The Amazon TV Fire update with a new home screen is now available

Amazon announced on Thursday that its new Fire TV software update is now being launched on devices. It has a completely redesigned home screen and features like separate user profiles, so the recommendations for what to watch are different for each person in your family.

The software was first announced in September and debuted on the third-generation Fire TV Stick Lite and Fire TV Stick in December, but now everyone owns the Amazon Fire TV Cube (first and second generation) and third-generation Fire TV, the Fire TV Stick 4K will be able to use the new features. Amazon says it is updating smart TVs and the second-generation Fire TV Stick later this year.

The new features may help it compete more aggressively against Roku, which still has a 50% market share of connected TV streaming hours worldwide, with strong growth opportunities, according to an analyst note from Deutsche Bank in August.

Up to six people can create different profiles with the new software. So, if you watch a lot of comedy shows, Amazon might recommend other comedies that you will like. But if your husband is watching a lot of dramas, they will get recommendations for more of that type of content. Currently, with a single profile, Amazon only recommends more based on what has been tracked, no matter who is watching.

Customization also extends to the home screen, where you can pin certain apps to the top for quick access. Maybe you often use Netflix, YouTube TV and Disney +, for example. You can put new smaller icons for the top ones. Recommendations for the things you follow in the services are shown below.

There’s also a new “Live” tab that shows you a channel guide, making it easier to get live TV live if you’re paying for a streaming TV service like Sling or YouTube TV. Amazon told CNBC in September that it designed this to make it a more familiar experience for people switching from cable to streaming.

The update also includes a deeper integration with the Alexa voice assistant, so you can say “Alexa go to Live TV” and it will launch the live streaming TV service you pay for.

Finally, there is a new “Find” section, which makes it easier to find something to watch. Show movies, TV shows on demand, live TV, your watch list, and more.

You can update your Fire TV by opening Settings and selecting “My Fire TV”, then “About” and choosing “Check system update”.