Amazon Fire TV and Fire Sticks are fantastic tools that allow you to access Amazon's rich content. Each of the Fire products comes with a unique remote, used to navigate the platform and play your favorite TV shows and movies. And it has been designed with maximum user comfort in mind.
That said, many people are unaware that one of Amazon's most popular products, the Amazon Echo, can actually be used to browse any Fire TV platform. Yes, you can connect your Echo device to most smart TVs. Here's how to do it.
WHY DO IT
Well, first of all, you may not want to deal with a remote. As a voice-activated device, the Amazon Echo is meant to be used to communicate with Alexa, one of the most popular digital assistants in the world.
Yes, in addition to playing music from various platforms, googling, checking the time, and even making phone calls, you can actually connect your Amazon Echo device with Fire TV and issue voice commands.
Even if you don't mind or even prefer to use the Fire remote, you may find yourself in a situation where you can't find it. Or, you may be too lazy to get up and grab the remote right now - no one is judging you. Ask Alexa for a hand and you'll be able to play anything on the TV using just your voice.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Setting up Alexa to work with your Fire TV device is simple, straightforward, and doesn't take a lot of time. However, there are some things you should keep in mind before proceeding in order to avoid going through the whole troubleshooting process.
First of all, any Amazon devices you want to sync must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Also, both the Fire TV device and the Echo device must be linked to the same Amazon account.
CONNECT ALEXA
The first thing you need to do is set up Alexa, your virtual Amazon assistant. Alexa will be the feature you will use to successfully communicate with the Fire TV, using your voice. Alexa essentially relies on your phone / tablet and comes with a dedicated app, used to set up the assistant for each individual Amazon device.
Open the Alexa app on your phone / tablet and go to Settings. From the list of device types, tap TV and video. Now tap on the plus sign and select Fire TV from the menu that opens. Finally, select Connect your Alexa device. You will be given detailed on-screen instructions to help you set everything up. Follow them carefully.
AMAZON ECHO CONNECTION
Of course, to use your Echo device with Fire TV, you need to connect it to the real TV as well. The Echo will be used as a medium that will allow you to communicate with Alexa and Fire TV. To connect your Echo device to Fire TV, go to the Fire TV settings menu.
From the settings menu, select Bluetooth controllers and devices. See how the Echo device connects to your Fire TV via Bluetooth, go to Other Bluetooth devices. Now log in by clicking on your Echo profile.
USE OF ALEXA COMMANDS
Turn on the TV without using anything but your voice, by navigating on Settings, Selecting Alexa and finally Turn on the TV with Alexa. The commands you use are based on "Alexa, look [insert name of content]" and "Alexa, show me [insert name of content]". You can also turn the volume up or down by saying “Alexa, turn the volume up [up / down] on Fire TV” and turn the TV on or off by saying “Alexa, turn Fire TV on / off [on / off]”.
Let's deepen the topic: How to pair Echo Dot with Firestick
USING ECHO ON FIRE TV
As you can see, the Echo devices were clearly designed to be used on televisions. If you want to forget all about using the remote and rely solely on your voice, you can do so by memorizing the appropriate commands.
Are you using Echo on a Fire TV device? Did you like it so far? Do you prefer to use the remote control this way?
