Settings to Make Your Amazon Fire TV Stick Run Faster
With that in mind, let’s look at some settings you can turn off which will help to reduce the load on your device’s CPU, thus reducing its temperature and allowing your Fire Stick to run faster.
1. Update Your Device
Amazon releases regular updates for the Fire OS software. These updates are designed to improve speed, security, and performance. That’s why it’s important to periodically install Fire TV Stick updates to make sure that its operating system is working optimally.
To find the latest Firestick updates and install them, here’s what you have to do:
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Go to the interface on your Fire TV Stick and click on the Home Menu
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Once you get to the Home Menu, scroll to the top left corner of the screen and choose “settings”
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Scroll to the right again and then choose “device”
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From there, select “check for system update”
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Once you reach the next window, click “confirm”
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The Fire TV Stick will take care of the rest by tracking new software updates.
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The screen will show a “download and install” prompt if any new software updates are available
2. Uninstall Apps That You Don’t Use
Does your device have a lot of apps? This can significantly compromise your ability to enjoy content from your Fire TV Stick because it adds to the overall demand on the device’s software. Third-party apps are notorious for slowing down the Firestick because they’re not optimized to perform properly.
To remove these apps, simply follow these steps:
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Switch on your Fire TV and click on the home menu
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Look at the top of the screen and direct your mouse to the right
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Select “settings”
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Scroll to the right and select “applications”
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Once on the App menu, scroll down and select “manage installed applications”
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Select the apps you’d like to uninstall from the list provided.
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Once you click on an app, the browser will automatically open a new screen.
Then Click Delete or Clear data 2x -
Scroll down and select “uninstall”
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The browser will open another screen. Select “uninstall” again.
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This should automatically delete the app from your Firestick.
3. Video and Sound Autoplay
By default, your Amazon Fire Stick will use the Featured section on the Home screen to play videos that its algorithms think you might be interested in. The videos play on a continuous loop.
Disabling this feature will significantly reduce the CPU’s load. You can do so by going to Settings > Preferences > Featured Content and turning off both the Allow Video Autoplay and Allow Sound Autoplay options.
4. Notifications
There are a few types of notifications on Fire TV Sticks. The Amazon Appstore will generate notifications about app updates and other services, while the apps you’ve installed can also create notifications. These typically inform you of breaking news or freshly-available content.
To turn off Appstore notifications, go to Settings > Applications > Appstore > Notifications. To disable notifications from other apps on a case-by-case basis, go to Settings > Preferences > Notification Settings > App Notifications.
5. Automatic Updates
Automatic updates serve an important purpose. They make sure you always have the newest features and security fixes.
To protect yourself from hackers and viruses, you must keep your software and hardware updated. But which devices need to be updated?
However, when enabled, the updates can occur at any time in the background. Instead, if you turn off automatic updates, you can take control of the process. Set aside sometime when you’re not watching anything and run the update process manually.
To disable the feature, head to Settings > Applications > Appstore > Automatic Updates.
Note: You should always make sure you’re running the latest version of the app. If you disable updates, make sure you don’t forget to check.
6. Disable Unused Services
The Fire Stick has some of Amazon’s other services built-in. They include Prime Photos and Whispersync.
Prime Photos provides unlimited photo storage from Prime members; Whispersync syncs progress, high scores, and other gaming data across all your Amazon devices.
If you don’t use either of the services, you should turn them off. To turn off Prime Photos, go to Settings > Applications > Prime Photos and turn off both Allow Guest Connections and Access Prime Photos.
To disable Whispersync, you need to go to Settings > Applications > GameCircle > Whispersync for Games.
7. Data Collection
Unsurprisingly, your Amazon Fire TV Stick is set to collect a significant amount of data about you when you use the device.
If you turn off all these settings, it’ll not only improve your security, but it will also help your device run faster; all the collection techniques represent power-hungry background processes.
You’ll find the settings you need to disable split across both the Privacy and Data Monitoring menus.
Firstly, go to Settings > Preferences > Privacy Settings. There are three settings you need to turn off. They are Device Usage Data, Collect App Usage Data, and Interest-based ads.
Next, go to Settings > Preferences > Data Monitoring and turn off the single setting.
8. Hard reboot of firestick
Most people are so obsessed with their Firestick devices that they never switch them off! Unfortunately, keeping your Fire TV Stick on at all times can lead to serious buffering issues. That’s why you need to reboot your device every now and then to clear out its cache and improve performance.
Here’s how you can do this:
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Hold down the select button and the play burrito for 10 secs
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The Fire TV Stick will reboot itself automatically, and the process usually takes a few minutes.
9. Reboot Your Router
To fix buffering on Firestick that’s caused by a slow local network, simply reset everything. This means you’ll have to switch off your router and your modem completely. Wait for a few seconds before you plug everything back in following the same order through which you turned them off. This is sometimes the best way to fix interference issues with your Fire TV Stick and improve your local network’s performance.
10. Do a Factory Reset
If you’ve tried all the solutions mentioned above and your Fire TV Stick still has buffering issues, you might have to do something more radical. This could mean doing a complete factory reset, which will remove almost all your Firestick data, including sideloaded software and downloaded apps. However, you’ll still have your important data, purchases, and downloads. But doing this will solve your buffering issues.
There are two ways for you to perform a Fire TV Stick factory reset. The first one requires that you start by going to “settings.” Click on “device”, scroll to the bottom of the page and select “restore” to factory defaults and confirm your selection. The Fire TV Stick will take care of the rest.
With the second method, you simply hold press on the right key and back button of your Fire TV Stick remote. Hold both buttons for about five seconds or so until the factory reset warning shows up. Afterward, a timer will appear, giving you an additional 20 seconds to change your mind before starting the automatic reset process.
Conclusion
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick is a fun and convenient device that gives viewers access to all types of content. But it can be frustrating to deal with buffering problems, which are common with these devices. Fortunately, if you follow the tips in this article, you can fix buffering on Firestick without even hiring a professional.
However, if you’re looking for a quick and all-encompassing solution, consider using a VPN like IPVanish. This VPN works with all types of devices and has a proven track record with solving buffering issues.
