The Amazon Fire TV Stick is an inexpensive and highly portable method of accessing a ton of video streams on your TV. All you have to do is plug it in and start watching–it really is that simple. Sometimes you’ll want to squeeze a little extra power out of this little device, however. There are a few tricks you can use to speed up your Amazon Fire TV Stick. Read on for our favorites!
Use a VPN to Stop ISP Throttling and Stay Safe
More and more people are turning to VPNs to protect their online privacy. In an age where government agencies monitor our activity, hackers try to steal data, and ISPs throttle connections based on content, you honestly can’t be too careful. Using a VPN is a surprisingly easy solution to defeat all of these problems and keep you safe online. They even work with portable devices like Fire TV Sticks!
Evaluating the Best VPN for Amazon Fire TV
It isn’t easy choosing the right VPN, let alone the best one for Amazon Fire TV devices. Speed and security are always important, but you also need to take into consideration the Fire Stick’s unique operating system and low-powered hardware. We made our recommendations based on the following criteria: app compatibility with Fire Stick, fast downloads, zero logging policy, no bandwidth restrictions and unmonitored traffic.
Our Pick: IPVanish
Two things are of prime importance when using a VPN on a Fire TV Stick: speed and ease of use. IPVanish goes to great lengths to provide both. The custom software is extraordinarily easy to use, even on TV sets using a tiny little remote. It’s also lightweight and won’t cause your device to slow down. Better still, IPVanish’s installation is handled through the Amazon Appstore, meaning you can have things up and running in no time.
IPVanish deploys a vast network of over 850 servers in 60 different countries, all backed by 256-bit encryption on data, a sturdy zero logging policy, and both DNS leak protection and an automatic kill switch. No matter which device you run your VPN on, IPVanish makes it easy to enjoy a private and lightning fast internet experience.
Some additional advantages of using IPVanish include:
- Open access to geo-restricted content through Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer.
- Unlimited bandwidth, no P2P or torrent restrictions, and absolutely no speed caps.
- Five simultaneous connections so all of your home devices can go online at once.
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How to Speed Up Your Amazon Fire TV Stick
Almost all speed problems on streaming devices can be boiled down to two categories: internet connection issues and a sluggish operating system. The former can vary from day to day and is often out of your control. The latter is easier to fix but is surprisingly rare in the Fire TV Stick community. We’ll cover both areas below, offering plenty of tips and tricks to speed up your Amazon Fire TV Stick no matter what kind of issues you’re having.
Speed Up Fire TV by Removing Problem Apps
New Amazon TV Sticks are pretty fast. You’ll rarely have any buffering issues and likely won’t encounter video stuttering or interface lag. As soon as you start installing programs, however, you’re on the road to speed issues. Most standard Fire TV apps won’t cause a problem, but if you sideload content or install software that constantly runs in the background, you might notice slowdown.
The best way to speed up your device is to simply remove the programs in question. Most apps on the Fire TV offer a few basic options but won’t let you tweak their settings enough to make any real improvements. If you have something sideloaded like Kodi, VPN software, or some other app that monitors your connection, they’re likely culprits for slowing things down. Fire OS has a quick and easy uninstallation process, so you can get rid of them and enjoy better speeds in just a few seconds.
How to uninstall problem apps:
- Open your Fire TV interface and go to the home menu.
- On the menu items at the top of the screen, scroll to the right and choose “Settings”. (You may need to press “up” on your remote to highlight the menu before navigating.)
- Scroll right and choose “Applications”
- In the Applications menu, move down and choose “Manage Installed Applications”
- Scroll until you find the app you want to uninstall. Removing anything you sideloaded, such as Kodi or a VPN, might improve your device’s speed.
- Select the app and a new screen will open. Scroll down and choose “Uninstall”
- A secondary screen will open. Choose “Uninstall” again.
- After a moment the app will be deleted from your Fire TV device.
- Repeat the process for each app you want to get rid of.
Speed up Your Fire Stick with an Update
Amazon is constantly releasing Fire OS updates to make things faster, smoother, and easier to use. There are also a number of security patches you’ll need to stay safe while you stream. It’s worth checking the settings page to make sure your device is up to date, as this simple action could fix all of your problems.
How to check for Fire OS updates:
- Open your Fire TV interface and go to the home menu.
- On the menu items at the top of the screen, scroll to the right and choose “Settings”.
- Scroll right and select “Device”
- Choose “Check for System Update” and confirm in the next window.
- The Fire TV Stick will automatically look for new software. If it’s available, you’ll be prompted to download and install immediately.
Restart Your Fire TV Device to Increase Speed
We rarely shut off our Fire Sticks. From day to day, they simply sleep and wake up when we want to watch something. Over time this can lead to a little interface slowdown or even buffering issues. A quick reboot will clear out the temporary cache and give your TV Stick a boost in speed. You can always unplug it, wait a few seconds, then plug it back in, but using the software’s reboot option is generally faster and safer.
How to restart a Fire TV Stick:
- Open your Fire TV interface and go to the home menu.
- On the menu items at the top of the screen, scroll to the right and choose “Settings”.
- Scroll right and select “Device”
- Choose “Restart” and confirm in the next window.
- The Fire TV Stick will automatically reboot.
Get a Speed Boost by Turning Off App Settings
Each time you start up your device as well as at random points throughout the day, Fire OS will ping Amazon’s servers to check each of your apps for an update. If you have a lot of software installed this can cause some serious slowdown, especially after a reboot. It’s generally not a good idea to turn off updates since newer software is faster than old, but it’s worth trying to see if it fixes your speed problems.
Turn off automatic app updates:
- Open your Fire TV interface and go to the home menu.
- On the menu items at the top of the screen, scroll to the right and choose “Settings”.
- Scroll right and select “Applications” followed by “Appstore”.
- Go to “Automatic Updates” and toggle it to “off”.
While you’re in the applications menu there’s another small setting you can change. This won’t have much of an impact on your speed experience, but it’s a good idea to toggle it in the name of privacy.
- Go back to the “Applications” screen under settings.
- Find the item named “Collect App Usage Data”
- Click to turn it off.
Factory Reset Your Fire TV Stick for More Speed
If none of the above options cured your slowdown issues, and if you’re sure your internet connection isn’t causing the slowdown, your last resort can be resetting the device to its factory default state. This will erase everything on your Fire TV Stick, including app downloads and any software you sideloaded. Your purchases will be saved, of course, but you’ll need to sign in and re-download everything once the reset is complete.
How to factory reset a Fire TV Stick:
- Open your Fire TV interface and go to the home menu.
- On the menu items at the top of the screen, scroll to the right and choose “Settings”.
- Scroll right and select “Device”
- Choose “Restart” and confirm in the next window.
- The Fire TV Stick will automatically reboot.
Understanding Hardware Limitations
When it comes down to it, the Amazon Fire TV Stick isn’t a high-powered device. You won’t be able to squeeze the kind of performance out of it that you might get from a smartphone, tablet, or set top Fire TV box. If you’re comparing your TV Stick to another device, your slowdown issue may seem worse than it actually is. Being aware of this fact can save you some stress, so consider your situation carefully!
Internet Slowdown and Your Amazon Fire TV
Not all speed issues are directly related to hardware. If a video stutters frequently or gets stuck in the buffering stage, the most likely culprit is your connection to the internet. Some network issues are related to ISP congestion or even remote server load, which you can’t do anything about. There are a few issues you can check with your local network to make sure it’s not the cause. Run through the list below and your Amazon Fire TV Stick will be back up to speed in no time.
- Switch VPN servers – If you’re using a VPN on your Fire Stick (and you really should be!) you could be having an issue with a sluggish server. Open the app on your device and choose a different location to see if that speeds things up.
- Check your Wi-Fi – Wireless internet isn’t the best way to connect streaming devices, but for TV Sticks it’s the best option we’ve got. If possible, make sure your device is as close to the router as possible, preferably in the same room.
- Turn off your VPN – VPNs are slower than most unsecured internet connections. If changing servers doesn’t grant some speed, try disabling your VPN.
- Router and modem reboot – A fast solution to local network slowdown is to perform a quick reset. Turn off your modem and router, wait ten seconds, then plug them back in in the same order. This can clear channel interference problems and put your local network back on the right track.
More Speed Tricks for Amazon Fire TV
Amazon Fire TV devices work great out of the box. They require practically no set up and stream videos from a variety of sources with ease. Slowdown does happen from time to time, of course, so if you’ve got a few unique tricks you use to speed up your Fire Stick, let us know in the comments!
Read How to Speed Up Your Amazon Fire TV Stick by Diego Villena on AddictiveTips - Tech tips to make you smarter
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