Amazon Echo can now pair with a Fire TV for the first time
The much craved connection is only being rolled out in the US for now.
Amazon has announced that its Echo smart speaker can now be paired with its Fire TV streaming products for the first time.
The update is only being rolled out in the US for now, but it will mean that for the first time Echo users will be able to control their Fire TV with their voice without a remote.
Amazon’s Fire TV service includes access to both Netflix as well as its own Prime Video streaming service and BBC iPlayer.
Voice commands to play specific shows as well as search for genres of films and TV shows will be controllable through the added voice commands.
Amazon’s Marc Whitten said: “Alexa is built in the cloud and always getting smarter, and these new Fire TV features are the latest way that Alexa is making it simple for you to enjoy and control your living room entertainment.
“This is just the beginning and we’ll continue to create new ways to simplify the way you interact with your TV — we can’t wait to see what customers think.”
The addition of Echo-based voice control to Fire TV expands Amazon’s smart home capabilities via its smart speaker, which can already be used to control other appliances, such as smart light bulbs.
The update also brings Echo in line with rival smart speaker Google Home, which is already able to connect to TVs via the firm’s Chromecast streaming device.
