The Amazon Fire TV update with a new home screen is now available

Amazon announced on Thursday that its new major Fire TV software update is being released for devices now. It has a completely redesigned home screen and features like separate user profiles, so recommendations on what to watch are different for each person in your family.

The software was first announced in September and made its debut on the Fire TV Stick Lite and on the third generation Fire TV Stick in December, but now everyone with Amazon’s Fire TV Cube (1st and 2nd Generation) and the 3rd generation Fire TV, the Fire TV Stick 4K will be able to use the new features. Amazon says it is upgrading second generation smart TVs and the Fire TV Stick later this year.

The new features can help you compete more aggressively with Roku, which still has a 50% share of the global connected TV streaming hours market with strong growth opportunities, according to a analyst note from Deutsche Bank in August.

Up to six people can create different profiles with the new software. So, if you watch a lot of comedy shows, Amazon can recommend other comedies that you like. But if your spouse watches many dramas, he will receive recommendations for more of that type of content. Currently, with a single profile, Amazon only recommends more based on what was watched, no matter who watches.

Personalization also extends to the home screen, where you can pin specific apps to the top for quick access. You may use Netflix, YouTube TV and Disney + frequently, for example. You can place new smaller icons for the ones at the top. Recommendations for what you watch on the services are displayed below that.

There is also a new “Live” tab that shows you a channel guide to make it easier to go straight to live TV if you pay for a streaming TV service like Sling or YouTube TV. Amazon told CNBC in September that it designed this to make it a more familiar experience for people who are switching from cable to streaming.

The update also includes deeper integration with the Alexa voice assistant, so you can say “Alexa go to live TV” and it will launch the live TV broadcast service for which you are paying.

Finally, there is a new “Find” section that makes it easier to find something to watch. It shows movies, TV shows on demand, live TV, your watch list and more.

You can update your Fire TV by opening Settings and selecting “My Fire TV”, then “About” and choosing “Check for system updates”.