Amazon Firestick Not Working: 11 Best Methods To Fix This

Amazon Fire TV Sticks are all fun and games till they stop functioning properly. If you are facing issues regarding your Fire TV Stick, then this article has all the answers to your questions.

There can be several problems when you are facing issues with the product. There might be a problem about the remote not working or the video might face a buffering issue or the Fire TV Stick might not be turning on under any circumstance.

In the next section, we have listed quite some ways that might solve the issue and get your Amazon Fire TV Stick to be working again.

Also Read: When Is Amazon Next Sale Date?

Best Methods To Solve Amazon Fire TV Stick Not Working

There are several methods that you can try yourself before calling for professional assistance to help with your Amazon Fire TV Stick.

You can go try the methods listed below step-by-step as we have tried to arrange them from the easiest to the most difficult, or you can directly skip to the method which you think is the most appropriate for your issue. Let’s get started.

Method 1: Make Sure That The Fire TV Stick Is properly Set Up.

First things first, you need to make sure that the Amazon Fire TV Stick is set up properly. Your device might be working fine but with time the connections or the cables might loosen up which makes the device unresponsive. Even after adjusting connections, if the Fire TV Stick is still not responding, you can try for an alternate HDMI cable.

It is ideal to use the Amazon Power Adapter to connect the device to the power strip or wall power outlet and you must check if it is properly connected. It is advisable that you do not use the TV’s spare USB port for power as the device can work up and even reboot itself or cause several issues. If you have tried all the things mentioned above, the Fire TV Stick might be facing some other issue, try the next method to solve it.

Method 2: Check The Batteries Of The Remote.

This might be the simplest, quickest and easiest way to fix the issue but it often slips the mind. It is quite possible that there is nothing wrong with your Amazon Fire TV Stick and the reason behind the device working up is the dead batteries.

If you do not remember the last time you changed the batteries, try a new set to check if that is the problem as there is no indication as to when the batteries need to be changed. In the case of the Fire TV Stick, the batteries tend to run down faster than you imagine, so always keep a new set handy.

Method 3: Restart The Amazon Fire TV Stick.

The device is designed so that it can be connected and be plugged at all times. But the age-old solution of just restarting your device does not hurt anyone. The occasional restart might just solve the failed update issues or the connection issues. We have listed three effective ways to restart the Amazon Fire Stick:

1. Go to Settings, then My Fire TV and then Restart. Then, click on OK to confirm. It is better to close all the software before rebooting.
2. If the device freezes while running and you are unable to open the Settings, then you need to long press the Play/Pause button of the remote for some seconds. This would immediately restart the Fire TV Stick prior to any confirmation.
3. If the above option fails, the last option is to remove the power supply and then reattach it. This will forcefully restart the Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Make sure that you do not reboot the device when it is updating as it might lead to the corruption of the files and further problems.

Method 4: Check The Internet Connection For The Devices.

If the issue is sluggish video or buffering, or that the default interface is not showing up, then the internet connection could be the one to be blamed. Yes, the issue might be concerned with the Smart Device but the culprit behind is the internet network.  You can easily check the internet connection of the devices in the following ways.

1. Go to Settings and click on the Network button.
2. See if the WiFi is working fine, if it is connected look for the signal strength. If you are experiencing poor network then the video quality will be affected.
3. A simple trick can solve the problem. You can try to move the Fire TV Stick and the router closer to each other.
4. If the problem still persists, then you can just reboot the router which might solve the issue too.

Method 5: Look For Software Updates On The Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Some of the Fire TV Stick issues might not be related to the product but to the software that functions in the inner layer. Firstly, you need to check that the software is updated to the latest version. The general recommendation from Amazon is that the device should be plugged at all times so that the update can continue in the background.

You have to be sure that you never turn off or unplug the device when any update is in progress. Usually, the updates take place automatically. But in some cases, you need to manually initiate the process. To do that, you can follow the steps given below.

1. Go to Settings and then My Fire TV. After that, you need to go to About and finally Check for Updates to see the available updates.

Method 6: Reset All The Apps Of The Amazon Fire TV Stick

Almost all the amazing applications can be downloaded on the Fire TV Stick. But, sometimes you might experience that the apps keep crashing suddenly or stop working. We have listed three ways to fix it. You can try any one of them.

1. For this one, you need to ensure that all the apps are updated to the latest version. With the built-in Amazon software, the apps should be updated automatically but you can do it manually too. For that, you can go to Settings, then Applications, then Manage Installed Applications. Click on the app that is causing issues and install the update if you see it.
2. If the one mentioned above fails, you can try to reset the application. For this, you just click on the app you want to fix and click on Clear Cache. It deletes all the data and files related to the application as the data can also be responsible for the issues.
3. If both the solutions mentioned above fail, then Go to the Menu and click on Clear Data. This will completely reset the app and you have to begin from the beginning with the login procedure.

Also, uninstalling the apps you do not use can also boost the speed of the device.

Method 7: Check The Connections And HDMI Cables.

If you are experiencing a black screen on your device, it could be because the Fire TV Stick is not properly connected to the HDMI port. You need to check the connection and connect the device properly.

If you are using an adaptor to connect the device to the TV, try connecting without the adaptor directly to the TV. As most televisions  come with more than one HDMI port, you might be connecting to the one which is non-functional. Try again by connecting to an alternative HDMI port.

Method 8: Try With Another HDMI Port Or TV.

To check if the problem is with the Amazon Fire TV Stick or the TV or the HDMI port, you can just simply connect to another TV. This TroubleShooting method is applicable for only FireSticks and not the Fire TVs. You can also try connecting to other HDMI ports of your TV if you do not have a spare TV. If the Fire TV Stick still does not work, then there is a problem with the device.

Method 9: Clear Cache Of The Fire TV Stick.

If you are experiencing constant app crashes, stuttering, buffering and streaming issues, then cleaning the cache of the Amazon Fire TV Stick might solve your issues. For smooth functioning and installation of the apps, the Fire TV Stick stores the cache. But, the cache can bloat the device sometimes. It can cause the Fire Stick to malfunction or slow down. You can clear the cache with the following steps.

1. On the Home Screen, click on Settings.
2. Search for the Applications option and click on it.
3. Select Manage Installed Applications.
4. Go to each app and click on the Clear Cache option.

It is better to restart the Amazon Fire TV Stick after you have cleared the cache of all the applications for smooth functioning.

Method 10: Check The Device Compatibility With Fire TV Stick.

Sometimes, incompatibility can be one of the reasons that the Fire TV Stick is not working properly but it is not the fault of the Fire Stick. For checking the compatibility of the Amazon Fire TV Stick, you can look through the User Manual of the device or you can contact Amazon Support.

Method 11: Beware Of The VPN Issues.

Some of you might be surprised about seeing VPN issues in this article. But, you can connect the Amazon Fire TV Stick to the VPN. When you are planning to connect the Fire TV Stick to the VPN, you need to make sure that the VPN is compatible with the device. Amazon has blocked certain VPN services and if you are trying to connect to those, then the Fire TV Stick will not function properly.

Final Word

The Amazon Fire TV Stick is one of the highest-selling products on the Amazon site but it can trouble the user in some ways. We have tried to list all the ways that you can try before calling for professional help and hope that you have found your solution. If you still have doubts or suggestions about the topic or article, you can write to us in the comments section below. If all the methods mentioned above fail, you can call Amazon Customer Care for professional assistance.