Amazon Fire TV Software Update Rolls Out Ahead Of Device Refresh

Amazon may have stopped selling its Fire TV set-top box, but it hasn't stopped supporting it. At least not yet. In fact, merely hours after said halt of sales, Amazon is reported to be rolling out an update to its range of Fire TV devices, including the Fire TV Stick, with an important new feature: keyboard voice input. This could very well be paving the road for the new 4K devices that will come with Alexa integration out of the box.

With Amazon releasing remotes with voice input functionality, you'd think it would allow voice input everywhere. Alas, it only limited it to the universal search function. That is, until today with this update. Once you get the update, you will be able to dictate what you want to type whenever the default keyboard pops up.

Therein lies the catch. Voice input only works in places where Fire TV's default keyboard is used. For apps that implement their own custom keyboard, there are two options. Apps that support Fire TV's universal search, like YouTube, can use that to search for content inside the app. But for apps like Kodi that have their custom keyboard and don't support universal search, the on screen keyboard is your only path.

The update also brings NFL Thursday Night live games, in line with Amazon's deal with the league. Since the first game starts 28th September, you'll have to make sure you get the update by then, otherwise you won't be able to see it at all.

For those with impaired eyesight, the update also introduces a Screen Magnifier feature. In addition to zooming in and out, users will also be able to pan the zoomed view using their remote, either manually using button presses, or simply just moving the remote itself.

VIA: AFTVnews