Amazon's Device Dashboard turns Fire tablets into a smart home controller

Amazon Fire tablets are supposed to get a new menu that will allow you to easily control Alexa-compatible smart home gadgets.

Amazon announced (via ZDNet and Engadget) the new menu on 27 October 2020. Called The Device Dashboard, the Fire tablet-exclusive feature is apparently rolling out from Tuesday and can be accessed through a new Smart Home button found on the left of the navigation bar.

Amazon reportedly said the new interface is meant for when “touch might be more convenient than voice". Keep in mind Fire tablets and other Alexa devices have long been able to control smart home devices through spoken commands, so The Device Dashboard opens up more ways of controlling your smart home. Imagine mounting a Fire tablet to use as a touchscreen smart home hub.

According to Amazon, you won’t have to close out of an app to access The Device Dashboard on your Fire tablet; just open it from the navbar. However, it's only available on newer Amazon tablets, like the 2018 Fire HD 8, 2019 Fire 7, 2019 Fire HD 10, and 2020 Fire HD 8.

For more about Alexa and Fire tablets and how they work, check out our guides:

• What is Alexa and what can Amazon Echo do?
• How to get started with Amazon Echo and Alexa
• Amazon Fire tips and tricks: Making the most of your tablet

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