If you’ve ever used the Fire TV mobile app, you’ll know it’s been… fine. It works as a backup remote when you can’t find the actual remote, and not much else. That’s about to change.
Amazon has started rolling out a redesigned Fire TV app in the UK today, turning your phone into a proper companion screen for your Fire TV rather than just a glorified remote control.
The new mobile app will also give you a taste of Amazon’s new UI for the Fire TV – even though the actual TV interface won’t be arriving in the UK until later this year.
What’s Actually New In The Mobile App
The headline addition is content browsing directly from your phone.
You can now scroll through movies and TV shows, manage your watchlist, and even hit play on something and have it start on your TV, all without touching your remote.
The idea is that your phone becomes a second screen for discovery. Spotted a recommendation from a friend while you’re out? You can add it to your watchlist straight from the app, and it’ll be waiting for you when you get home.
To be clear about what this isn’t, though: this isn’t a way to watch content on your phone. You can’t take your Fire TV library with you and stream on the go.
Everything you do in the app is still tied to your Fire TV device at home – you’re just controlling and curating your viewing experience from your phone rather than the sofa. Think of it as a smarter remote, not a streaming app.
Full remote control functionality remains, of course, so it still does everything the old app did.
Not Exactly Breaking New Ground
It’s worth noting that Roku has offered similar content features in its mobile app for quite some time now.
The ability to browse, add to lists, and cast to your TV from your phone has been a Roku staple for years. Amazon is catching up here – but catching up is better than staying behind.
When Will You See It?
Amazon tells us the update “is starting to roll out today and will be available to all customers in the UK over the coming weeks.”
So not everyone will see the new version immediately – it’ll arrive gradually on people’s phones over the next few weeks.
To illustrate: I’ve already updated the Fire TV app on my phone today, and I’m still not seeing the new version yet. So if you check and it still looks the same, that’s normal – just keep an eye out for it.
What About the New Fire TV Interface?
The mobile app update is really just the opening act. Back in January, Amazon announced a major redesign of the Fire TV interface itself – the first significant overhaul since 2020 – and that started rolling out in the US in the past week.
It’s a fairly substantial change. The navigation menu moves back to the top of the screen (yes, back – it was on top originally, then moved to the side in 2020, and now it’s returning to the top again).
Content is reorganised into dedicated sections for movies, TV shows, sports, and live content, pulling together everything from your subscribed services in one place rather than making you jump between apps.
You’ll also be able to pin up to 20 apps on your home screen, up from six, and there’s a new shortcut panel accessible by long-pressing the Home button for quick access to audio settings, display controls, and smart home devices.
Amazon claims the underlying code has been rebuilt for 20-30% performance improvements in some areas too.
For UK users, the timeline remains “later this spring” – which, knowing Amazon, could mean anything from March to May – or even later if there are any delays.
When it does arrive, the redesigned app and the new TV interface will feel like a properly joined-up experience rather than two separate things.
A Busy Month for Fire TV in the UK
The new app isn’t the only significant Fire TV development to hit the UK recently.
Earlier this month, Amazon’s crackdown on illegal IPTV apps quietly reached UK devices, with sideloaded streaming apps being blocked from launching – something that had already been happening in the US since October 2025.
So February has turned out to be quite an eventful month for Fire TV owners in the UK, for better or worse.
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