Amazon Fire TV owners receive huge free upgrade that finally allows users to cast from their phones – how it works
SOON Fire TV owners will be able to beam whatever they’re watching on their smartphone, straight onto their telly.
Amazon is bringing “Matter Casting” to Fire TVs which is essentially a copycat of Google’s Chromecast and Apple’s AirPlay.
While it’s not exactly a new idea, it is a long-overdue upgrade for Fire TV users – free of charge.
Matter Casting works across Android and iOS devices, and only with Amazon Prime Video so far.
Though Amazon said it is working with Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, STARZ, and ZDF to add Matter Casting support “later this year”.
This means Fire TV users won’t be restricted to casting Prime onto their screens, and will be able to beam content from any of these apps from their phones to the telly.
“Customers can begin watching a movie or browse for their next favourite show from Prime Video on their phone, and cast it to their compatible Fire TV device or Echo Show 15,” explained Amazon.
At launch, the feature will only work on Amazon’s Echo Show 15, before expanding to other Fire TV devices and Amazon smart displays.
“We are excited to work with Amazon to bring Matter Casting to the STARZ app,” Alison Hoffman, STARZ President of Domestic Networks, said in a statement.
“Matter has been easy to integrate and will provide even more options for customers to enjoy our extensive collection of original series and popular films on their device of choice.”
Amazon revealed the upcoming feature at CES 2024 in Las Vegas this week.
More from CES 2024
So far this week, Samsung has unveiled a new AI robot at CES 2024, called Ballie.
Fans of the brand may recognise the new Ballie bot as a more advanced version of its predecessor that faced backlash in 2020.
The original Ballie was blasted as creepy and “inherently sinister” by critics.
Samsung’s new Ballie is pitched as a friendly assistant that follows you around the home at your request.
It can greet you by using its lights and cameras to shine messages onto the floor or wall.
Ballie can mind your pets and send you updates about them while you’re at work.
A world-first flying car has also been debuted at CES 2024 – which is considered the consumer tech event of the year.
The car has been designed by XPeng Aeroht, which refers to itself as the largest flying car manufacturer in Asia.
The Chinese company has called the car the “eVTOL flying supercar.”
Co-founder, vice president and chief designer at XPeng Aeroht, Wang Tan, told The U.S. Sun:
“Humans are 3D animals but the transportation is 2D.
“Everybody wants to fly actually and to have another view, another angle, to see the gorgeous view.”
He added that users will be able to beat traffic and fly out of congestion zones.
- The best series on Amazon Prime
- The best movies on Amazon Prime