The Echo Dot is one of the many versions of the famous Echo, Amazon’s competitor in the smart speaker market. By default, it’s paired with Alexa, just like Google Home has Google Assistant and Apple’s HomePod uses Siri.
If you also have a Fire TV Stick, you can pair the two devices and throw away the remote. In this article, we will go over the basic requirements, the setup process, and important controls.
Compatibility and requirements
When it first launched in mid-2017, the ability to connect Echo smart speakers to Fire TV hardware was limited to newer, more expensive Fire TV models. After the initial period, Amazon also expanded compatibility to all Fire TV Stick models. All generations of standard TV and Stick devices were covered.
Additionally, the list of Alexa devices that could be used to control Fire TV devices includes the regular Dot, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Echo Show. The list also includes several third-party devices compatible with Alexa.
For best results, you should update your Fire TV Stick firmware to the latest available version.
- To do this from the home screen, scroll to Settings and click on it.
- Now, scroll down and click on the My fire television option.
- Then click About.
- Then click Search for updates.
- If available, click the Install system update option. Wait for the installation to complete and the device to reboot.
Additionally, you should update the Alexa app on your Echo Dot to be safe. If you only have one Fire TV Stick device in your home, your Alexa-enabled device (the Echo Dot in this case) should complete pairing the devices on its own. This is, of course, if the two devices belong to the same account.
Amazon also says that multiple Alexa devices can be linked to a single Fire TV Stick, but you can only use one at a time to control it. Similar to the situation in the previous paragraph, all devices must be on a single Amazon account.
Startup
This part of the article is for those who have multiple Alexa devices in their home and want to connect their Fire TV Stick to one of them. Follow these simple steps:
- Order your Echo to open the main menu.
- Go to the Settings section.
- Then access the Television and video section.
- choose your fire TV stick.
- Then follow the setup guide.
- Finally, choose the Link devices option to confirm the connection.
Alexa also lets you view and manage all your linked Fire TV Stick and Fire TV devices. To access and manage devices, follow these steps:
- Launch Alexa on your device.
- Start the Main menu.
- Now, access Settings.
- Then go to Television and video section.
- Next, choose the Fire TV Stick you linked earlier.
- Then choose the Manage devices option.
Needless to say, you can always connect your phone or tablet that has the Alexa app installed.
Control S
In this section, we’ll provide a brief overview of the basic commands you can use to control your Fire TV Stick via Echo Dot and Alexa.
Basic controls
To start watching your favorite movie, TV show, or music video, you can say “Alexa, watch (title of movie/TV show/video).” You can also say “play” instead of “watch.” If the content you want to play is not on the platform you set as a favorite, the command should sound something like this: “Alexa, play (movie/show title) on (platform name).” This also works with genres.
If you’re not sure what exactly you want to watch, you can tell Alexa to search for Prime Video or another compatible app. For example, you can say, “Alexa, search for (title of movie/TV show).” If you don’t add the app or platform name, Alexa will search for the default platform. You can also search for genres, actors and performers.
You can also control playback with Alexa. The “Play”, “Stop”, “Pause” and “Resume” commands are for basic controls. However, Alexa also allows you to rewind, fast forward, skip to the next episode, and go back to the beginning.
The “Rewind/Rewind (time period)” controls are for rewinding. By saying “Fast forward/skip forward (time period)” the video will fast forward. “Next” and “Next episode” will start the next episode, while “Watch from the beginning” will rewind the episode or movie to the beginning.
With “Watch/go to (network or channel)”, you can change networks and channels. To launch games and applications, you must use “Start/open (name of application or game)”. Finally, to return to the home screen, use the “Go Home” command.
Additional controls
You can use Alexa to give your Fire TV Stick additional commands. Here’s a quick overview. To turn on your TV, you say “Turn on Fire TV Stick.” To turn it off, replace “on” with “off.”
You can also manipulate the volume of your device. To raise or lower it, you can use one of the following commands: “Set the volume to (your preferred level) on Fire TV Stick.” You can also ask it to increase or decrease the volume. To mute the sound, say “Mute Fire TV Stick.”
To change input channels, you need to say something like: “Change/switch to (the input or device you want to switch to).”
Alexa lets you control many other aspects and functions of your Fire TV Stick. It takes a little practice, but you should get the hang of it quickly.
Alexa, next episode
Pairing the Echo Dot with your Fire TV Stick is very simple and only takes a minute or two. However, this article is too short to cover all the possibilities this opens up. One thing’s for sure, though: with these two devices paired, you’ll finally be able to ditch the remote.
Have you tried pairing your Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick? What about other Echo and Fire TV devices? Did you work well together or did you have some problems? Share your experiences in the comments section below.
