Amazon updates Fire TV mobile app for better content discovery

Amazon announced on Thursday that it is rolling out a redesigned Fire TV mobile app. Previously, users could only use the mobile application as a backup remote control. The updated experience now allows users to browse and discover content directly from their phones, manage their personal watchlists on the go, and play titles on their television directly from their mobile devices. This update represents a shift in how users interact with the platform, moving beyond control features to integrate content discovery directly onto the mobile screen.

The new design of the mobile app matches the Fire TV user interface that Amazon launched last month. That television interface update was designed to simplify navigation and place a stronger focus on content. The updated user interface introduced visual changes such as rounded corners, varied gradients, consistent typography, and increased spacing between content, alongside more room for pinned apps. It also simplified the top navigation bar into categories with clear icons for Movies, TV, Live TV, Sports, and News, while making the search button more easily accessible to the left of the Home tab.

According to Amazon, 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. Within the app’s tabs, Fire TV displays the content users are already watching alongside recommendations from subscribed services, organized in rows labeled “For You.” The tabs also feature free movies, top movies and shows, and other paid content. In a statement, the company noted: “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 redesigned mobile application is rolling out in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the U.K. This geographic rollout positions the updated app as a tool for users in these regions to manage their viewing habits across devices. The rollout of the redesigned app began on Thursday, following the launch of the new Fire TV user interface last month, and is currently active across these eleven countries.

Why it matters

As streaming content options proliferate, users struggle to track what is available across various services. By updating both its television interface and its mobile application, Amazon is evolving the Fire TV platform to function as a discovery hub rather than a simple launcher for individual streaming apps.