How to use Alexa on Fire TV

Using Alexa on Fire TV is pretty easy. If you have a newer Fire TV or you just got one this holiday, you can already use Alexa on Fire TV.

Once you have your Fire TV setup, check out Amazon’s instructions here for tips on how to use Amazon Fire TV and Alexa together. Otherwise, keep reading for our simple step-by-step.

All you need to use Alexa on Fire TV:

A Fire TV or Fire TV Stick updated to Fire OS 5 or above*
An Alexa voice remote**

*If you have bought or used your Fire TV after September 2015, you already have Fire OS 5 or above! But you can check your Fire OS version number by navigating to Settings > System > About on your Fire TV.

**The Alexa Voice remote, unfortunately, is a non-optional component. Even though Amazon included a voice remote with the original Fire TV, this remote’s voice functionality is limited to the original Fire TV and does not support Alexa. You’ll need one of the new “Alexa Voice” Remotes.

The first generation Fire TV Stick also did not include a voice remote. As of this article you can pick up a voice remote for $30, but a whole Fire TV Stick bundle with the voice remote ($40) is only ten bucks more.

Finally, if you want to take advantage of Prime streaming music or voice-based ordering on Fire TV you’ll need an Amazon Prime account, but this is not required for other functions like news, sports scores, weather, and so on.

Using Alexa on Fire TV is pretty easy

Press and hold the microphone button on your Alexa voice remote and you should see the “Listening…” indicator on the screen.
Speak your request. You could do a simple weather request like: “What’s the weather like in Washington, D.C.?” Alexa will quickly read you the forecast and show a nice looking forecast card on-screen.
Hit the back button on the remote to return to the main screen.

Nearly every command that works with the Echo also works with the Fire TV, because both devices use the Alexa voice system.

If you want an on-screen run through of some various tricks and techniques you can always head over to Settings > Applications > Alexa > Things To Try for a laundry list of commands.