3 Tricks to Enhance Your Amazon Firestick Experience

Unless you’re still enjoying the good old days of entertainment with an ornate console TV and a dial that you toggle between 8 or 12 channels, you’ve probably heard of streaming. In fact, streaming devices and apps are what ushered in the term “cutting the cord,” and this trend has taken off over the past decade.

Today, we have a variety of streaming apps and devices we use to access our favorite entertainment. And the Amazon Firestick is one of the more popular options of streaming tools.

But though the Firestick has features already included, there are also plenty of options that you can add to enhance your streaming experience. And many of these are fairly easy to configure on your own.

If you want to enhance your Firestick, the following will provide you with a few options that you’ll want to look into.

Installing Kodi

Just in case you’re not familiar, Kodi is a free, open-source media player that can be installed on your Firestick. And if you really want to enhance your Firestick options, Kodi has a variety of tools built into its application.

With Kodi, you can access TV shows, movies, music, games, and photos all from one central location. And if you’re looking to minimize your need to toggle between devices, Kodi is the perfect application to install.

When it comes to your Firestick, Kodi isn’t already configured. So you’ll have to side-load the application in order to gain all the benefits that Kodi offers. But the side-loading process is fairly simple and can be configured with little difficulty for most users.

Kodi also allows for you to use your remote within a specified radius, and you can easily control other devices in your home all from the Kodi hub. And this makes your entertainment experience much more feasible if you’re tired of constantly switching remotes.

Mobile Remote Apps

Just like devices such as the Roku, Amazon Firestick also has remote control applications that you can install on your Android or iOS device. And if you misplace your remote, or if you have children and your remote always seems to go missing, having a remote control app on your smartphone can be a lifesaver.

Amazon has a virtual keyboard application that’s available in most app stores such as Google Play and others. And the installation process is fairly simple.

You should note that there are features missing on the application keyboard that you’ll find on the physical remote such as volume controls and a power button. But even without these features, you’ll be able to select your channels, change entertainment options and toggle between media just as easily with the app remote on your smartphone.

Screen Mirror Features

The average smartphone can hold thousands of photos. And like most smartphone users, you probably have a large number of videos and pictures stored on your phone. In fact, some studies suggest that most smartphones today contain well over 5,000 pictures. And many of these never escape their digital prisons.

WIth a Firestick, “screencast” is a screen mirror feature that can allow you to display your videos and pictures on your TV screen. Additionally, you’ll also be able to view your videos and pictures stored on a tablet or computer by using the screencast feature on your Firestick.

You should note that for some smartphones you may need to install a 3rd-party application (such as Kodi) if you want to view your stored pictures and photos on a larger screen. But as mentioned, setting up 3rd-party applications such as Kodi on your Firestick is usually a no-brainer for most users.

Streaming has ushered in a new age of entertainment. And if you want to have the best and most up-to-date entertainment experience possible, it’s best to get acquainted with the latest features and apps that can make your experience more enjoyable.

Tech Tips