Your Fire TV remote has handy shortcut buttons – which are useless if you’re not using the apps that are there. Netzwelt tells you how to reprogram the keys.
The remote controls for Amazon Fire TV devices are getting more and more functions – even the Fire TV Lite is now delivered with quick access buttons for apps like Netflix, Prime Video or Amazon Music.
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Alternative: Order Alexa Voice Remote Control Pro
However, the speed dial buttons remain largely unused if you don’t use the apps preinstalled there. With a little effort, however, you can reassign these buttons – and, for example, place the Sky streaming service Wow on the Netflix button if you have canceled your Netflix subscription in the meantime.
Netzwelt explains step by step how you can reprogram the buttons on your Fire TV Remote – although you have to consider one thing: preinstalled Amazon apps such as Prime Video cannot be uninstalled and therefore the associated buttons cannot be overwritten.
Fire TV: This is how you remap the shortcut keys on the remote control
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Now check under “My Fire TV” in the “Developer Options” (“Developer Options”) whether you have activated the “ADB Debugging” option. If not, change it with a click of the remote control.
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Now you have to make sure in the developer menu that your downloader is allowed to install unknown apps.
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Now open your downloader app and enter the number 2201 as a search term in the bar at the top. This code will start downloading the “Remote ADB Shell” application.
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Installs the app after download and then returns to the downloader menu.
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Now you have to download another app – but be careful: This must not be installed after downloading. The code to download the app for rewriting the Netflix button on the remote control is 2210. There are also other codes for other speed dial buttons (2240 ​​for DAZN, 2214 for Disney+).
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After downloading the second app, press “Done” instead of “Install” to avoid installing the app directly – this is important for the further procedure.
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Now open the previously installed app “Remote ADB Shell” – you can find it in the app selection in the main menu.
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Now enter the address “127.0.0.1” in the upper number field. Leave the lower number field at 5555 and now press the “Connect” button.
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Now you have to grant permission for USB debugging.
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In the following window you have to enter two different codes – this takes a little time with the Fire TV remote control – tip: use the remote app on your smartphone or tablet to make your entries faster. The first code is: cp /sdcard/Downloader/remapnetflix.apk /data/local/tmp/
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Pay attention to the exact spelling including spaces and also note that this code only works for the Netflix button. You can also find more codes in the English version original instructions.
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If you have entered the first code, you must now enter another one: pm install -i com.amazon.venezia /data/local/tmp/remapnetflix.apk
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Attention: The exact spelling including spaces is to be observed here. This code also only works for Netflix – the other codes for Disney + and other apps can be found in the English language original instructions.
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Now the code window should confirm with “SUCCESS” that you have entered both codes correctly.
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Now take your Fire TV Remote and press the button you want to remap – in this case the Netflix button.
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The apps that you can control via the shortcut button instead of Netflix now appear in an alphabetical list. In this example we select Sky streaming service Wow.
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Now the reprogramming is complete, the app reminds you once again that you can restart the process by pressing the newly assigned button 5 to 10 times if you want to change it.
Alternative: Order Alexa Voice Remote Control Pro
Don’t want to tinker around to remap the app buttons? Then you can alternatively get the Alexa Voice Remote Control Pro. The model has two freely assignable buttons to which you can assign an app or an Alexa routine.
Pre-order Alexa Voice Remote Pro*
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The voice remote control costs EUR 39.99 and is compatible with the current Fire TV Sticks. Other advantages are a backlight, a headphone button and the ability to locate them.
In another tutorial, we’ll show you how to operate the Fire TV Stick without a remote control.
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