How to fix caching on FireStick (September 2021)
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In this article, I will show you how to stop buffering on FireStick. The troubleshooting steps in this guide work on FireStick 4K, Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Cube as well as older Fire TV devices.
How to stop buffering on firestick Amazon FireStick is one of the most popular streaming devices in the world. It is incredibly easy to set up and use. It supports many great apps from Amazon store as well as many third party apps. Overall, FireStick provides an amazing streaming experience.
However, many users are also experiencing caching issues with FireStick. The percentage of these users is low. However, since there are millions of users with FireStick, that small percentage is a huge number.
If your FireStick keeps buffering all the time, this article will discuss various possible causes and solutions.
Here are the reasons why using a VPN anytime is a must.
Read: How to Install and Use a VPN on Fire Stick
What Causes Buffering on FireStick
There are several factors that can cause the caching problem. Here are some of the most common reasons why buffering occurs on FireStick:
Slow internet connection: It is recommended to have at least 10Mbps for 1080p streaming and 20Mbps for 4K streaming. If your internet connection is slow, you will have buffering issues
ISP throttling: Your ISP may slow down your connection speed from time to time if it detects too much streaming activity.
Modem away from the FireStick: If the FireStick is placed too far from the Wi-Fi modem, the signal strength will be low and will cause buffering issues.
Lack of RAM: It is not uncommon for FireStick to run out of RAM. There can be a lot of unnecessary apps running in the background
Storage shortage:
Again, it is popular among FireStick users. The device has only 8 GB of space, much of it is already used by the operating system
FireStick overheating: If your FireStick gets overheated, this will likely cause buffering issues.
Outdated Firestick OS: You may have caching issues on your FireStick if it’s running on an outdated OS
Here are the solutions to stop caching on FireStick:
1. Restart FireStick
If you can’t really pinpoint the exact cause behind the FireStick buffering issue, a simple trick like restarting your device might be the solution.
In fact, restarting is one of the simplest troubleshooting methods and should be one of the first to try. It can solve many problems.
Here are the steps:
Go to FireStick Settings
Firestick caching issue
Click on My Fire TV
How to fix caching on Firestick
Click Restart
How to fix caching on Firestick
Click Restart to confirm
Firestick caching fixed
2. Take care of your internet speed
You likely have a high-speed broadband and internet speed is not an issue for you. However, I still recommend checking your internet speed as the first troubleshooting step.
If it turns out that you are already getting a desirable internet speed on Amazon FireStick, you will get rid of that worry.
And if the slow internet connection is behind the buffering issues, you can always contact your ISP to find out the reason or maybe you will get a new connection.
Any speed over 10Mbps is enough for streaming up to 1080p resolution
If you are streaming 4K videos, at least 20Mbps is recommended.
Here is how to check internet speed on Firestick
If your Firestick isn’t getting the internet speed you want, here’s what you need to do next – Check and Optimize Wi-Fi Signal Strength
Signal strength plays a major role in the smooth streaming experience. The signal strength is strongest when the modem is near the FireStick and weaker when it is far away.
Here’s how to check signal strength on Amazon FireStick and act accordingly:
Go to firestick home screen settings
Firestick caching issue
Click Network in the next window
How to stop caching on firestick
Mark the address/name of the Wi-Fi network
On the right, you will find the status under Signal strength
Firestick caching issue
If the message is very good, you will get proper Wi-Fi signals. If he says poor or weak, then there is a problem.
Typically, the modem should be within 20-30 feet of the device to get the best signal strength. If your modem is far from it, you may want to buy a Wi-Fi repeater. As the name suggests, a Wi-Fi repeater expands your modem’s coverage area, allowing it to be effective over a larger area.
You should also make sure that there are not too many electrical devices near your modem that can cause signal interference.
If possible, place the modem a little higher (6 feet or more) for better signal coverage.
Use an Ethernet cable for a wired connection
Use an amazon ethernet adapter to avoid buffering on a wired firestick connection which is usually much faster than on a wireless connection. First of all, it is not necessary to rely on the proximity of the router to the device. The Ethernet cord plugs directly into the Amazon FireStick.
Secondly, there are no obstacles between the router and the device. Many electrical obstacles, as well as some mechanical ones, tend to weaken the Wi-Fi signal.
You can control or even stop buffering on your FireStick with a wired connection. For a wired connection on FireStick, you can purchase an Amazon Ethernet Adapter for Amazon Fire TV devices from Amazon.com.
The Internet/LAN cord and power cable will go from the FireStick power adapter to the Ethernet adapter. And then, only one cable from the Ethernet adapter will be connected to the FireStick.
Note that you don’t need to buy an Ethernet adapter if you’re already getting great network speed with your Wi-Fi connection.
3. Adopt a VPN to prevent caching
Recommended for better speed as well as privacy
private stream
Internet throttling is a common practice among ISPs. Your ISP may slow down your Internet connection when it detects streaming activities above a certain level. Therefore, you may encounter buffering on FireStick.
Fortunately, this can be easily avoided by using a VPN service for FireStick. A good VPN will not only prevent your ISP from restricting the speed, but you will benefit from it in many ways, such as:
Hide streaming activities from government monitoring and ISPs
Anonymous torrent downloads
Protects personal information from hackers
Unblock geo-restricted content (including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, etc.)
In my experience, ExpressVPN is the best VPN for FireStick. It uses the best encryption techniques and is also the fastest VPN.
ExpressVPN is currently offering 49% off their annual plan. On top of that, you get 3 months free with this package. It also offers an unconditional 30-day money-back guarantee.
Here’s what you can do to get ExpressVPN and avoid buffering on FireStick:
Click here to sign up for ExpressVPN
Once you have your ExpressVPN account, launch your FireStick and select the FIND option in the middle bar
Firestick caching fixed
Click Search
Click Search
Find ExpressVPN and click on it in the search suggestions. Follow the onscreen instructions to install ExpressVPN
Firestick caching issue
Open ExpressVPN and log in using the account login information you created during registration
How to fix caching on Firestick
Connect to a VPN server and start streaming
How to fix Firestick Buffering
4. Clean FireStick RAM
The Amazon FireStick has a RAM size – 1 GB on the second generation FireStick and 1.5 GB on the FireStick 4K. This is not a lot, but enough for a streaming device. However, this small memory tends to be taken away very quickly.
Low RAM space is one of the reasons behind buffering you are experiencing on FireStick. You will be surprised to know that some apps continue to store RAM even when they are closed.
You can free up RAM space simply by closing background apps. But, how do you know which apps are actually running in the background? Forcing all individually installed apps to close is tedious and time consuming.
Fortunately, there is an app that you can use to find and close background apps. It’s called Background Apps and Processes List. You can get this free app from the Amazon store.
Here are the steps to download and use the Background Apps & Process List app to close background apps:
Go to the Search option from the FireStick home screen and tap Search
Firestick caching fixed
Find the background apps app and process list and follow the on-screen instructions to install it
How to fix Firestick Buffering
Open the app. This prompt appears the first time.
Uncheck the “Open app on startup” option if you don’t want the app to open automatically every time you restart your FireStick
Click I understand it! button
Caching on Amazon Firestick
You will see a list of all the applications running in the background. Click Close All Apps in the upper left corner
How to fix caching on Firestick
You will see the following window for the first application in the list. Go ahead and click on Force Stop
When finished, press the “Back” button on the remote control.
Firestick caching fixed
You will see the same options for the next application in the list. Click Force Stop again.
Keep repeating this until you kill all background apps
Note: Do not force shutdown ExpressVPN (or any other VPN) running in the background. The VPN runs in the background while ensuring security. Forcing the VPN to shutdown may result in loss of connection to the secure VPN server. VPN apps don’t take up much space anyway.
5. Clear the cache/data of the streaming app
Clearing the cache of streaming apps can help you to cache your FireStick. Several users reported that third-party apps like Cinema APK, Cyberflix TV, Ola TV, BeeTV, etc. worked better after clearing their cache.
You can also clear the app data to completely reset the app to factory defaults.
Here are the steps:
Access FireStick settings from the home screen
How to troubleshoot Firestick caching issues
Click Apps
Firestick caching
Open Manage Installed Applications
Fixed firestick caching problem
Now you should see the list of installed apps
Go ahead and tap on the streaming app that is having buffering issues
Click on the app that has the Firestick buffering issue
You will find application data and cache data information in the right section of this window
You can do one of the following:
Clear data: All data related to the app (including login information) will be erased and the app reset to factory settings. It will also clear the cache
Clear Cache: If you just want to clear the cache and keep the remaining data intact, choose this option instead
Clear cache to stop caching on firestick
6. Change your privacy settings
Amazon monitors and collects your data under the guise of marketing and optimization. This may put your privacy at risk. But not only this.
To constantly monitor and collect your data, FireStick OS must keep some processes running in the background. This may slow down your FireStick and possibly cause buffering issues.
Here’s how to turn off monitoring and data collection:
Open Firestick Settings from the Home Screen
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Click Preferences on the next screen
How to fix caching on Firestick
Click Privacy Settings
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Turn off the following options: Device usage data and app usage data collection
How to fix Firestick Buffering
Now, press once on the back button and click on Data Monitor
Caching on Amazon Firestick
Turn off data monitoring
Firestick caching…
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