With over 40 million users, Amazon’s Fire Stick is one of the most popular media streaming devices available in the market. With its 4k streaming capabilities, built-in Alexa, and an excellent user interface, the fire stick transforms your not so smart TV into a media streaming beauty.

Equipped with MediaTek’s’ quad-core processor, 8GB of storage and 1GB RAM, the firestick packs quite a punch to keep up with all your streaming needs.

Whenever using a gadget, there are always a few features that go unnoticed and using them can make your experience more rewarding. So to save you the trouble of finding those features on your own, we have curated a list of 10 things you might’ve missed while using the firestick.

Also read: How to delete an app from Fire TV Stick?

Ditch the remote, control the TV using your smartphone

When it comes to ergonomics, the firestick remote is almost flawless. With the right number of buttons, using the remote is always fun to control your television, until you have to search for something. We all know how hard it is to type using a remote. This is where the app comes in handy.

Alongwith all the functionalities of the remote, it offers a dedicated keyboard for all your search issue. To control your firestick using your smartphone, download the firestick tv remote app for Android by clicking here and for iOS by clicking here. After this follow the steps given below to control your tv using your smartphone

• Open the Fire TV app on your device
• Select the device you want to connect to
• Enter the verification code shown on your television
• Click on the keyboard icon to access the on-screen keyboard

Also read: How to reset Amazon Fire TV Stick?

Create a more immersive experience by connecting to Bluetooth devices

Bluetooth makes everything better, be it a pair of wireless earphones for more privacy or Bluetooth speakers for an immersive movie experience. Connecting a Bluetooth device to your firestick is a convenient feature. To use the same follow the steps given below

Step 1: Head to the Settings tab on your television

Step 2: Click on Remotes & Bluetooth Devices under settings

Step 3: Click on Other Bluetooth Devices

Step 4: Click on Add Bluetooth Devices

Step 5: Select the Bluetooth device you want to connect to and make sure it is in pairing mode.

Also read: How to restart Amazon Fire TV Stick?

Mirror your Android device on your television

When it comes to functionality, your smartphone can do a lot more compared to the firestick. Mirroring your smartphone to your TV opens a gateway of endless possibilities for you. Be it sharing images with loved ones or playing a movie on the bigger screen of your television always makes the experience more enjoyable. To connect your android device to your firestick follow the steps given below

Step 1: Long press the home button on your remote to open the quick menu on your television.

Step 2: Click on Mirroring

After this open your android device and cast your screen to your television. The steps given below are for a Samsung device and the procedure to cast your screen may be a little different based on your manufacturer

• Open the Notification centre on your device
• Click on the Smart View in the quick setting menu
• Select the device you want to cast your screen to

Also read: How to update Amazon Fire TV Stick?

Mirroring Apple products

Apple products have a history of not being easily compatible with third-party products. The same problem can be seen while mirroring apple devices to the firestick TV. To solve this problem, you have to download the air app on your firestick which enables you to connect apple products to your TV. Follow the steps given below to connect your apple devices to your TV

Step 1: Click on the search icon on fire TV homepage

Step 2: Search for Airscreen

Step 3: Download the app

Step 4: Open the Airscreen app from the home screen

Step 5: Click on the Start button inside the app

Step 6: Now head to your iPhone

• Open the control centre on your iPhone
• Click on Screen Mirroring
• Select the device shown in the menu and click on it

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Close background processes for a better experience

As mentioned earlier, the firestick comes with 1 GB RAM. This memory can get filled quickly if you have several apps running in the background, deteriorating your streaming experience. To close apps running in the background, follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Head to the Settings tab on your television

Step 2: Click on Applications under settings

Step 3: Click on Manage Installed Applications

Step 4: Click on the Application you want to remove from your background processes

Step 5: Click on Force stop

Also read: Top 7 universal remote apps for iOS and Android

Access the internet using Amazon Silk

From Netflix to Amazon Prime, the firestick has a lot of content you can choose from, but sometimes you want to surf the web on your television. With Amazon Silk, you can surf the internet using your firestick.

Created by Amazon, Silk browser can be installed on your firestick tv. Silk uses machine learning algorithms to load content faster on your television screens. Follow the steps given below to access the internet using your firestick.

Step 1: Click on the search icon on fire TV homepage

Step 2: Search for silk browser

Step 3: Click on the Download button

Step 4: Access the internet by clicking on the app on the home screen

Also read: 7 ways to make the most out of your Google Assistant

Magnify the content on your screen for a better reading experience

If you plan on surfing the internet using your firestick, reading the content on your television screen can get a little tricky. To make the process a little less cumbersome, you can magnify the content displayed on your screen by following the steps given below

Step 1: Head to the Settings tab on your television

Step 2: Click on Accessibility under settings

Step 3: Click on Screen Magnifier

Also read: How does Netflix work? The science behind the play button

Check the battery condition of your remote

Running out of batteries when you are binge-watching your favourite TV show is never a great experience. To stay on top of the battery condition of your firestick remote follow the steps given below

Step 1: Head to the Settings tab on your television

Step 2: Click on Remotes & Bluetooth Devices under settings

Step 3: Scroll down to Amazon Fire TV Remote to see your battery condition

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Increase privacy by disabling interest-based ads

From app usage to device usage data, the firestick collects a lot of data to show interest-based ads. If you don’t want big brother to spy on you using your television follow the steps given below

Step 1: Head to the Settings tab on your television

Step 2: Click on Preferences under settings

Step 3: Click on Privacy Settings

Step 4: Click on Device Usage Data

Step 5: Click on Turn off in the pop-up window

Step 6: Click on Collect App Usage Data

Step 7: Click on Turn off in the pop-up window

Step 8: Click Interest-based Ads to turn them off

Also read: How to contact a seller on Amazon?

Disable auto-playing ads on your home screen

The firestick has an excellent user interface, but the auto-playing ads on the home screen can get a little irritating sometimes. To stop the ads from playing follow the steps given below

Step 1: Head to the Settings tab on your television

Step 2: Click on Preferences

Step 3: Click on Featured Content

Step 4: Click on Allow Video Autoplay and then Allow Audio Autoplay to switch off featured content automatically starting playback.

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