This lesser-known Fire TV Stick feature completely changed how I stream

Amazon’s Fire TV Sticks come loaded with a variety of features that differ by model. For instance, the 4K Max and 4K Plus support all HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, while the 4K Select and HD models do not support Dolby Vision. All Fire TV Sticks also offer some form of cloud gaming: the HD supports Amazon Luna, whereas the 4K Select, 4K Plus, and 4K Max support both Luna and Xbox Game Pass.

However, one feature available on every Fire TV Stick that often gets overlooked is Bluetooth audio support. As the name suggests, the feature lets you connect Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to your Fire TV Stick so you can listen to shows, movies, or games through them rather than your TV’s speakers. I’ve found it incredibly handy for watching shows late at night without disturbing anyone else in my house.

While Bluetooth audio support might not sound like a big deal, you’d be surprised how many devices don’t offer it. For example, the PS5 doesn’t even support Bluetooth audio devices (unless it’s a supported headset); instead, you have to go through your TV (if it even supports Bluetooth). The same limitation applies to the Xbox Series X/S. Even Roku’s streaming sticks don’t support Bluetooth audio natively; instead, you have to use its app and the Headphone Mode feature.

With all that in mind, if you want to enjoy watching shows and movies on your Fire TV Stick with headphones and take advantage of this underrated feature, setting it up is really simple and takes less than a minute.

How to connect a Bluetooth audio device to your Fire TV Stick

All the latest Fire TV Stick models support Bluetooth audio, so if you have an HD, 4K Select, 4K Plus, or 4K Max, you can use this feature. Here’s how:

1. Open up the Settings menu on your Fire TV Stick.

2. Navigate to Remote & Bluetooth devices > Other Bluetooth devices.

3. Select the Add Bluetooth Device option.

4. Press the pairing button on your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds.

5. Select your headphones when they appear on the screen to pair them.

6. You’ll see a notification in the bottom-left corner of your TV screen that says “Device Connected” and the name of your headphones once they’re paired.

If your headphones are connected to another nearby device, they probably won’t appear on your Fire TV Stick. Disconnect them from that device, and they should appear. Most Bluetooth headphones can only be paired with one device at a time.

The convenient thing about Amazon’s implementation of this feature is that whenever you’re near your Fire TV Stick and turn on Bluetooth on your headphones, they’ll automatically connect, so you don’t have to go into the settings menu every single time you want to use them.

I’ve been using this feature on my TV for a few months now, and it’s been an absolute game-changer for me. For one, it’s super handy for watching TV late at night without waking up anyone else you live with. Two, since I have my TV set up next to my gaming PC, I can connect my headphones to both my PC (via USB-C) and the Fire Stick (via Bluetooth) and listen to both simultaneously, which is useful whenever I watch shows and movies with friends remotely.

Overall, if you have a Fire TV Stick and a pair of headphones, give this feature a try. It may completely change how you stream.