6 things to test before throwing away your "broken" Fire TV Stick
If your Fire TV Stick keeps rebooting, freezing, or buffering and feels like it's on its way out, it might not actually be broken. Different symptoms often have different causes, so the fix for a device that's buffering won't be the same as one that's stuck in a reboot loop. So before you throw it away and buy a replacement, check whether you can get it working properly again.
Check the power supply
If it won't turn on or keeps restarting
Andy Betts / How-To Geek
A common sign of a Fire Stick that's on its last legs is constant rebooting or not turning on at all. Reboot loops are far more likely to be caused by an inadequate power supply than hardware failure.
If you've got your Fire Stick connected through your TV's USB port, swap it out for a wall adapter instead. Many TVs don't output enough power to keep a Fire Stick running consistently. Also, try a different USB cable and power adapter. Use the one that came with the device if you've still got it.
Fix overheating issues
If it freezes, slows down, or randomly reboots
Andy Betts / How-To Geek
Overheating is another common cause of reboots or freezing. We usually keep our Fire Sticks neatly tucked away behind the TV, where there's poor ventilation. But because the devices pack their hardware into such a small enclosure, heat can build quickly. You can check it by touching it. Some warmth is expected, but if it's unusually hot, that might signify a problem.
The short-term fix is to unplug it and let it cool down. Longer term, move it away from behind the TV where heat can get trapped and find a new spot for it. Use an HDMI extender so you can position it somewhere that it can get more breathing room.
Fix your Wi-Fi connection
If streaming constantly buffers
Amazon
When constant buffering is the thing that makes you think your Fire Stick is broken, it might actually be a Wi-Fi issue instead. A simple fix is to restart both the router and stick and see if that improves things. If not, there are better fixes to try.
First, check whether the problem is actually with the network by seeing if your other devices are working okay.
Next, make sure the Fire Stick is getting a good connection to your router. As with the heat issue, keeping it stuck away behind the TV can disrupt the signal and mean it doesn't get as strong a connection as you need, especially when streaming high-bitrate video, like 4K movies. Try to move either the stick or the router so they're closer to each other.
Also, consider switching between the 5GHz and 2.4GHz networks, depending on how far apart the devices are. If they're near each other, 5GHz can be the better option. If none of that works and you still suspect Wi-Fi is the cause, consider using an Ethernet adapter instead . This will give you a much more reliable internet connection.
Free up storage space
If it's slow or apps keep crashing
Fire Sticks will often slow down and start crashing when they run short on storage space . They come with low storage to begin with and don't just use it to keep content and apps. They need it for temporary files, caching, and general housekeeping. Once the space starts to get limited, that's when problems will arise.
Check how much space you have in Settings > My Fire TV > About > Storage. There are lots of things you can do to free up space on your stick, including clearing the app caches, deleting apps you no longer use, and removing content that you've downloaded and no longer need.
Check your HDMI connection
If you get a black screen or no signal
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | RightFramePhotoVideo / Shutterstock
If there are no signs of life from your Fire TV Stick at all, then that's an obvious worrying sign. But it might be an HDMI issue. Try a different HDMI port on your TV or even another TV, if you've got one.
On top of that, remove any HDMI switches or splitters that you might have connected. Just plug the device directly into your set and see what happens. Don't ignore the obvious solutions either. Check, for example, that your TV input is correct. It might sound silly, but sometimes the silly solutions are the most useful.
Reset the remote and Fire TV Stick
If controls don't work when you press them
When your Fire TV Stick isn't responding, it might be an issue with your remote control. You should get a warning when the batteries run out, but you can sometimes miss it, and low-powered batteries can cause the remote to perform erratically.
Changing the batteries is the first step. Make sure to re-pair your remote when you've done that. You can also try a different remote. If you don't have a spare one lying around, install the Fire TV app on your phone. It detects the Fire Stick on your network and lets you use it as a remote control. If it works, you'll know the remote is the problem.
Restart the Fire Stick, then reset and re-pair the remote . As a last resort, you might need to factory reset the stick.
Check whether it is actually too old
If none of these fixes have helped, it might be that your Fire TV Stick has reached the end of its useful life. It might not be broken as such, but older models might struggle with newer apps and updates, and Fire Sticks do have an expiration date . General slowness, long loading times, and dropped support ultimately mean a replacement is the only realistic fix.
