If you were to fill a stadium with people and asked who’s lost their remote before, everyone would raise their hand. All remotes, including Firestick remotes, seem to grow legs and hide. Asking your kids doesn’t help either because all you’ll hear is “I don’t know” or “It wasn’t me.” Thankfully, there are alternatives you can take advantage of if you lost your Firestick remote.
What to Do If You Lost Firestick Remote
The good news is that even if you’ve lost your Firestick remote, there are still some backup methods you can employ, as listed below:
- Use your smartphone or tablet
- Use an old Firestick
- Use a keyboard and mouse
- Use Alexa
We’ll go over each of these methods in more detail here.
Use Your Smartphone or Tablet as a Backup
Out of all the methods available, this is by far the best and easiest way to gain control of your Firestick. Most people carry a mobile device on them. More importantly, the companion app for the Firestick is available on Android and iOS.
- Step 1: Install the Amazon Fire TV app. It’s available in Google Play and the App Store, free of charge.
- The file size is 40MB and 89MB, respectively.
- Step 2: Make sure your Firestick and smart device are connected to the same Wi-Fi, and that the Firestick is powered on.
- Step 3: Launch the Amazon Fire TV app. It will automatically scan for your Firestick, so select it when it appears on the list.
- Step 4: After selecting your Firestick, your TV will display a 4-digit code. Copy the code in the app, wait for it to connect, and you’re good to go.
Now, the Amazon Fire TV app operates nearly identical to a physical Firestick remote.
Got An Old Firestick Remote Lying About? Use it!
If you hoard old devices, then why not use a Firestick remote from a previous generation? It works just as well. Really, any remote with an HDMI-CEC feature will work, too. Using an older generation Firestick Remote is certainly the better option since non-Firestick remotes won’t support certain features.
To use an older Firestick remote, all you have to do is give it a hard reset.
- Step 1: On the remote, press and hold the Home, Back, and Left Arrow button simultaneously.
- Step 2: Let the buttons go after 10 to 15 seconds.
- Step 3: Reboot the Firestick and give the remote a moment to connect.
Control Your Firestick With a Keyboard and Mouse
A method that’s a bit more involved is using a keyboard and mouse to control your Firestick. Both wireless and wired devices work, but wired keyboards and mice present a problem: the Firestick only has one micro USB port.
You can bypass this in one of three ways:
- One device can be wired, the other wireless
- Both devices are wireless
- Purchase a USB splitter
- If you’re considering a USB splitter, keep in mind it would be smarter to control the Firestick with a smartphone or tablet until you can afford another remote.
Control Your Firestick With Alexa
If you don’t mind feeling a bit silly talking to Alexa, you’re welcome to control the Firestick with an Amazon Echo device. Similar to using your smartphone to navigate Fire TV, both the Alexa device and Firestick have to be connected to the same Wi-Fi.
And there you have it: what you can do if you lost your Firestick remote. If you had to choose any of the above methods, go with using a smartphone or tablet. It’s easy, free, and you don’t need anything but a device most people have anyway. Either way, you won’t miss out on The Rings of Power when it debuts on Prime Video.
Published: Jul 19, 2022 08:32 pm