Almost everyone has or has used an Amazon FireStick. It is a TV stick that turns your non-smart TV into a device that can download the app, stream videos, and many others. In other words, it turns your regular LED or LCD TV into a smart TV.
That’s great, right? Enjoying what smart TVs can do for less the price. There are hacks that, when practiced, will increase the performance of your Firestick; here are seven of them.
Close Apps After Usage
Just going Home on your remote does not close the app you are currently using. Letting apps run in the background slow down your FireStick. The best thing to do if you are no longer using an app is to close it.
The surest way to close an app is to go to Settings, scroll to Applications and click on it. From the options, click on Manage Installed Applications. Go to the app you want to close and click on it. One of the options that will show is Force Stop. Click on it, and the app will close.
There is no need to drag down your device’s speed with many apps running in the background. Close all running apps you are not using.
VPNs Are the Way to Go
There are many advantages to using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with your FireStick device. One of such advantages is that a good VPN will hide your location. It also has great privacy settings that can obscure what video you are streaming from prying internet eyes.
Update Your FireSticks Regularly
To get rid of bugs and other issues noticed in the previous version, Amazon regularly updates FireStick’s software. There might even be issues you are currently struggling with that won’t get solved unless you update your FireStick to the latest version.
To update your FireStick to the newest version, go to Settings. From Settings, scroll and click on My Fire TV, go through the options and click on About. Part of the option is Check for Updates; click on it. If it shows a new version, then update your device. When it shows that Your Fire TV is up to date, you are good to go,
Activate Parental Control
There is no way you can monitor what your children are doing all the time, and let’s face it, those kids probably know how to operate your TV better than you. Why take a risk that allows them to stumble on something you don’t want them watching when you can activate your FireStick’s parental control function.
The FireStick device has various types of parental control. To install any of them, enable the .apk file download setting, go through user’s reviews before picking a parental control app. Ensure that the code isn’t easy to guess or lying around where anyone can see it.
Use Magnifier to Enlarge Pictures or Words
If you find it difficult to see but do not want to use glasses, then the magnifier setting is perfect for you. To enable it, go to your FireStick’s settings, scroll to Accessibility, move to Screen Magnifier, and turn it on.
When switched on, a menu asks if you want to zoom in or zoom out. In cases of web pages with tiny fonts, this will come in very handy.
Stream Videos from Your Smartphone
Your FireStick device and your Android phones are compatible. You can stream videos on your Android phones with your FireStick. If you use the app Miracast, supported by both devices, your smartphone is transformed into a video streaming device.
For this to happen, both your Android phone and FireStick device have to share the same Wi-Fi network. Apart from streaming videos on your phone using FireStick, you can also use your phone as a remote control to control the FireStick device (cool, right?).
Go to the Amazon Store to get the specific app that does that.
Use FireSticks Application
You can download the Amazon Fire TV App from Google Play Store on your Android device or Apple App Store on your iOS devices. You can use it as a remote to operate your FireStick device if the main remote is not nearby or not working.
The app is as efficient as the physical remote as they have the same features.
Conclusion
The Cord Cutters Anonymous guide on how to jailbreak a FireStick says more on jailbreaking a Firestick to enjoy all capabilities. Learn and enjoy an excellent performance from your device. FireSticks make regular TVs a delight to watch, video streaming, downloading apps, and doing things that turn your TV into an entertainment hub.
There are many more hacks than the seven listed, but even if you start with these seven and you learn how to jailbreak, then you are only your way to being the envy of your friends.
