Initial setup
You probably don’t need any assistance getting through the main setup process: the on-screen instructions are clear and easy to follow. Usually, there will be enough battery power to set up your tablet without charging it first. But it’s also a good idea to use the included USB cable and mains charger and allow the battery to fully charge as soon as you can. When you turn on a Fire tablet for the first time, it will ask to choose a language and a region.
Tap Continue and you’ll see the Connect to Wi-Fi screen. The password for your Wi-Fi network is usually on a sticker on your router, or sometimes on a removable card. Or, if you’re like us, you’ll have changed your password to something you can easily remember! Choose the correct network name from the list and type the password, which will be case-sensitive so be sure to enter upper- and lower-case letters correctly. The tablet will check if there are any software updates available and if so, download and then install them.
If you’ve had a Fire tablet before, you may be offered the option to restore a backup. You can restore the most recent backup to save the hassle of installing apps and games. Plus all your settings will be as you set them, including email accounts, bookmarks and more.
If not, you will see the option to add a child account. A child account has a completely different interface to an adult profile and limits what they can see and do. It also gives them access (if you allow it) to a kid-safe web browser. To learn more, also read our guide on How to set up parental controls on a Fire tablet. Next you can link other social accounts, if you want to, and then you’ll see an adverts for Audible audiobooks and Kindle Unlimited. Either tap No Thanks or ‘Start My Free Trial’.
Quick-start guide to FireOS
Now you’ll see a tutorial which will show you how to navigate around FireOS. At the bottom of the screen is the familiar Android navigation bar. Tap the < to go back, the O to go to the Home screen and the square icon to switch to a recently used app.
Swipe down from the top of the screen to see the Quick Settings panel where you can adjust screen brightness, change user profiles, enable flight mode and various other things. The cog icon takes you to the full menu of settings. On other models, you may find that Alexa is supported but you have to press an on-screen button before making your request.
If you find that units such as temperature have defaulted to Fahrenheit rather than Celcius, just wait. Usually this will change to Celsius on its own fairly quickly. If not, launch the Weather app, add a location and tap the menu icon (top left) tap Settings and then ‘Show Temperature in Degrees Celsius.
Is YouTube and the Google Play store on a Fire tablet?
You can still install the YouTube.com app or tap on the Silk Browser icon and go to the relevant websites (Gmail.com, YouTube.com etc) to use Google services. You can also use the built-in E-mail and Contacts apps to access your Gmail account. If you desperately want the real YouTube app (and other Android apps) it is possible to install Google Play on a Fire tablet. Once you’ve followed those steps, you’ll need to launch the Google Play Store app, sign in with your Google account and you can then install YouTube.
How do I set up email, calendar and contacts on a Fire tablet?
Tap on the E-mail app and enter your email address and password. This can be any address, including Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo. Unfortunately it won’t work for Apple email accounts, including @me.com and @icloud.com, at least not automatically.
If you get an error message, search online for the server settings required for your email service. If you have two-factor authentication enabled for your email, you may have to disable it to use email on the Fire tablet, or authorise it using your email provider’s mechanism to do so. You can add more than one email address and manage multiple accounts through the E-mail app. For contacts, you should find these are populated automatically once you’ve configured your email address (so long as you have some contacts associated with that email account). With Gmail, for example, contacts are added automatically. If not, you can import them from a vCard file on a microSD card. Check your current provider where your contacts are stored to find out how to export details in a vCard file. Then tap on the Contacts app and then the three vertical white dots at the top right, then tap Import/export and then ‘Import from storage’.
The same goes for the Calendar app. Once you’ve added a Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook email address, everything will be populated automatically, even if you have multiple calendars within those accounts. That’s your Fire tablet set up, so you can now browse the Appstore to find extra games and apps, or use the web browser to read your favourite websites. Here are some of the essential apps you’ll probably want to install first on your Fire tablet. Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
