Fire TV app management

I saw last month that Amazon was updating the Fire TV platform to better manage app storage.

At the time, it was rumored to be coming, then confirmed to be coming. Now, it's here.

Amazon has announced that the the new feature has launched.

If an app is not used for more than 30 days, Auto Offload will automatically clear the app cache, and if your device runs low on storage (meaning there is less than 800MB of usable storage remaining), it will offload the apps that are not used for more than 60 days. Though some experience-critical apps, and those with active subscriptions will be exempt from this feature, you can choose to manually offload eligible apps by navigating to Settings > Manage Installed Applications through the options menu when selecting an app in launcher.

If you choose to reuse an offloaded app at a later date, the reinstallation process will be seamless. Upon opening the app, you will be automatically signed in using the account that was last used on that app. If the credentials have been changed, or for some reason you’re unable to log into the app successfully, you will be prompted to re-enter the credentials.

This isn't how Roku does it, but it is a better way than it was. I ran out of space more than once on a Fire TV device, but never ran out on Roku. This won't be quite as seamless, but it will be an improvement. A big improvement.

My Streaming Life primarily uses Roku, and more recently, Chromecast. Fire TV is my third-most used device, but far behind Chromecast and Roku. That might change. I'm curious to see the new process actually in operation. It looks promising.