A few weeks ago, we reported that Amazon had published a changelog for a software update to its Fire TV family of devices, which said that you could now control the set-top box or streaming stick with an Alexa-enabled device, such as an Echo. The feature didn't seem to be live just yet, but today, the company has made a formal announcement.
On a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, you can use it for playback controls ("Alexa, pause"), watching shows and movies on Prime ("Alexa, watch Doctor Who"), search ("Alexa, show me action movies"), and opening apps ("Alexa, open Netflix"). If you're got a Fire TV Edition Smart TV, you can do all of that and also tune into channels ("Alexa, tune to NBC"), power on the TV ("Alexa, turn on Fire TV"), and control things like volume ("Alexa, mute the volume on Fire TV").
Users will also be able to control smart home cameras, and view the live feeds from their Fire TV, by saying something like, "Alexa, show my kitchen camera." This feature works "with a range of devices from companies including Ring, Arlo, Nest, EZVIZ, Vivint Smart Home, Amcrest, Logitech, and August."
Amazon says that the feature is rolling out today in the United States, and it's coming to all generations of the Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, but smart home camera support won't be available on the first-generation Fire TV Stick. For Fire TV Edition Smart TVs, it will be rolling out within the coming week.
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