Amazon has just pushed out another firmware update to its Fire TV devices, and it is a rather annoying one as it appears to have disabled the ability for users to hide any unwanted apps from the homescreen page.
The update was first reported by AFTVNews, which said the latest firmware is currently being rolled out to first- and second-generation Fire TV sticks and other Fire TV devices. Once users download it – and this will happen automatically in most cases – they’ll be stuck with a cluttered grid of TV applications, including many that they never use.
According to AFTVNews, this never used to be the case, because Fire TV users could hide any apps they didn’t use by pressing the “context” button on their remote control (that’s the one with three horizontal lines”. In the menu that pops up upon hitting that button, there used to be an option to “hide from your apps”, but that function no longer exists.
Although users can uninstall third-party applications easily enough, they are not allowed to delete Amazon’s own apps, such as Amazon Prime Video or the redundant Freevee app, whose content is available on Prime anyway. So they’re going to be stuck with them on their homescreens.
Another annoyance is that the update also causes applications from every user profile to appear on each user’s homescreen. Previously, users would only see their own applications and not those that are frequently used by someone else, such as their better half or the kids. But now, all of the apps spanning every profile will appear on the homescreen.
The reaction on Reddit suggests that Fire TV Stick owners are getting a tad disgruntled by the onslaught of software updates rolled out by Amazon. Not only have they “introduced” lost functionality, but they have also broken a number of third-party apps, and they have led to more invasive ads popping up.
Fortunately, the YouTuber TechDoctorUK has identified a somewhat longwinded workaround to the latest issue. He advises users to download a third-party application called atvTools, which is available on both Android and iOS.
With that app, users can connect their smartphone to their Fire TV device, then proceed to the apps list within atvTools and search for the apps they don’t want to see on their homescreen. Once you’ve found the offending app, simply click on it and then tap the three dots that appear alongside it, and finally select the “disable” option.
After doing that for all of the apps you hate, simply refresh the apps grid on Fire TV and they’ll no longer appear.
