Amazon launches redesigned Fire TV app with improved navigation

Amazon has begun rolling out its redesigned Fire TV mobile app to users, the company announced on Thursday. Previously, the app served primarily as a remote backup. Still, the updated version now lets users browse and discover content directly on their phones, manage their watchlist while away from home, and start playing titles on their TV through the mobile app.

“The updated app turns smartphones into a second screen for discovering what to watch next, making it easy to add a friend’s show recommendation to a watchlist even when away from home,” Amazon said in an email. “This seamless integration between mobile and TV creates a more flexible and convenient viewing experience for Fire TV customers to find what they want to watch, fast.”

The rollout is now underway in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.K.

Amazon said the refreshed design aligns with the new Fire TV user interface it introduced last month, which places more emphasis on content while making navigation simpler. That updated interface brought in rounded corners, varied gradients, more consistent typography, and wider spacing between content areas, while also creating more room for pinned apps.

The top navigation bar has also been streamlined into clearly marked categories with icons for Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News. The search button is now easier to reach and appears to the left of the Home tab.

Inside these tabs, Fire TV presents the content users are already watching alongside recommendations from their subscribed services, arranged in rows labelled “For You.” The sections also include free movies, top films and shows, and other paid content users may want to explore.

The updates to both the mobile app and the Fire TV interface come as the explosion of streaming content has made it more difficult for users to keep track of what is available across different services, pushing platforms like Fire TV to act more as discovery destinations rather than simply places where people open streaming apps.