Fire OS 5.4.0.1 Now Downloading to (3-year-Old) Fire Tablets
Amazon just gave me another reason to pass on replacing my fire tablet.
When I booted my Fire (2014) tablet this morning I was greeted by a new home screen.
According to the notice in my notifications, my tablet was now running Fire OS 5.4.0.1 Cinder. This version was first mentioned on XDA Forums in late August. the changelog says that the only changes included "performance enhancements and general improvements".
I can’t see any real improvements to the tablet’s main functions (for example, the tablet still won’t show all of my books in the same place) but I did notice one change.
The very first page of the homescreen is now called "for you" and looks different.
Before, Amazon listed my last activity and used the rest of the screen to pitch me similar content (this was effing annoying). The new "for you" screen shows icons for the last dozen or so activities, making it a lot easier to switch between shows I am watching and games I’m playing.
There’s also an alternate version of the "for you" screen that shows local weather.
The weather report cannot be disabled, but all in all the update is a nice change.
Comments
Carmen Webster Buxton September 23, 2017 um 2:42 pm
I have a Kindle Fire but I use it only when I travel on short trips, so I don’t have to pack my laptop. The best I can say about the Fire is, it’s better than having no tablet.
Randy Lea September 23, 2017 um 2:44 pm
My Fire 8 just died, not sure if its related to the update.
dan September 24, 2017 um 2:58 pm
my fire 8 also just died – 2 days after the update. Seems too much of a coincidence.
Reader September 23, 2017 um 11:54 pm
I have Fire HD 8 6th generation,which according to the Amazon website, is still up-to-date with Fire OS 5.4.0.0. (I believe I purchased it in 2015.) Unfortunately, this software doesn’t have Ember Bold font.
Chris Meadows September 24, 2017 um 10:47 am
You know, under Fire OS 5.*, you can download and install the Play Store without needing to screw around with rooting or USB debugging or anything like that. Just allow apps from "untrusted sources" and download some packages.
Nate Hoffelder September 24, 2017 um 1:03 pm
This has been true for a while now – since (I think) 2012. Not all Google apps worked, but I have added Google Play to earlier Fire tablets simply by installing those 4 APKs.
BTW, Gmail works on my Fire tablet (it didn’t on earlier models/OSes).
Chris Meadows September 24, 2017 um 1:08 pm
Well, it used to be you had to fiddle around with activating developer mode, and USB debugging, and installing ADB drivers, and such.
Since Fire OS 5.*, all you gotta do is enable a setting option and use the web browser. That’s a pretty big improvement.
Nate Hoffelder September 24, 2017 um 1:31 pm
You’re right – I was confusing the Fire tablet with other budget Android tablets.
You Can Install Google Play on the Latest Fire Tablets in Less Than 5 Minutes | The Digital Reader September 24, 2017 um 3:15 pm
[…] installing Google's services on the latest Fire tablets, it's a lot easier. The arrival of the new Fire OS 5.4.0.1 update yesterday inspired me to go find instruction on how to also add Google Play to my 3-yer-old tablet, […]