Amazon Firestick Not Working: 2021 Troubleshooting
The Amazon Firestick is a great device, but like all electronics, it sometimes runs into issues. If your Firestick is not working, be sure to take a look at our troubleshooting guide to help you quickly get back to watching your favorite streaming content.
The Amazon Firestick is a great device that makes watching stuff from pretty much any streaming platform right to your TV a breeze. There’s also an impressive list of games on the Amazon Fire TV app store and Amazon’s Luna game streaming service. However, if you’re experiencing issues with your Firestick not working, this guide will help you out.
Key Takeaways:
- Depending on the problem you’re experiencing with your Fire TV Stick, you might need to try different solutions to fix your issue.
- That said, many of the most common issues can be cleared up by restarting your Fire TV Stick and sometimes your router as well.
- If nothing else works, a factory reset will completely wipe the device but fixes many issues.
The good news is that there are a few things you can usually try that should get you back on track and watching your favorite shows or movies in no time. Let’s look at some solutions to common problems so that you can quickly get your Fire TV Stick back in working order.
There is a list of potential reasons that your Firestick might encounter a problem, ranging from poor WiFi connection to a software issue. In many cases, restarting the device and WiFi router can help.
If your Firestick is completely unresponsive, then you can restart it by unplugging it, leaving it for about 10 seconds, then plugging it back in and allowing it to boot up.
You can reboot your Fire TV Stick by holding the “select” and “play/pause” buttons at the same time for about five to 10 seconds. The device will shut down and restart, and you should see the Fire TV logo appear as it reboots.
Amazon Firestick Not Working: 7 Common Problems
We’re going to look at the seven most common problems that Firestick users experience. Depending on which of these issues you’re having, your most likely fix will change. However, there is a fair bit of overlap when it comes to some of these problems.
If you’re looking for a blanket answer for how to fix an issue with your Firestick, the best course of action is to restart the device, either in the settings or with the remote as described below. You can try restarting your WiFi router as well. This will solve many of the most common issues.
If nothing on this list works, then the last resort for most issues is to perform a factory reset, which we look at later into this article. This will require you to go through the entire setup process again and potentially reinstall any apps you had — but it will have the best chance of fixing any stubborn issues.
1. Firestick Is Showing a Blank Screen
Restart the Fire Stick
If your Firestick is only showing a blank screen, then the first thing to try is restarting the device. To do this without being able to access the settings screen, you’ll need to pressand hold the “select” and “play/pause” buttons at the same time for about five seconds.
The Fire TV logo will show that the device has shut down and is restarting, which is also the sign that you can let go of the controller’s buttons.
Check Your Batteries
If this doesn’t happen and the device doesn’t reboot, make sure the batteries in your Fire Stick remote are fresh. The Alexa-enabled remote uses Bluetooth rather than IR like a normal remote, so it needs strong batteries to work properly.
Check the Connection
The last thing you can try if the Fire TV device is still only displaying a blank screen is to make sure the device is connected properly to your TV’s HDMI port.
You can either connect the Firestick directly to your TV or use the short included HDMI cable if you need more space. Amazon recommends that you try to make sure you’re using the included connection cables first before trying any third-party cables. It’s also a good idea to try a different HDMI port on your TV if there are multiple.
2. Firestick Isn’t Responding
Restart the Fire Stick
Much like the previous issue, one of the best things to do when faced with a Fire TV device that won’t respond is to restart the device by holding the “select” and “play/pause” buttons at the same time for a few seconds.
Check the Batteries
If this doesn’t do anything, make sure your remote’s batteries are fresh since the Bluetooth connection that the Alexa remote uses takes a bit more power than a standard remote would.
Unplug the Remote
If your remote is using fresh batteries and the restart command isn’t working, then you can restart the device by simply unplugging it and letting it sit for about a minute before plugging it back in. Once you plug it back in, you should see the Fire TV logo as the device boots back up.
3. Fix Screen Mirroring Issues
Turn On “Enable Display Mirroring”
Head into the settings of your Fire TV device and open the “display and sounds” tab. In this part of the settings, you’ll see an option to “Enable Display Mirroring.” While many devices should be able to mirror your Fire TV even without this mode enabled, turning this on will make it easier for other devices to find your Fire TV.
Use the Same WiFi Network
If things still aren’t working, make sure that both your Firestick and the device you’re trying to mirror from are connected to the same WiFi network. Additionally, Amazon recommends that the devices are within 30 feet of each other, so if the connection isn’t good, bringing them closer together can help.
Update Your Devices
Finally, if either device isn’t up to date, it can cause mirroring issues, so make sure to check for updates on both the Fire TV and your other devices.
4. Firestick Buffering Issues
If you’re having buffering issues with your Firestick, there are a few things you can do to hopefully improve the connection.
Restart Fire TV Stick and WiFi Router
First, if this is not a normal issue, you can restart both your Fire TV device and WiFi router.
Run Speed Tests
Once you’ve allowed your router to restart, run a speed test on another device that’s connected to your WiFi and see if the results are what they should be. There are also speed test apps available on the Amazon Fire TV app store, but we cannot attest to how accurate these apps are.
Move the Fire Stick and Router Closer
The final solution you can try if things are still loading slowly is to try and position the Firestick and your router as close as possible, and to remove any obstructions between the Firestick and the router.
5. Fire Stick App Crashes
Reinstall, Restart & Update Software
There are a couple of recommended fixes if apps are frequently crashing on your Fire TV. First, you can uninstall and reinstall the app; then, try restarting the device. It can also help to check for updates for your Firestick in case it’s an issue with outdated software.
Use the Right Power Cord and Adapter
It’s also recommended to make sure you’re using the included power adapter and power cord. The Firestick runs off of a USB power supply, so it’s possible to plug it into a phone charger or even a USB port on your TV, but this is not recommended.
Using a third-party power adapter might not give the Firestick enough power, or it could have irregular power delivery, either of which could result in apps crashing or the device freezing up.
Try a Factory Reset
The last resort is a factory reset. This can be found at the bottom of the “my Fire TV” tab of the settings and will completely reset the Amazon Fire Stick. This means you’ll have to go through the entire Firestick setup process again before using the device.
6. Fire TV Stick Not Connecting
Restart the Router
If your Amazon Fire TV Stick is not connecting to your WiFi network, then the first thing to try is restarting your WiFi router. Usually, the easiest way to do this is to unplug the router, let it sit for about a minute, and then plug it back in and wait for it to go through its boot-up process. While you’re waiting for this, it couldn’t hurt to restart your Firestick device as well.
Forget the WiFi Network
If both devices restart and the Firestick still doesn’t connect with the WiFi properly, then go into the “Network” page of the settings of your Firestick and press the menu button (the one with three horizontal lines) to forget your network. Then, sign back into the network to reconnect to it.
Move the Firestick and Router Closer
If the Firestick doesn’t see your WiFi at all, then try to move the router and the Firestick closer together and remove any object, especially anything metal, between them if possible.
Check Router Compatibility
Finally, check that your WiFi router is compatible with your Fire TV. It’s unlikely that they aren’t compatible since the Firestick can use almost all 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks, but very old routers might have a problem connecting.
7. Fire TV Remote Not Responding
Use New Batteries
The Fire TV’s remote uses a Bluetooth connection rather than an infrared one like more standard remotes. This Bluetooth connection increases the bandwidth between the two devices which makes the Alexa voice control possible.
However, the downside to this is that the remote can run through batteries faster than some might expect and won’t run on batteries that are too low on power. So if you’re having trouble with your Firestick remote, the first step to take is try new batteries.
Reconnect the Fire TV Remote
If you’ve already tried fresh batteries and you’re still experiencing Firestick remote issues, then try reconnecting the remote to your Firestick by holding the “home” button on the remote for about 10 seconds. Use your phone if you can and navigate to the settings menu of the Firestick and select “add new remote” in the “controllers and bluetooth devices” tab.
Restart the Firestick
If this still doesn’t work, then you might want to try restarting the device by unplugging it, or a factory reset if you can control the Firestick from your phone to get into the settings.
Final Thoughts: Firestick Not Working
Hopefully, your problem was covered on our list, and if not, you might still want to try some of the fixes we covered. As with most electronics, a good old restart can usually do a device some good. Otherwise, if all else fails, the factory reset will often clear up any issues at the cost of wiping anything stored on the device.
Have you had many issues with your Fire TV Stick? Are you still happy with the device, or do you think another streaming dongle might be better? Did our solutions help you get past the problem? Let us know in the comments below, and, as always, thanks for reading.
