OWNERS of Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick will miss out on a major update rolling out to millions in February.
Earlier this week, Amazon showed off its latest look and features for its Fire TV devices.
This revamped Fire TV interface looks more modern, makes it easier to find telly, and lets you pin even more apps to your home screen.
It also delivers a performance boost with speed increases of up to 20-30%.
But sadly Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick 4K Select won’t get the update in February, but will instead receive it later in the year.
That’s despite the fact that the 4K Select is the newest Fire TV Stick in the line-up, having launched in October 2025.
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The only devices getting the update in February include:
Importantly, it’s only these devices in the US that will get the update in February.
Amazon said: “Later this spring, we’ll expand the new UI design to more countries and more devices.
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“Including the latest generation Fire TV 4K streaming media players.”
It’ll also arrive later on Fire TV models that include the 2-Series, 4-Series, and Omni QLED Series.
As well as that, it’s landing late on TVs made by partners including Hisense, Insignia, Panasonic, and TCL.
It’ll be available at launch for the new Amazon Ember Artline TV, but that’s not going on sale until “later this spring” anyway.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE UPDATE?
The most obvious change is the general interface makeover.
Amazon says it should make it easier to find something to watch, in a bid to have you spending less time searching for telly.
“We designed the new Fire TV experience to help cut down on that time,” Amazon explained.
“Now it’s faster and easier to find movies, TV shows, sports, news, and live content across all your subscriptions.”
One of the big changes is that you’ll be able to see titles from all of the apps that you use in one place, which is handy if you’re looking for a specific movie.
There’s also a revamped and more modern design with “improved layouts, rounded corners, redesigned colour gradients, updated typography, and more optimised spacing”.
The underlying code for the system has been optimised too.
Amazon says you might notice speed improvements of up to 20-30%, which is great if your device had been feeling quite sluggish.
On top of that, you can now pin up to 20 apps to your home screen. Previously it was only possible to pin six.
You can now press the Menu button for quick access to Games, Art & Photos, and the Ambient Experience (the screensaver-style feature that shows you art, pics and widgets).
The system also includes Amazon’s brainy Alexa+ AI helper, which can deliver specific types of movies or actors, drop titles onto your watchlist, or serve up stats from a sports game that you’re watching. It can also create background screensavers from scratch.
It’s all coming as a free update for existing Fire TV device owners.
Amazon also revealed that it would be giving its Fire TV mobile app a “glow up“.
The free mobile app currently functions as a second remote control, but it’s getting some upgrades.
“The redesigned app adds the ability to browse content, manage your watchlist, and play titles on your TV – all with a look and feel that matches the new Fire TV design,” Amazon said.
“Now you can use your phone as a second screen to discover what to watch next or add a friend’s show recommendation to your watchlist when you’re away from home.”
