It can be frustrating when you’re binge-watching the latest season of your favorite show and your Amazon Firestick stops working. If you’re seeing the buffering screen a lot, there are a few simple ways to keep your Firestick running like new. Here’s how to stop buffering on your Firestick.
When you stream media, your Amazon Firestick downloads a chunk of content and stores it on your device. If you finish watching the downloaded part of a video before the next part is loaded, this will cause the Firestick to show the buffering icon. The device will stop the video while downloading the next part of the content to update the device.
If you’re experiencing buffering issues frequently, it could be caused by any of the following reason:
Now that you know what might be causing your buffering, here are several ways to stop your Firestick from buffering.
If you want to stop your Firestick from buffering, one of the first things you should try is restarting your device. This will normally fix most buffering issues, especially if you keep your device turned on all the time.
The Firestick will then reboot itself. The process usually takes a few minutes.
If your device has a lot of apps installed, this adds to the demand on the device’s software and slows down its overall performance.
You can repeat this process to uninstall any other unnecessary apps.
If you don’t want to uninstall an app, you can clear the app’s cache instead.
Cache is the computer memory used for the storage of instructions or data. Clearing this may help solve the buffering issues.
Your Firestick collects data from all applications on your device. Also, many apps use background connections while you’re streaming content. Turning these features off can help with your buffering issues.
Certain other automatic processes will also run in the background and cause your device to slow down. Turning these features off will help with your buffering issues.
This will only turn off automatic updates for the apps that you have installed. Your Firestick will still be updated automatically.
App notifications don’t happen very often, but they do cause your Firestick to slow down, especially if you have several notifications at once.
Random Access Memory (RAM) is where your device stores information that will be accessed soon. Your Firestick could be running several processes in the background, which could use up a lot of your RAM. Since your Firestick only has 1-1.5 gigabytes of RAM, it can be used up quickly.
A lot of processes or apps use up your RAM after you close them. To remedy this, you can use an app that lets you find and force quit apps that are running in the background. The app is called Background Apps and Process List, which you can get for free from the Amazon Store. To download this app, follow the steps below:
When you’re done, press the back button on the remote. You can then repeat this process for all the other apps you want to force close.
Note: Do not close the VPN app you’re using for your Firestick. The app won’t take up too much RAM while it runs in the background. It might also help with your Firestick’s speed.
If your Firestick seems slower than it should be, your ISP could be throttling your internet connection. Luckily, a good VPN (virtual private network) can stop your ISP from slowing your connection down. A VPN provides you with a fully encrypted network, which might stop your buffering issues and give you complete privacy from your ISP at the same time.
Before you install a VPN on your Firestick, you’ll want to use a computer or smartphone to sign up for a service. There are lots of great free and paid options available now. If you don’t know where to start, check out our list of the best VPN services here.
Once you sign up for a VPN service, select the search option on the home page of your Firestick. Then search for your VPN, install it, log in, and connect.
If you’ve tried everything and you’re still experiencing buffering issues, you can perform a factory reset of your Firestick. However, this should only be done as a last resort.
Resetting your Firestick to factory conditions will erase everything on your Firestick, including all the apps you have downloaded and all your settings. Your purchases will be saved, but you’ll need to download everything again.
There are two methods for performing this. This is the first:
The second method is done using your Firestick remote.
If you tried all the different ways to stop your Firestick from buffering, and you’re still experiencing issues, check out our article on why is my WiFi slow here.
HelloTech editors choose the products and services we write about. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
Learn how to create a desktop shortcut to a website on Chrome and Safari, and… Read More
Learn how to pair your Amazon fire stick remote, replacement one, or third party… Read More
Learn how to clear the search history on your iPhone, whether you use Safari, Google… Read More
Learn how to clear the cache on your iPhone, no matter if you use Safari,… Read More
Learn how to reset your Amazon Echo device in case you want to sell it… Read More
In order to get the latest security patches and new features on your Windows 11… Read More
This website uses cookies.