Amazon is heading into 2026 and rethinking the way people actually find something to watch on Fire TV. Ahead of CES 2026, the company unveiled a completely redesigned Fire TV experience and a revamped Fire TV mobile app to reduce time spent scrolling and get viewers to their shows faster.
Amazon says the update is due to how overwhelming streaming has become, with so much content spread across apps that just selecting it can feel a bit like work.
A faster, cleaner Fire TV experience
The updated Fire TV interface prioritizes speed and clarity. Amazon has redeveloped the underlying software to make navigation faster, with up to 30% performance increase compared to the old layout. The design itself looks more modern, with cleaner layouts, softer edges, updated typography, and better spacing, but the bigger change is in the organization of the content.
Fire TV now organizes movies, TV shows, sports, news, and live content into dedicated sections that pull titles from all your streaming apps in one place, rather than forcing you to open each app individually to see what’s available. This is intended to shorten the search time.
Users can now pin up to 20 apps to the home screen (up from 6) and quickly access areas such as games, art and photos, as well as the ambient experience using the remote control.
Alexa+ is also deeply integrated into the new experience. Viewers can request personalized recommendations, jump to specific scenes in movies on Prime Video, check game stats, control smart home devices, or even create AI-powered screen savers in the background, all via natural voice commands.
The Fire TV mobile app can finally act as more than just a remote control
Amazon is also revamping the Fire TV mobile app, which many people previously only used as a replacement remote control. The redesigned app now reflects the look and feel of the new Fire TV interface and allows users to browse content, manage watchlists and start watching directly on their TV.
The app is positioned as a second screen, making it easier to figure out what to watch next, save recommendations from friends, or queue content when you’re away from home. Amazon says the updated Fire TV mobile app is free to download, rounding out a broader Fire TV refresh that spans the living room and the phone in your pocket.
The redesigned Fire TV UI will begin rolling out in February and will initially be available on the Fire TV Stick 4K Plus, Fire TV Stick 4K Max (second generation), and Fire TV Omni Mini LED TVs.
The broader rollout will continue later this spring and expand to newer Fire TV 4K streaming players and TVs, including the Fire TV 2 series, Fire TV 4 series, Fire TV Omni QLED models and Fire TV OS TVs from partners such as Panasonic, Hisense, TCL and Insignia.
