Amazon’s Fire TV devices are among the best streaming devices you can buy, and now they’ve gotten even more flexible. The Silk browser, previously available on Amazon’s Fire tablets, has come to the Fire TV platform, something that the company has been working on since March, according to AFTVNews. The only problem for now is that the browser has yet to come to all Fire TV models.
Supported devices include the first- and second-generation Fire TV models, as well as the second-generation Fire TV Stick. Even Fire TV Edition smart TVs from Element and Westinghouse are supported. Unfortunately, the third-generation Fire TV — the latest to be released — is not currently supported.
This is likely due to the fact that, unlike currently supported models, the third-generation devices run Fire OS 6, the latest version of the operating system. Incompatibility issues between the operating system and browser seem to be at the heart of the matter. Fortunately, the app’s description says that it will come to third-generation devices next month, so there shouldn’t be too long of a wait.
When it comes to the actual functionality, it provides most of what you would expect from a modern browser. Launching it for the first time, the default search engine is Bing, though you can also choose from Google or Yahoo. Alexa voice remote functionality is supported, so you can easily search without needing to deal with a cumbersome on-screen keyboard. PIN-protected parental controls are available, as well as a Safe Browsing mode that will warn you when visiting sites that could potentially be dangerous.
As you may expect from a browser running on your TV, there are limitations when compared with the browser on a computer or mobile device. There is no separate private browsing mode, though you can turn on the Do Not Track setting, and you are able to clear your browsing history. Amazon also points out that you cannot download images or other content from the Silk browser.
For more information on the browser and its features, see the support page for the Silk browser on the Amazon website.
