Stop Buffering!

How to Stop Buffering on Your Firestick

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.

Why Does My Firestick Keep Buffering?

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:

• ISP throttling. Your internet service provider (ISP) might be slowing (throttling) your internet on purpose. ISPs (such as Comcast or Time Warner) regularly scan for particular traffic categories, and they might reduce your download speed if you’re streaming too much content.
• Hardware limitations. Buffering could be caused by problems with your router, modem, Ethernet cable, or even the Firestick hardware.
• Remote server malfunctions. The server hosting your video content could be operating at a slower pace or could malfunction.
• Slow internet connection. Your home internet connection might be too slow to handle video streams.

How to Stop Buffering on Firestick

Now that you know what might be causing your buffering, here are several ways to stop your Firestick from buffering.

Note: Before you change any settings, you should check to see if your WiFi connection is the problem. Even if you have a strong WiFi connection from your router, it doesn’t mean that your Firestick will have a strong connection as well. Do a speed test to determine the average internet speed.

Restart Your Firestick

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.

1. Launch your Firestick and select Settings from the top menu. You can access the top menu by clicking the up button (the top of the big circle) on your Firestick remote. Then click the right button (the right side of the big circle) to move to Settings. Finally, click the center of the circle to select Settings.
2. Then select My Fire TV. You have to click the down button (the bottom of the big circle on your remote) to access the Settings options.
3. Next, select Restart. This will show you a message prompt asking you to confirm the restart action.
4. Finally, select Restart to confirm the action.

The Firestick will then reboot itself. The process usually takes a few minutes. Also see what causes buffering.