Amazon’s new Fire TV interface and mobile app will come with Alexa+ upgrades
Alexa+ will be able to handle more complex questions.
Starting in November, Fire TV users in the United States will have access to new Alexa+ experiences on their TV interface and on the mobile app. They will feature a new hub for the AI-powered assistant, with personalized quick suggestions based on their history. Alexa+ will be updated with reasoning capabilities, allowing it to answer more complex questions. It will be able to rely on user subscriptions, the history of videos watched and even real-world news. For example, it can answer questions like “Alexa, find shows that were nominated for recent Emmys but were snubbed” or “Alexa, show me MCU movies based on their in-universe chronological order.”
Users will also find Alexa+ in the upgraded Fire TV mobile app. They can give the Assistant links to articles about shows and movies, and Alexa+ will be able to add the titles of those articles to their watch list. The assistant will also be able to give movie or show recommendations inspired by photos uploaded by users. If a certain location, screenshot, or poster reminds a user of a piece of media, they can show it to Alexa+, so the assistant can give suggestions based on what it identified in the photo. Finally, the mobile app will begin deep-linking with streaming services, allowing users to tap a streaming icon in the app and immediately start watching on their phone. If they want to upgrade to a larger screen, they simply go to the “Continue Watching” line on the TV and pick up where they left off.
Additionally, Fire TV now offers integrated live content from more than 40 apps, including YouTube TV, Peacock, Tubi, Sling and DirecTV. Meanwhile, the Games Hub makes cloud gaming experiences from Xbox, Luna and NVIDIA GeForce NOW available from one place. All of these updates will roll out to Fire TV users in the US later this year, and to everyone else early next year. Amazon is also launching an updated music app for Fire TV this fall, where users will be able to find the service’s full offerings, including music videos, podcasts, live concerts, and festival live streams.
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