Recommended Posts

I currently run AppleTV boxes at home, because at the time of purchase, they offered the things I needed.  However, I have found that Siri is just getting WORSE (as in: not better) and falling behind - this has prompted me to look into, and then appreciate how good Alexa has become.  So will be replacing my HomePods with Echo devices...

And for the TV?  Well:

  • FireTV sticks support Apple TV+
  • I don't really view my photos on my TV but I'd just screencast if needs be
  • All the other apps I use have parity on FireTV

But what I cannot find any information on anywhere is this:  Is there an Apple Music app for FireTV?

If anyone knows then I'd love to also know.  Thanks

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1438118-moving-from-appletv-to-firetv/
Share on other sites

On 07/02/2024 at 11:53, SnoopZ said:

While not the answer I wanted, that helps exactly as I was expecting.  Alexa the cloud entity plays Apple Music, just that there's no FireTV app interface.  I'll have to consider this, as I currently browse quite a lot using my AppleTV devices.  Thanks

I'm in the US, but i went ahead and looked at the fire tv appstore anyway. there's no apple music app.

a google search shows that you'd need some 3rd party app that could somehow link the two together. probably not worth the hassle.

not to steer you in another direction but I'd almost recommend going pure Android TV with either an Nvidia Shield Pro or oddly enough Walmart's oon box.

I was recently researching and found out the oon box is one of the better offerings right now for an affordable price.

I bring this alternate option up for a couple reasons

  • Amazon is moving away from Android soon so some apps may not transition and sideloading will be lost
  • Alexa is also falling behind IMO
    • Google Assist is quite a ways ahead of Alexa at this point and should improve even more once Bard gets integrated.
On 07/02/2024 at 22:31, Brandon H said:

Amazon is moving away from Android soon

To what?

 

On 07/02/2024 at 22:31, Brandon H said:

Alexa is also falling behind IMO

I've been really impressed.  Admittedly, coming from Siri, that's not hard to do ;)

 

On 07/02/2024 at 22:31, Brandon H said:

Google Assist is quite a ways ahead of Alexa

I find it utterly unusable, too many things it doesn't integrate well with also.

 The biggest disadvantage firetv has is the launcher is utter garbage and riddled with adverts.

There is currently an exploit for 3rd gen cube's that allows you to use a custom launcher and disable updates for the life of the device.

https://xdaforums.com/t/temp-root-bootless-magisk-firetv-3rd-gen-cube-gazelle-ps7613.4574609/

The cube's have a built in echo dot which is handy and the extra cpu\storage lets them run adguard https://adguard.com/en/blog/adguard-for-android-tv.html which kills adverts not only in the browser but any app you sideload.

Android tv would be nice but the hardware is utter garbage outside of NVidia's devices which are half a decade old at this point.

On 07/02/2024 at 16:59, Dick Montage said:

To what?

They're moving to their own fully proprietary OS

https://www.androidpolice.com/amazon-getting-ready-ditch-android-fire-hardware/

They've already moved the latest generation of Echo Shows and they plan to do the same to the rest of their Fire OS devices too.

 

On 07/02/2024 at 16:59, Dick Montage said:

I find it utterly unusable, too many things it doesn't integrate well with also.

When was the last time you tinkered with it? They did a major refresh of Google Home last year and it's a lot more fluid to use now for both voice commands, and the Google Home app. Integration has improved too with a lot of products.

edit: heck, I'd wager integration is MORE stable than with Alexa. Seems like most skills for Alexa integration have low ratings due to inconsistent/unreliable connectivity. I don't seem to have nearly as much issue with integration functionality dropouts on Google as I did with Amazon.

 

On 08/02/2024 at 01:35, jamietn said:

 The biggest disadvantage firetv has is the launcher is utter garbage and riddled with adverts.

The worst part IMO, and what caused me to switch away again recently to the Walmart Onn, is the fact that the adverts auto play with audio now every time you turn on the Fire TV. Is annoying.

On 08/02/2024 at 14:08, Brandon H said:

They're moving to their own fully proprietary OS

https://www.androidpolice.com/amazon-getting-ready-ditch-android-fire-hardware/

They've already moved the latest generation of Echo Shows and they plan to do the same to the rest of their Fire OS devices too.

Interesting.  I deployed an EchoShow15 for my mum last week - really nice device

 

On 08/02/2024 at 14:08, Brandon H said:

When was the last time you tinkered with it?

Late December.  Moreover, I spent 2 hours trying to get Ring to work with it, and it just wouldn't.

 

 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Age of Empires Mobile comes to PC, here's how to carry over progress from your phone by Ivan Jenic Image: YouTube/Microsoft Microsoft just released Age of Empires Mobile for PC. The game, officially called Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, is available for free on Steam and Microsoft Store, almost two years after its initial release for handheld devices. Age of Empires is one of those franchises that entire generations grew up with. The original came out in 1997, and immediately got people hooked to building civilizations and crushing their enemies on the battlefield. However, the franchise today is a far cry from its roots, as Age of Empires Mobile is, well, a game optimized for handheld devices, and not a classic RTS title we’ve all loved for years. And, of course, it includes in-game purchases. The PC version is still a mobile game at its core, but it’s been optimized for desktop play. There’s mouse control, full keyboard compatibility, and a refined UI. Microsoft also refreshed the visuals with some 4k textures, so the game should look better on larger screens. The game supports Crossplay, so you can switch between your phone, tablet, and PC without losing anything. But linked progress doesn’t come out of the box, as you have to enable it first. Here’s how to link your progress: On your mobile device, open Age of Empires Mobile. Go to Settings (Gear icon) > Account. Select Bind Account and choose a sign-in option. Once you enable account binding, sign in on PC using the same method, and your progress will be accessible across all your devices. Xbox Game Pass subscribers also get a bonus reward pack on PC, which includes: 1 Monthly Pass Token 1 Custom Resource Chest 10 Universal 60-Minute Speed-Ups 1,000 Empire Coins Exclusive Player Portrait Frame You can find more info about Age of Empires Mobile: PC Edition, as well as download links, on the Age of Empires official website.
    • Apple Watch Series 11 GPS just crashed to 30% off in this fast-moving Prime Day deal by Karthik Mudaliar The Apple Watch Series 11 is available for $279, down from its $399 list price, saving buyers $120, or 30%. Amazon labels the offer as selling fast, so the current price may not remain available for long. This GPS model features a 42mm aluminum case, an Always-On Retina LTPO3 OLED display capable of reaching up to 2,000 nits, and an Ion-X glass surface with improved scratch resistance. Apple rates Series 11 for up to 24 hours of normal use or up to 38 hours in Low Power Mode, with fast charging providing up to eight hours of use from a 15-minute charge. Health and fitness tools include sleep scoring, temperature sensing, ECG support, heart-rate alerts, workout tracking, sleep apnea notifications, and hypertension notifications, where available. The watch also carries IP6X dust resistance and 50-meter water resistance. This configuration is best suited to iPhone owners who want comprehensive health tracking, notifications, contactless payments, and workout data without stepping up to a larger or cellular-equipped model. The smaller case should also appeal to buyers who prefer a lighter watch, while the S/M band fits wrists measuring 130mm to 180mm. With the current generation now significantly below its usual retail price, this is a strong time to replace an aging Apple Watch or buy a first model without compromising on Apple’s newest health and display features. Grab the discounted Apple Watch Series 11 (sold and shipped by Amazon) Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • The laptop in the bedroom is an Acer with i7-10510U CPU. Acer's website states they will not be upgrading it so I had little choice other than disable secure boot. I know next to nothing on these matters so hopefully it will be fine.
    • GitHub removes manual model selection from Copilot free and student plans by Karthik Mudaliar GitHub is removing the ability to manually select an AI model from its Copilot Free and Student plans, making its automatic routing system the default and only way to choose a model. This means users on these tiers will no longer be able to deliberately select a particular OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or Microsoft model for a task. In its announcement, GitHub said Copilot Auto will dynamically choose what it considers the best model for each request. Free and Student accounts will retain access to models from multiple families, although the available selection will continue to depend on the restrictions attached to each plan. GitHub did not identify a fixed pool of models that Auto will always use, and its documentation warns that model availability can change over time. GitHub describes Auto as more than a random fallback system. On supported surfaces, its task-optimization technology evaluates the complexity of a request alongside real-time information about model health and availability. Straightforward prompts can be routed to faster and less expensive models, while more demanding coding tasks may be sent to higher-cost reasoning models. The company says this approach should reduce rate limiting, latency, and failed requests. Auto generally selects one model along natural prompt-caching boundaries rather than repeatedly switching models during a session, as GitHub found that mid-session changes increased costs without producing sufficient improvements in output quality. Users can still check which model generated a response. In Copilot Chat, the information appears when hovering over an answer, while Copilot CLI and the Copilot cloud agent display the selected model alongside their output. Auto is available in Copilot Chat, Copilot CLI, and the cloud agent, with the exact implementation and release status varying between supported development environments. The latest restriction follows several months of adjustments to Copilot’s individual plans. GitHub temporarily halted new Pro, Pro+, and Student subscriptions in April as it sought to manage demand and service reliability. It later introduced token-based billing and began gradually reopening individual-plan registrations on June 17. Alongside the picker change, GitHub is retiring the “Preview” label from Microsoft-developed models. It argues that the label is no longer necessary because Auto handles model routing and models are continuously updated behind the scenes.
  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      Philsl earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Dedicated
      Scoobystu earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • First Post
      Tom Schmidt earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      D0nn13 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Rookie
      +ChiefOfNeo went up a rank
      Rookie
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      460
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      177
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      124
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      79
    5. 5
      Xenon
      76
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!