Ditch Your Fire TV Remote

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Like many other operating systems found on smart TVs and streaming devices, the Fire TV operating system is designed to be clean and easy to navigate with the connected remote. That’s true for the most part, but in practice, scrolling through apps on Fire TV can feel pretty clunky. You will have to click several times to access your favorites list in the main menu. If the app you need isn’t there, you need to first go to the app drawer and then tap the navigation ring several times to browse your installed apps.

This might mean spending a good few minutes clicking on your remote, especially if you have more than ten apps on your Fire TV. But you don’t really need to stick to your remote to navigate the app drawer. There is a hidden trick on Fire TV that lets you browse much faster, with the help of the Amazon Fire TV app. It comes with a nifty app drawer button similar to what you see on your Fire TV. But instead of clicking, you simply swipe across the screen to find the app you want, then tap to launch it. We’ll show you how to connect the Fire TV app to your phone and make scrolling through your apps much more convenient.

The Fire TV app is the official companion app for Fire TV devices, so it’s simple and straightforward to use. To connect it to your TV or streaming device, here’s what you need to do:

1. Turn on your Fire TV.
2. Connect your phone and Fire TV to the same Wi-Fi network.
3. Install the Amazon Fire TV app on your iPhone or Android device.
4. Launch the app.
5. When prompted, tap Allow to grant the necessary permissions.
6. Go to the remote icon tab at the bottom.
7. Wait for the app to detect your Fire TV.
8. If you get an error saying “No Fire TV found”, click Look Again.
9. Choose your Fire TV from the list of available devices.
10. Look for the four-digit code on your TV screen.
11. Enter the code in the Fire TV app.

You should then get the remote interface. To launch your favorite app, swipe left in the carousel in the bottom half of the screen. To scroll through your app drawer, tap the app drawer icon next to the blue mic icon. It will display your favorite apps in a box at the very top of the screen and the rest of your installed apps below.

Besides scrolling through your apps quickly, the Fire TV app can also come in handy when your Fire TV remote has a problem. It includes a navigation pad, mic, keyboard, and even a sleep button that can easily replace your remote in a pinch.