On every smart TV I’ve ever owned, one of the first things I’ve done after taking it out of the box and powering it on for the first time is plug a Fire TV Stick into it. I’ve never been a big fan of the built-in operating systems on many smart TVs, whether it’s LG’s webOS or Samsung’s TizenOS. I’ve often found them clunky, slow, and just less intuitive than what a streaming stick can offer.
That’s why I’ve relied on a Fire TV Stick 4K Max for years. It’s powerful, fast, relatively cheap, and, quite simply, I like the Fire TV interface a lot more than my LG TV’s home screen.
But like pretty much all the tech I own, I’m always one to tinker with it. And while Fire TV Sticks are pretty capable right out of the box, I found that going into the settings menu and changing a few options made my streaming experience noticeably better. I was able to cut down on intrusive ads, improve picture quality, and, perhaps most importantly, enhance my privacy.
So if you have any Fire TV device, whether it’s a smart TV, Fire TV Stick, or Fire TV Cube, here are four settings to turn off that can make your streaming experience better and more private without spending a dime.
Turn off Autoplay Video and Audio
Say goodbye to annoying ads
One thing that immediately bothered me about my Fire TV Stick when I first got it was the autoplaying videos in the ad carousel on the home screen. There were times I’d turn on my TV and be immediately met with blaring audio from an ad for a show or movie, which I found incredibly frustrating. That’s not exactly the first thing I want to see or hear the moment I turn on my TV to use my Fire Stick.
While you can’t get rid of the ads on the Fire TV home screen entirely, Amazon has thankfully included a way to make them far less annoying. You can turn off Autoplay for both video and audio, which prevents your TV from suddenly blasting an ad at you when you aren’t expecting it.
I turned off both Autoplay Video and Audio on my Fire TV Stick 4K Max, and it’s made a night-and-day difference on the home screen. I genuinely enjoy using it much more now that I’m not greeted by a loud, autoplaying ad every time I turn on my TV.
To do the same thing on your Fire TV device, open Settings and navigate to Preferences > Feature Content. From there, you’ll see two options: Allow Video Autoplay and Allow Audio Autoplay. Turn both of them off, and the ads on your Fire TV home screen will be far less annoying and won’t jump-scare you anymore.
Turn off Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data
Keep your data out of Amazon’s hands
By default, Amazon has two settings enabled on its Fire TV devices: Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data. As the names suggest, these settings collect information about how you’re using your Fire TV Stick and send it back to Amazon, which can then use that data to serve you more targeted advertising on your device.
Specifically, Device Usage Data uses personal data collected by your device’s operating system, which Amazon says it uses for “marketing and product improvement purposes.” On the other hand, Collect App Usage Data allows Amazon to collect information about the “frequency and duration” of any third-party apps you’ve downloaded and use from the App Store.
I’d rather Amazon not collect all this data in the background on my Fire TV Stick, and if you’re in a similar boat, it’s easy to turn these settings off. Open Settings on your device and go to Preferences > Privacy Settings. From there, toggle off both Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data.
I’d also recommend turning off Internet-Based Ads, which you’ll find right below Collect App Usage Data in the same menu. This setting allows your device to show you ads based on data it has already collected, so if you’d rather not see targeted ads, it’s worth turning this off as well.
Quiz
Fire TV Stick history
Trivia challenge
From its 2014 debut to 4K streaming dominance — how well do you really know Amazon’s Fire TV Stick?
HistoryHardwareStreamingFeaturesAmazon
In what year did Amazon first release the original Fire TV Stick?
Correct! Amazon launched the original Fire TV Stick in November 2014, initially as an invitation-only product before making it widely available. It was designed as a budget-friendly alternative to the full Fire TV box released earlier that same year.
Not quite. Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick in November 2014, following the debut of the larger Fire TV set-top box earlier that year. It quickly became one of the best-selling streaming devices on the market.
Which port does the Fire TV Stick plug into on your television?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick connects directly into an HDMI port on your TV, making it incredibly simple to set up. A separate USB cable is also included to provide power to the device.
Not quite. The Fire TV Stick uses an HDMI connection to plug directly into your television. This design keeps the device compact and ensures compatibility with virtually any modern TV.
Which Fire TV Stick model was the first to support 4K Ultra HD streaming?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick 4K, released in October 2018, was the first stick-form-factor Fire TV device to support 4K Ultra HD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It was a significant upgrade over the standard stick lineup.
Not quite. The Fire TV Stick 4K, launched in 2018, was the first in the stick lineup to offer 4K Ultra HD support along with HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio. Earlier stick models were capped at 1080p Full HD.
What is the name of Amazon’s voice assistant built into the Fire TV Stick remote?
Correct! Amazon’s own voice assistant, Alexa, is integrated into the Fire TV Stick remote, allowing users to search for content, control smart home devices, check the weather, and more using just their voice.
Not quite. Amazon built its own voice assistant, Alexa, into the Fire TV Stick remote. Alexa lets you search for content hands-free, control compatible smart home devices, and access a wide range of skills beyond just streaming.
What is the name of Amazon’s own free streaming service that comes pre-installed on Fire TV Sticks?
Correct! Amazon Freevee (previously known as IMDb TV) is Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service that comes pre-loaded on Fire TV devices. It offers a wide library of movies and TV shows at no subscription cost.
Not quite. Amazon Freevee, formerly called IMDb TV, is Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service that comes built into Fire TV Sticks. While Prime Video requires a subscription, Freevee is completely free to watch with ads.
Which budget-focused Fire TV Stick model was introduced in 2020, featuring a simplified remote without TV controls?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick Lite launched in 2020 as Amazon’s most affordable streaming stick. Its remote omits the dedicated TV power and volume buttons found on standard Fire TV remotes, keeping costs down for budget-conscious buyers.
Not quite. Amazon introduced the Fire TV Stick Lite in 2020 as its entry-level streaming stick. The Lite version’s remote drops the TV control buttons to reduce the price, making it an attractive option for first-time streamers.
Before being rebranded, what was the original name of the Fire TV Stick’s operating system?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick runs Fire OS, Amazon’s own operating system that is based on Android but heavily customised with Amazon’s own apps, services, and interface. It has been the backbone of all Fire TV devices since launch.
Not quite. Fire TV Sticks have always run Fire OS, Amazon’s forked version of Android that replaces Google’s services with Amazon’s own ecosystem. Despite its Android roots, Fire OS looks and behaves quite differently from standard Android TV.
Which connectivity standard did the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (1st Gen, 2021) introduce to the Fire TV Stick lineup for the first time?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick 4K Max launched in 2021 as the first Fire TV Stick to support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), offering faster and more reliable wireless connectivity compared to previous models. It also featured a more powerful processor than the standard 4K stick.
Not quite. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max, released in 2021, made history as the first Fire TV Stick to include Wi-Fi 6 support. This newer wireless standard delivers improved speeds and better performance in homes with many connected devices.
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Turn off Always HDR
Adaptive HDR is the way to go
If you’ve always wondered why the home screen and some of the menus in apps on your Fire TV Stick look incredibly washed out and dull, a setting called Always HDR is likely to blame. As the name suggests, Always HDR forces your Fire TV Stick to output an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image at all times.
If you’re watching HDR content, this is great, as you’ll get more vivid colors and better brightness. But if you’re not watching HDR content — such as when you’re sitting on the Fire TV home screen or browsing through an app’s content library looking for something to watch — Always HDR can actually make things look worse. That’s because it can make SDR content look washed out, dull, and gray.
Don’t worry, the solution isn’t to turn off HDR entirely. Instead, it’s to turn off Always HDR and enable a setting called Adaptive HDR. This tells your Fire TV Stick to use HDR only when the content you’re watching actually supports it. So if you’re sitting on the home screen or browsing through an app, colors should look much more natural instead of washed out. And when you start playing a show or movie that supports HDR, Adaptive HDR will automatically enable HDR.
To enable Adaptive HDR on your Fire TV Stick, go to Settings > Display & Audio > Display. Then select Dynamic Range Settings and change it to Adaptive HDR.
Turn off ACR and Share Content Info
Protect your privacy
Last but not least is the worst setting of them all: ACR (Automatic Content Recognition).
If you’re not familiar with ACR, it’s a technology smart TVs use to essentially spy on what you’re watching by automatically recognizing the content on your screen through frequent snapshots and audio clips. That information can then be used for targeted advertising.
And it’s not limited to what you’re watching through the built-in apps on your TV, either. ACR can also recognize what’s being displayed from devices connected to your TV via HDMI. So if you’d rather your TV not snoop on what you’re watching and constantly send that information elsewhere, it’s best to turn off ACR for good.
If you’re using a smart TV that runs Fire TV, such as one of Amazon’s Ember 2-Series or 4-Series TVs, you can turn off ACR by going to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings and turning off Automatic Content Recognition.
If you’re using a Fire TV Stick on your TV, the Fire TV Stick itself doesn’t have ACR, but your TV does. For example, I use an LG TV with my Fire TV Stick 4K Max, so I had to turn off ACR through the TV’s settings menu, not on my Fire TV Stick. On LG TVs, that means turning off Live Plus, LG’s version of ACR. Other TV brands can call ACR something different. For example, Samsung TVs call it Viewing Information Services.
Finally, I also recommend turning off a setting on Fire TV Sticks and Fire TVs called Share App Viewing and Content Info. This setting is enabled by default on Fire TV devices, and it allows third-party apps on your device to “share your viewing and content information with Amazon.”
So if you’d rather the apps on your device not share your viewing information with Amazon, it’s worth turning this setting off, too. You can do this by going to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings > Manage Sharing from Apps.
