Why Firestick gets slow — How to solve the problem?

With every newer version and regular updates, Fire TV Stick is getting better and faster, but it is far from being a perfect media streaming device. Out of the numerous concerns like smooth navigation and simplistic interface, one prevailing and common among many users is the Fire TV Stick performing poorly.

Read on to find why Fire TV Stick gets slow and ways to tackle these problems.

Why does FireStick get slow?

From connection issues to storage space, overheating to OS, there are several reasons why your Fire TV Stick started working slow. Here are all the significant reasons that could be responsible for poor performance:

1. Poor Connectivity: Poor speed explains everything; the manufacturer recommends 8MBps of download speed for HD (up to 1080p) and 25 MBps of download speed for 4K streaming. Note that the rate mentioned is in MBps, not Mb
2. ISP throttling: Several internet service providers limit the bandwidth depending on users or area to maximize profits.
3. Software issues: Several operating functions like background applications and storage space could also be responsible for the poor performance of the Fire TV Stick.
4. Hardware issues: From the power adapter to FireStick hardware itself, many hardware concerns slow down the performance.

Quick Fix #1: Connection Speed

Before proceeding with the below-mentioned methods, it’s better to check your connection strength:

1. Hover to the Settings.
2. Select Network.
3. Highlight the Networks (name) you are using.
4. You will see either of these under Signal Strength (on the right pane)—Weak, Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good.

Of course, the first three—Weak, Poor, Fair—indicates that the connection rate might be the cause. However, if you encounter buffering and lag when the signal strength is Good or Very Good, other reasons could be the cause.

Quick Fix #2: Restart the Fire TV Stick

Restarting seems obvious, but if you did not already, and especially if the issue is new and sudden, it’s better to restart the Fire TV Stick.

How to improve the performance of the Fire TV Stick?

The above quick fixes didn’t work? Try to fix other software and hardware-related issues that are the reason for slow performance.

First, let’s see all the hardware-related issues of Fire TV Stick and ways to tackle them:

Supply Optimal Power

The Fire TV Stick is a small device, but it requires optimum power to perform at its best; many users make the mistake of not using the original power adapter and charging cable. Plus, avoid connecting the charging cable to the TV’s USB port; often, TVs have low output, and it might not be enough to power the device efficiently. So, to be sure of optimal power supply:

• Use the manufacturer’s adapter and USB cable.
• Connect it to the wall socket; avoid TV and Laptop USB ports.
• If your power adapter has been damaged, use a 5W, 1.0A power adapter.

Also, plug your Fire TV Stick only when you are using it as round the clock could overheat the device and affect performance when you are actually using it.

Avoid Overheating

Another significant hardware issue that could be the reason for reducing the performance of the Fire TV Stick is overheating. Whether you stream for long hours or leave it switched on overnight, Fire TV Stick devices suffer from overheating (especially the older versions).

While some ways to limit overheating is to minimize the use or switch it off for 30 minutes after hours of continuous use, another effective solution is to make holes in the Fire TV Stick plastic case —see some Youtube videos.

Besides, you can also try utilizing the HDMI extender.

Now, let’s see— some solutions to problems related to settings, storage— the so-called software tweaks:

Clear Storage

Be it a computer, smartphone, Fire TV Stick, or any other device CPUs, they all crave storage space. With just 8GB or 16GB of storage, Fire TV Stick cannot handle tons of applications, data, or cache. Moreover, many of the applications run in the background, further degrading the performance.

Here’s what you can do to increase storage:

• Uninstall apps—that you do not use.
• Force stop — to stop an application from running in the background.
• Clear cache— to clear temporary logs.
• Clear data —to reset the apps to their defaults (wipes all the data, i.e., including your sign-in information.).

Follow these steps to clear storage:

1. Navigate to the Settings menu.
2. Open Applications.
3. Choose the third—Managed Installed Application.
4. Select the desired application and choose an option: Uninstall/Force Stop/Clear cache /Clear data.

Disable Built-in Services

Fire TV Stick comes with bloatware services that you might not use like, Prime Photos — unlimited cloud storage space to Prime users; also, WhisperSync — stores personal gaming stats.

Removing them will improve the performance, as they are an additional burden on the CPU.

To disable Amazon’s PrimePhotos Service, go to Settings>Applications>Amazon Photos>Turn Off both (Guest Connections as well as Access) options.

To disable the WhisperSync, go to Settings>Applications>GameCircle>WhisperSync for games>Turn Off.

Bypass ISP throttling

Streaming services like BBC iPlayer, HBO, Prime Videos, etc., demand high bandwidth resulting in congestion on the network, and to counter these lags, ISPs restrict the download speed.

Shifting ISP from ISP might not be ideal as almost all service providers inspect the network issues and throttle your speed to maximize their profits. Instead, you should employ a reliable VPN service —which hides the IP address and provides online anonymity—to hide your activities from the ISPs. And, just for $3 or $4 /month, you will get a more satisfying experience.

There are numerous authentic VPNs available on the Amazon App store, which you can effortlessly download and install. However, if the preferred VPN does not have a dedicated app on AppStore, you can learn how to jailbreak a firestick and install an apk file via the downloader app instead.

Modify Preferences

Fire TV Stick is preconfigured to autoplay videos and audios based on your watch history. Also, it regularly feeds you unwanted Notifications; however, if you do not like this function or want to select the contents manually— it is substantial that you turn it off.

To disable Autoplay:

1. Hover to the Settings
2. Choose Preferences.
3. Go to Features Content.
4. Turn off both the options —Allow Video Autoplay and Allow Audio Autoplay.

To disable Notifications:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Choose Applications.
3. Opt for AppStore.
4. And, Turn off the Notifications option.

These functions like Autoplay and Notifications are unnecessary loads on the CPU, and to get a seamless experience, you must disable them.

Update the Fire TV Stick OS

While OS issues are not that prevailing, it is better to clear the doubt by updating the Os of the Fire TV Stick; usually, newer versions come with enhanced security and better features.

Fire TV Stick automatically updates the OS, but it is more advantageous to review if the Operating System is up-to-date or not manually.

Turn off Automatic Update

This may be contrary to the above-specified statement, but it is more prominent to disable Automatic Update and perform updates manually. The reason for this absurd suggestion is that with automatic updates, Fire TV Stick takes control of the process (in the background) at any time, resulting in lags. So it could be beneficial to perform the updates manually—but do not forget to do it periodically.

To disable Automatic Updates:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to Applications.
3. Open AppStore.
4. Select Automatic Updates and turn it off.

Factory Reset the Fire TV Stick

If all hell breaks loose, and none of these FireStick hacks were beneficial, it’s better to reset the Fire TV Stick to its factory defaults and start over again.

Moreover, it is better to remove any additional storage device if you want to save the contents of the expandable storage device.

Conclusion,

Be it any of the reasons— it is better to check all these features and enable or disable them to get the best possible streaming experience.