media while also providing an aesthetic overhaul. The company states users will be able to find content faster, with one example including being able to see titles from all your used apps when browsing movies.

With speed being a good focus of the update, Amazon states it has rebuilt its code to increase speeds by 20% to 30% within the new UI. The number of apps you can pin to your home screen has been bumped up from six to 20, and a new Menu button option allows quicker access to certain things like Games. There's also a new shortcut panel users can access from their remote by long-pressing the Home button, allowing fast access to things like display and audio settings. There's also Alexa+ support for tasks like getting stats from a sports game or creating AI-generated screensavers.

The Amazon Fire TV update is available in the U.S. to those using a Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd Gen), and the Ember Artline. For third-party smart TVs, new Fire TV 4K streaming players, Fire TV Omni QLED Series, and Fire TV 2-Series or 4-Series, expect the update sometime in the spring. For those thinking about buying an Amazon Fire Stick, the new update may be another persuasive reason for making the move.

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