Fire Stick frozen? Causes and how to fix

Your Amazon Fire TV Stick freezing while you’re in the middle of something or just want to relax and binge a movie on Prime Video can be really annoying. Usually, your Fire TV Stick will freeze on the startup menu or Amazon logo and you won’t be able to access the settings or even sometimes use your remote.

Your Fire TV Stick freezing is caused by various reasons such as the Fire TV Stick’s software being outdated. Another reason is because of some files installed on your Fire TV Stick are corrupted or were not downloaded properly.  

You can fix it by ensuring that your Fire TV Stick has sufficient power supply, restarting your Fire TV Stick, trying another HDMI port, resetting your Fire TV Stick, trying giving it time to rest, or trying a different Fire TV Stick and TV.

How to fix

Ensure sufficient power supply

Your Fire TV Stick needs constant adequate power supply. A frozen Fire TV page could indicate insufficient power. If your Fire TV Stick freezes, ensure it is sufficiently powered by connecting it to a power source using the right power adapter/cord. Amazon recommends using Fire TV Stick’s original adapter that it comes with. If you can’t find one, make sure the one you use has the same power rating.

Allow your Fire TV Stick to rest

When your stick stays up for long, it overheats and may not function properly. Disconnecting its power for a while helps it cool down and restore its functionality. Amazon recommends giving your stick at least 25 minutes to rest when it’s still turned on or until you see changes on your screen. To prevent any future overheating of not just your Fire TV Stick but also other electrical devices in your home, ensure your Fire TV Stick is in a well-ventilated room and with no obstructions.

Restart your Fire TV Stick

Restarting your stick like in most devices can help fix several issues with a frozen stick being among them. Restart your stick by pressing both the Select and Play/Pause buttons on your remote together for about 5 seconds. In most cases, this should do the job and restore your Fire TV Stick. If you’re able to access settings on your Fire TV Stick, you can do a restart by selecting Settings, then Device and finally press Restart.

Change the HDMI port

Try changing the HDMI port your Fire TV Stick is using to connect to your TV using an HDMI extender cable. Try with and without a HDMI extender/adapter while ensuring the HDMI cable you’re using is high-speed. In case you’re using a HDMI splitter/hub to connect your Fire TV Stick to your TV, then disconnect your Fire TV Stick and connect it directly to your TV since some HDMI hubs can affect your Fire TV Stick’s power supply.

NB: Having multiple HDMI devices connected to your TV can interfere or disrupt your Fire TV Stick making it get stuck when booting up. Try unplugging other HDMI devices when starting up your device.

Use a different Fire TV stick and TV

Try connecting your Fire TV stick to another TV or use a different Fire TV Stick on your TV so as to narrow down your source of freezing. Borrow from a friend or neighbor if you can and troubleshoot. If your stick works on a different TV, then your TV might be having an issue with its firmware. Contact your TV manufacturer’s customer support. If another stick works with your TV, then reset the Fire TV stick to factory settings or return it to the store for replacement or repair if its warranty hasn’t expired.

Reset your Fire TV Stick 

Corrupt files on your Fire TV stick can make your Fire TV Stick freeze. You can get rid of these files by resetting your stick to its default settings. This will clear all the data on your stick. Go to your home screen and click on Settings then select My Fire TV. Look for ‘Reset to Factory Defaults’ option and reboot by clicking on ‘Select Reset’. After the reboot is complete, connect your Fire TV to a Wi-Fi network and log in to the wireless network. Next, log in to your Amazon account using your Amazon login credentials and set up your Fire TV Stick. Check to confirm if the error has cleared.

A summary table of causes of a frozen Fire Stick and hot to fix

Conclusion

Your Fire TV Stick freezing shouldn’t be a reason not to go ahead and still enjoy your TV show or movie. Freezing just like on any other electronic device such as your phone is not uncommon. You should be able to get rid of the freezing after troubleshooting using one or more of the above methods.

FAQs

My TV doesn’t have a HDMI port; can I still connect to the Amazon Fire TV Stick?

Yes you can use an HDMI converter which will connect to the TV through RCA cables (the red white and yellow cables). This will however limit your maximum resolution to 480p since it’s the highest an RCA can output.

I don’t have an Amazon account. Can I use Fire TV Stick without an account?

No. Unfortunately you can’t use a Fire TV stick without an Amazon account. An Amazon account is however free and besides just for use on the Fire TV stick, you’re also able to use it to access other amazing Amazon products and services.