Amazon revamps Fire TV, launches Ember Artline TV

New Delhi: Amazon is rolling out a redesigned Fire TV experience in 2026, alongside a refreshed Fire TV mobile app and its first “lifestyle TV” under a new Amazon Ember branding, as it pushes faster content discovery and deeper Alexa+ integration across devices.

Amazon said the new Fire TV UI and mobile app will begin rolling out in February in the US. It said the redesign will expand later in the spring to more countries and devices.

Amazon said it is upgrading Fire TV’s user interface after seeing customers interact with Alexa+ more frequently, noting that people are talking to Alexa+ more than 2.5 times as often as they did with the original Alexa experience on Fire TV.

The company said the new Fire TV UI has been rebuilt to be cleaner, faster and better organised, with easier access to movies, TV shows, sports, news and live content across subscriptions. 

Amazon cited Gracenote research stating that customers in the US spend an average of 12 minutes searching for what to watch, up from 10.5 minutes in 2023.

Amazon said the performance gains are not just cosmetic. It said the underlying code has been rebuilt, delivering up to 20–30% speed improvements in some cases, with the update available through a free software update.

The new design also expands customisation. Amazon said users can now pin up to 20 apps on the home screen, up from six earlier. It has also added quicker navigation options, including a Menu button shortcut to Games, Art & Photos and the Ambient Experience, and a new shortcut panel that appears on long-pressing the Home button for access to frequently used controls such as audio and display settings, connected Ring cameras and smart home management.

Alexa+ is positioned at the centre of the experience. Amazon said the generative AI assistant can offer personalised recommendations through natural conversation and help with actions such as adding a title to a watchlist, pulling up game stats, generating an AI background screensaver, surfacing photos, adjusting lights, and even jumping straight to a specific movie scene a user describes on Prime Video.

Amazon also announced a redesigned Fire TV mobile app, expanding it beyond a backup remote. The updated app will allow users to browse content, manage watchlists and play titles on the TV, while matching the new Fire TV design language. Amazon said the app can also be used as a second screen for discovery and to add recommendations to a watchlist while away from home.

Amazon also introduced an AI-powered feature aimed at art discovery. It said users can take up to four photos of the room where they plan to place the Artline TV and get personalised recommendations on artwork that matches the room’s style and décor. Amazon said users can also ask Alexa+ to create photo slideshows through voice prompts.