There was once a time when the family home included brown furniture with a matching cabinet TV complete with a sophisticated knob. And this device enabled anyone with the skill to operate it to navigate between 8 channels. But thankfully, those days are long gone.
Today, the console TV is a bonafide antique. And the current streaming devices and apps are what most users are accustomed to today. In fact, it was the adoption of streaming devices that brought us the term “cutting the cord,” and this trend has been increasing for many years.
In our current era, we have a variety of streaming apps and devices we use to access our favorite entertainment. And the Amazon Firestick is one of the more popular options of streaming tools that all users love as of 2022.
Though the Firestick has many apps and features already included, there are also plenty of options that you can use to enhance your streaming experience. And many of these are fairly easy to set up without the help of an expert. So if you want to boost your Firestick, the following will provide you with a few options that you’ll want to look into.
Sideloading
If you want to get the most out of your Firestick without having to pay for new devices or additional subscriptions, sideloading allows you to add apps and other media to your Firestick that aren’t already installed on it.
For example, sideloading has become popular because, with all of the streaming devices available, the companies who manufacture these devices attempt to be competitive. In fact, features such as Apple Pay are not available on Amazon. Additionally, YouTube TV was once unavailable on Amazon. And the only way to watch YouTube TV with a Firestick was to sideload the app.
Additional benefits of sideloading are as follows:
- No wireless data charges
- Content can be optimized for your Firestick
- No restrictions on content
- No geographic limitations on content delivery
- You can take your favorite media with you when you travel
Sideloading is otherwise referred to as jailbreaking. And while it may sound like a complicated process, sideloading can be relatively easy to accomplish as long as you have the right guide to sideload your firestick. And once you’re able to get it all set up, your entertainment options are virtually endless.
Screen Mirroring
Today’s smartphones, no matter the manufacturer, can store thousands of photos–many of which never see printed paper. But aside from storing all of your photos in a digital smartphone prison, you probably have a large number of videos and pictures stored on your phone that you may not know what to do with.
If you have a Firestick, “screencast” is a screen mirroring app that allows you to transfer your videos and pictures to your TV. And, you’ll also be able to view your videos and pictures stored on a tablet or computer by using the screencast feature on your Firestick.
It’s good to note that for some smartphones, you may need to install a 3rd-party application if you want to view your stored pictures and photos on a TV. Thankfully, most of these applications are user-friendly and easy to install so that you can enjoy displaying your favorite pics on a larger screen if, for instance, you’d like to have a slide show or something similar.
Remote Control Apps
The Amazon Firestick also comes equipped with remote control applications that you can install on your Android or iOS device. And these are great if you just happen to misplace your remote, or if you have children and your remote “mysteriously” seems to go missing all of the time.
With remote mobile apps, you won't have to dig through all of your couch cushions looking for your remotes. As such, having a remote control app on your smartphone can be a total game changer.
Additionally, you should note that there may be a few features missing on the mobile remote app keyboard commonly found on a physical remote control (such as volume controls and a power button). But even without these features, you’ll be able to select your channels, and toggle between your favorite media just as easily with the app remote installed on your smartphone.
Today, we have so many choices for entertainment and for the applications and devices we use to access our favorite shows and movies. But if you truly want to enhance your entertainment experience, considering the tips listed here will be a great starting point.
