7 helpful Fire TV Stick hacks I recommend every user try

It’s rare nowadays that a tech tool serves one simple purpose, even something as simple as a TV remote. Hacks, tips, tricks, and mods all kind of fall into the same bucket in today’s lexicon when it comes to squeezing every last use out of your devices. So, when it comes to actually hacking a streaming service such as Amazon Prime through your Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can pick whichever piece of verbiage that gives you strength. Just don’t ‘rizz’ your Fire TV Stick. At least, not in mixed company.

Regardless, there are some fun tricks that will add either some flair or at least some assumed (but not standard) functionality to your Fire TV Stick. Because what’s the point of consuming all this content if we can’t do it on our own terms? Or at the very least feel like we can. Sadly, these so-called hacks fall a bit short of actual green-pixels-flying-across-a-black-screen-and-announcing-that-you’re-in, hacks. So if you were also keen on hacking the Rockstar servers to get the early scoop on GTA 6, you’re out of luck.

Since we’ve accepted that there is some definite variability to the word hack, the first things you’ll want to do with your Amazon Fire TV Stick are some of the most basic, but ultimately super useful. If you are like me, and old enough to remember when a remote control was a single-function device, you might not think of these modern controllers as anything more.

But they are. Conceptually, the Fire TV Stick is the same as a standard TV remote control, but it’s also a clicky portal to controlling your streaming world. It does much more than turn things on or off. But it also does that.

1 Install a browser

Amazon has its own browser

One of the most popular Fire TV Stick hacks (or mildly hidden features at least) is adding a browser to your Fire TV Stick. Specifically, to the Amazon app that your Fire TV Stick controls. Regardless, adding a browser enables you to exponentially expand your streaming library, as anything available on the internet is now available on your Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Naturally, since this isn’t a Windows machine, there’s a specific browser app you’ll want to search for as it doesn’t work with Chrome or Firefox. Navigate to the Amazon Fire TV app store and look for the Silk Browser.

The Silk Browser is Amazon’s version of a web browser, designed to function seamlessly with your Fire TV Stick. This is also where voice controls come in handy, so you don’t have to slowly type every search with the selection wheel.

2 Add an external video player

To stream your own content

Like similar devices, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is a tool. It serves a purpose, but has the ability to step outside its preordained destiny to be a much broader tool. Like the difference between a screwdriver and a power drill with a full complement of bits.

In that, you don’t have to settle for the video services that Amazon offers, you can bring your own. Most streaming devices don’t allow it because of possible copyright issues, but with your Fire TV Stick you can use video players such as MX Player and VLC Media Player.

When you use an external video player, you have the ability to play your own media content, whether obtained legally or not (regardless of its legality, torrenting movies is still a very popular activity). And you don’t have to deal with constant buffering (I’m looking at you, Paramount+).

3 Mirror your device to your Fire TV Stick

Makes it easy to view your smartphone content on a big screen

If you don’t have a preferred video player outside the regular streaming services, there’s another way to stream your weird mkv files (no judgment) and other assorted content through the Fire TV Stick.

This is classified more as a life hack, at least in today’s terminology, as defined by social media influencers suddenly realizing how seat belts work and calling it a life hack. Because it’s a built-in feature. Hold down your home button and if you see a mirroring icon, then you’ve got a Fire TV stick capable of mirroring.

And now you can cast right from your smartphone or tablet.

Unless you have iOS or macOS, as Amazon points out, you’ll need to use AirPlay to mirror content. And old Android operating systems also won’t work.

4 Make everything bigger

Small text is exhausting

There are so many possible variations for how you use your Amazon Fire TV Stick. If you are like me, then it’s on an aging 55-inch TV set too far back in the living room. Optimal viewing range? Never heard of it. So yeah, sometimes things are a bit small, especially text.

Without directly saying what generation I’m part of, hold down the home button, navigate to settings, then Accessibility. From there, choose the screen magnifier and wham — everything is bigger. There’s a long set of instructions to use the magnifier (as seen in my attempt at taking a picture of a curved monitor), but it’ll help if your eyes are tired or impaired.

5 Clear your dirty cache

Your cache is full of system-slowing files

One of the things we overlook when using our Fire TV Sticks or any other device is the junk that piles up in the cache. While much of it is useful, providing historical data that auto-fills forms and remembers passwords, much of it is temp files of images and other chaff that ultimately slows down our devices.

Clearing out your cache on a regular basis helps keep your Fire TV Stick running at optimal performance. Plus, if an app isn’t working right, often it’s related to conflicting information in the cache. Like power washing a dumpster, it’s time to clear that cache.

Here’s how to clear your cache:

1. Simply navigate to the Settings menu, then Applications
2. Select Manage Installed Applications, then choose the app that’s acting like a toddler on a sugar binge and click Clear Data.

Now you’re a pro at studying system settings

Now this one certainly feels more like a hack.

Press and hold the Select button. Then, in the time it takes you to move your fingers around, hold down the Down button as well. Then, in about three seconds, slip another finger over the Menu button and press down, simultaneously releasing the previous buttons. You might have to do this a few times if you have chonky, but rugged fingers like I do.

Once that’s done, you’ll see the Developer menu pop up. And like any good hacker in a spy movie, you can then shout “I’m in!” From this menu you can toggle a few things. The System X-Ray will display information on the screen like display stats and memory usage.

You can toggle Record and Share, which creates a historical record of CPU, memory, and network use. Activating Safezone unhides overscan areas of most TVs. Advanced Options gives you on-screen data relating to video and audio codecs, and Snapshot allows users to gather system metrics, in case you are into that sort of thing.

7 A Fire TV Stick for every TV

The best hack is having plenty of Fire TV Sticks around

The final hack, if you will, is the biggest, yet simplest one. And that’s learning how to take your Fire TV Stick with you no matter which room you are in, no matter which TV-style device you are using. No, it’s not some sort of magical casting feature. It’s just buying a bunch of Amazon Fire TV Sticks.

Instead of forcing your hand behind your mounted 8K TV and wriggling the Fire TV Stick out of its HDMI port to go plug into your projector, why not just buy one for your projector? I currently have no less than four Fire TV Sticks plugged in and active around the house.

With a house full of Fire TV Sticks and a handy list of hacks of varying hack levels, you’re certainly more than prepared to enjoy your favorite Amazon Fire TV Stick apps and entertainment from anywhere in the house.