Have you ever tried to watch something on your Fire TV Stick just to have it lag or play choppy? It’s a common problem that can be really frustrating.
Today I will focus on five of the most common causes and how you can quickly fix them. I’ll cover simple troubleshooting steps like soft resetting your Fire TV Stick, clearing storage space, checking internet connection speed, clearing in-app caches and more.
Top 5 Fire TV Stick Slow or Choppy Video Fixes
I’ll share the top 5 solutions for resolving slow or choppy video streaming on your Fire TV Stick so that you can continue enjoying your favorite movies and shows without interruption.
Soft Reset
To soft reset your Fire TV Stick, press and hold the Select and Play/Pause buttons on your remote at the same time for about 10 seconds until the device reboots. This will reset any software issues that may have caused your Fire TV Stick to slow down or become choppy.
Alternatively, you can reboot the Fire TV Stick by unplugging it from the wall for 30 seconds and then plugging it back in.
Clear Storage Space
Your Fire TV Stick needs a certain amount of free storage space in order to run optimally. If there isn’t enough free space, the device will run slow or choppy when streaming video content. Check how much storage you have available by going to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Storage.
If you are running low on storage space then you can easily delete old apps and files that you no longer need. To do this, go to Settings > My Fire TV > Manage Installed Applications. You can then select the apps you want to delete and press Remove from Device.
Check Internet Connection Speed
If your internet connection speed is too slow, it could be causing videos to play choppy or lag on your Fire TV Stick. I’d recommend running a speed test on any device connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
To check your Fire TV Stick’s current internet connection, go to Settings > Network.
Top Tip Press the Play/Pause button on your remote to view Wi-Fi signal strength.
If your internet speed is lower than what’s recommended for streaming video content (3 Mbps for SD, 5 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for Ultra HD) then consider upgrading your plan or contacting your internet service provider (ISP).
Clear In-App Caches
Caches are temporary files that are stored on your Fire TV Stick which can slow it down or cause videos to play choppy. Clearing the caches of individual apps can help resolve this issue.
To clear an app’s cache, go to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications and select the app you want to clear. Then press Clear Cache and/or Clear Data.
Install Latest Updates
It’s always a good idea to keep your Fire TV Stick up-to-date with the latest software version. Updates are released regularly which can fix bugs or performance issues that may be causing problems like slow or choppy video playback.
To check if a software update is available, go to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Check for Updates.
Final Thoughts
Slow or choppy video streaming on a Fire TV Stick can be extremely frustrating. However, by following the steps in this tutorial you should be able to relatively quickly isolate and fix the issue with your device.
The five solutions I have outlined are soft resetting your Fire TV Stick, clearing storage space, checking internet connection speed, clearing in-app caches and installing the latest software updates.
