Home Entertainment

Amazon Fire TV update enables streaming from more Android devices

Amazon Fire TV update enables streaming from more Android devices
Amazon's Fire TV now supports streaming of content from more Android devices
Amazon's Fire TV now supports streaming of content from more Android devices
View 5 Images
Updating the Amazon Fire TV
1/5
Updating the Amazon Fire TV
Choose Fire TV from the Cast to device menu
2/5
Choose Fire TV from the Cast to device menu
Stream video from Android to Amazon Fire TV
3/5
Stream video from Android to Amazon Fire TV
Amazon's Fire TV now supports streaming of content from more Android devices
4/5
Amazon's Fire TV now supports streaming of content from more Android devices
The Fire TV isn't listed in available devices on the HTC One (M8)
5/5
The Fire TV isn't listed in available devices on the HTC One (M8)
View gallery - 5 images

Previously, the only devices able to stream content to the Fire TV were Amazon's own Kindle Fire HDX tablet or Fire smartphone. An update has now thrown open the streaming capabilities to any Android tablets or smartphones running Jellybean 4.2 or higher. Here's a look at the update and how to use the new feature.

Streaming to Fire TV from Android Devices

The first thing you'll need to do is verify that your Fire TV has the latest update. It should have been installed in the background automatically, but to double check go to Settings > System > About > Check for System Update and you should see the version 51.1.4.0_user_514006420 or above. If not, just go ahead and install it.

Updating the Amazon Fire TV
Updating the Amazon Fire TV

I have tested the streaming feature using a HTC One (M8) and a Nexus 7 (2012 model), both running Android 4.4, and have had varying degrees of success. Apps like YouTube that have a "cast" button will usually list the Fire TV as shown in the screenshot below, and the connection is typically good with a few occasional hiccups.

Choose Fire TV from the Cast to device menu
Choose Fire TV from the Cast to device menu

However, being able to actually "mirror" the display of either of the devices remains elusive. I tried going to Settings > Media output on the HTC One (M8) and the Fire TV isn't listed, but other devices with different standards like DLNA and Miracast are available. But to be fair, Amazon does state that performance may vary between devices.

The Fire TV isn't listed in available devices on the HTC One (M8)
The Fire TV isn't listed in available devices on the HTC One (M8)

If your Android device doesn't see the Fire TV after installing the update, you can always use an app-based method such as AllCast, which we covered in this article.

Stream video from Android to Amazon Fire TV
Stream video from Android to Amazon Fire TV

This latest update also includes the ability to play tablet-style games with the optional game controller ($US39.99), which will increase the number of games in the Fire TV library. It's also worth noting that the update will let you use the Fire TV in other supported countries, which is good if you travel a lot between the US and UK, for example.

Source: Amazon

View gallery - 5 images
1 comment
1 comment
Andrew Jorgensen
To enable Miracast Display Mirroring, go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Enable Display Mirroring Once you do that, your Fire TV should show up in the Cast Screen menu on your phone.
To learn more, go to https://www.amazon.com/firetv/mirroring
The really great thing about this is that it makes the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter at $60 (it's only a Miracast dongle) woefully obsolete compared to the Fire TV Stick at $40 (a full FireOS / Android device).