How to Create App Shortcuts on FireStick Home Screen

January 3, 2024

By deeekw

In this guide, I will show you how to create shortcuts for apps on your FireStick home screen. This guide will also work for other FireStick devices such as Fire Cube TV, FireStick Lite, FireStick 4K, and FireStick 4K Max. I also share a method to launch FireStick apps from your smartphone.

The FireStick has access to a vast library of apps. After using the device regularly, you may accumulate tons of them. Some you may rarely use—and you should consider uninstalling them from your device—whereas others you may use every day.

It can become cumbersome to navigate to your favorite apps each time you wish to launch them. You can circumvent this issue by creating shortcuts on your home screen for apps that you use regularly. You can access these shortcuts as a row of icons on the home screen.

Your FireStick remote may or may not have buttons for specific streaming services, like Prime Video and Netflix. Even if it does, what about all your other apps? Creating shortcuts is a lifesaver for people with an extensive gallery of apps. I like to create shortcuts for the Task Killer app and my VPN app so that I can easily access them.

Now I will guide you through the process of creating app shortcuts.

Read: How to Install and Use Best VPN for FireStick

How to Create App Shortcuts on FireStick Home Screen

1. Select the Apps and Channels button on the FireStick home screen.

2. Scroll to the app you wish to create a shortcut for, but don’t select the app. In this tutorial, I will create a shortcut for the YouTube app. Therefore, I scrolled to the tile for the YouTube app.

3. Press the menu button on your FireStick remote (three horizontal lines). An options menu will appear.

4. To make the app the most accessible shortcut, select Move to the front, and you’re done—you can skip to the next section! When I select this option for the YouTube app, its tile moves to the top of the list, making it the first home screen shortcut.

5. If you’d like to control the horizontal position of the shortcut on your FireStick home screen, select the Move option instead.

6. The top row of this screen shows the apps that will have home screen shortcuts. These shortcuts will be visible in the same order on the home screen. Since the FireStick home screen is navigated from left to right, shortcuts on the left of this top row are slightly more accessible than shortcuts on the right.

7. Use the directional buttons on your FireStick remote to place the app somewhere in the top row. I want YouTube to be the second easiest to access on my home screen, so I made it the second app in the top row.

8. Once you have finalized the app’s position, use the select button on your FireStick remote to confirm its new location.

You have successfully created a FireStick home screen app shortcut!

Accessing Home Screen App Shortcuts

You can find your newly created app shortcut on the home screen, just below the featured carousel.

As I mentioned, the shortcuts will appear in the same order you set. Now you can quickly launch your favorite apps directly from the home screen by clicking the respective tiles.

How to Launch FireStick Apps From Your Smartphone

You can launch FireStick apps directly from your smartphone, eliminating the need for the FireStick remote. You can access app shortcuts via the Amazon Fire TV app available on your Android or iOS smartphone. It is an official app by Amazon, which eliminates any privacy or legal concerns. The app experience is very polished, including the pairing process between the smartphone and FireStick.

I will show you how to install the app on your smartphone and pair it with your FireStick device.

Part 1: Setting Up Your Smartphone and FireStick

1. Download the Amazon Fire TV app on your smartphone. The app is available on both Android and iOS.

2. For this app to work, your smartphone should be on the same Wi-Fi connection as your FireStick. Make sure your smartphone and FireStick are connected to the same Wi-Fi network before proceeding.

3. Launch the Amazon Fire TV app on your smartphone. Wait a few seconds and your FireStick should pop up in the CONNECT TO REMOTE section. Click the name of your FireStick device.

4. You will receive a popup on your FireStick containing a four-digit numeric code.

5. Enter that code in the Amazon Fire TV app on your smartphone.

Your smartphone is now connected and can serve as a remote for your FireStick.

Part 2: Launching Apps with Your Smartphone

The Amazon Fire TV app provides a wide variety of functionalities. The app lets you control various aspects of your FireStick, such as navigation and Alexa, using your smartphone. You can also use the keyboard on your smartphone instead of using the FireStick’s remote and on-screen keyboard.

However, the highlight of the smartphone app is its ability to launch FireStick apps. If you can’t create enough FireStick home screen shortcuts for all your favorite apps, you can use this method to more easily access all of your apps.

Follow these steps to launch FireStick apps with your phone:

1. Start on the home screen of the Amazon Fire TV app on your smartphone. Tap the app menu icon.

2. The smartphone app will automatically list all the apps present on your FireStick. Simply tap any app to launch it on your FireStick.

Now you know the quickest ways to launch FireStick apps—whether from the FireStick home screen or a more convenient smartphone.

FAQs

Do the home screen shortcuts reset after reboot?

The shortcuts aren’t reset even after multiple reboots. If you don’t manually change them, they won’t change. You’ll lose them temporarily if you log out of your Amazon account, but logging back in will restore the shortcuts.

Are home screen shortcuts permanent?

You can change the home screen shortcuts and their order according to your liking by performing the steps mentioned in this guide.

How do I delete an app shortcut from the home screen?

To delete a FireStick home screen app shortcut, go to the apps and channels menu (as described at the beginning of this guide) and move the app from the top row to any of the other rows.

How many home screen app shortcuts can I have?

You can have six home screen app shortcuts. You’ll probably need to prioritize making shortcuts for your favorite or most-used apps.

I don’t need all six slots; can I delete some of them?

Sadly, no, you can’t delete extra home screen shortcuts. The number of shortcuts is fixed at exactly six.

Can I connect multiple FireSticks to the Amazon Fire TV app?

Yes, you can. However, you can’t control them simultaneously.

Wrapping Up

In this guide, I taught you two different methods to quickly access apps on your FireStick. You can create app shortcuts on the FireStick home screen, or you can launch them directly from your smartphone using the Amazon Fire TV app. I hope the guide improved your FireStick experience. If you still have any questions, drop them in the comments section below.

Related:

Credit to: wikipedia.org

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