Amazon Inc. has transformed the Home TV entertainment industry with its revolutionary, innovative product, Amazon Fire Stick It allows you to experience cordless streaming service with a USB flash drive-shaped device plugged into the TV’s HDMI video input.
It won‘t be erroneous to say that Amazon Fire stick will soon be in high demand shortly due to it being lightweight, flexible enough to carry with ease, getting rid of tangled cords, and supporting a vast number of TVs. It has already captured around 35%+ market share in the US alone.
Besides having access to apps for popular VoDs like Netflix, there is an extensive list of around 5000+ apps varying from showbiz to news and kids‘ categories. Another plus point is that almost 40% of the apps are free to use and provide a ton of entertaining content for you to watch!
Amazon Fire Sticks are pre-registered for each Amazon Prime membership account with instant access to content and an added advantage to pick your favorite show from the Amazon originals cache. Other key features of Amazon Fire Stick are listed below;
Key Characteristics of Amazon Fire Stick
Increasing demand for the Amazon Fire Stick is not just temporary hype, in fact, it possesses very functional attributes that made it popular among users, particularly those that don’t have a Smart TV. As a byproduct of Amazon, it endorses Amazon’s programming.
Once plugged into the HDMI port, the Amazon Fire Stick device will transform your standard TV into a Smart TV with a massive list of features and apps, including Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, CBS All Access, etc. If these streaming services are inaccessible in your region, you can even use a VPN for Fire Stick.
The device provides 4K Dolby Vision and HDR10 with voice assistance from Amazon Alexa. The user interface is interactive and offers quick navigation and compatibility for various TVs, regardless of the model or brand. If it’s got an HDMI port, you can use Amazon Fire TV.
It even comes equipped with a Wi-Fi chip of 802.11ac with 1.7GHz quad-core processor, dual-band, dual-antenna, 60 fps frame rate for image resolutions (image resolution depends on the supporting device specifications too). The device even offers 8 GB of storage with 1.5 GB RAM.
Here are some tricky ways you can further unlock the full potential of Amazon Fire Stick
Get Access to Third-Party Applications
Another great thing about using a Fire TV device is that you can jailbreak it to install third-party applications. This can be done by going into “Developer Options” and enabling the “Apps from Unknown Sources”, granting you the ability to install any APK (Android Application Package).
Use a VPN for Region-Hopping
Get the most out of your Amazon Fire TV by installing a VPN from the Amazon App Store. This will allow users to bypass geo-restrictions and content blocks on streaming platforms like Netflix that restrict movies/TV shows based on region.
For instance, if you want to access US Netflix in Canada, you can do so with a VPN. In such cases, there is no better alternative than to install Surfshark on Firestick, which utilizes “Obfuscation” technology to help region-hoppers bypass VPN and content blocks.
Install a Toggle Mouse Touch App
Android touch-based devices are not compatible with the Amazon Fire Stick, and if you are eager to use them in conjunction, you will need to install a Toggle Mouse App.
This app will give you a mouse pointer without an actual physical remote present. You can easily navigate the pointer to access your favorite content or navigate the Fire TV device.
Mobile to FireStick Casting
You can cast your iPhone and Android screens on Firestick devices. In the setting menu of both types of phones, you can click the screen casting option.
To enable this, you have to continue pressing the Fire Stick device’s home button until the mirroring option appears and click on the device you want to mirror.
Perform Regular Firmware Updates
The Amazon Fire TV Stick can be manually updated to keep the device secure if it is not updating firmware. The only thing you need to make sure is that your device is connected to the internet.
Through this simple process, you can avoid crashing the system by making necessary fixes regularly. Firmware updates come equipped with bug fixes and solutions to preexisting issues.
Clear Cache to Speed Up the Device
When the Fire Stick is over-occupied with unused apps, the streaming speed might drop. It is better to clear the caches often to avoid interruptions.
You can do this by simply opening the settings menu. Once there, select manage installed applications, and then choose the “clear cache” option. This will remove all unwanted cache.
Use Fire TV Stick as a Media Player
VLC media players and Plex are also available for the Amazon Fire Stick The device’s limited storage space will not allow you to store many movies/TV shows, but you can still use it for streaming movies/TV shows offline, which is quite convenient!
Wrapping Things Up
Amazon Fire Stick is a fantastic product with its flexibility to modify in many ways. You can access thousands of applications except for those limited in your region, for which you can use a VPN.
Its affordability, carrying ease with HD visibility, and extended support to thousands of TVs makes it a good companion, especially if you are an entertainment-geek or binge-watcher!
