How To Fix Mlb App Buffering Issues On Firestick

Do you find that your Amazon Fire TV Stick frequently interrupts your video streaming binges with the need to buffer the stream before resuming video playback?

Buffering pre-loads the stream data, storing it in the Firestick's memory, meaning it is ready to view when the time comes. If everything is performing as it should, you'll never notice the buffering, as it happens in the background.

spongebob squarepants season 1

However, if the Firestick can't buffer enough video ahead of time, you may be forced to wait while it "catches up" and downloads enough streaming data to continue playback. This can be frustrating, especially when it happens at a dramatic (or funny) part of your favorite movie or TV show, or even worse, when you're singing along with the show's theme song.

Any of a number of things could be causing your Firestick to not stream properly. These can include your internet connection, the streaming service or even the Firestick itself.

In this article, I'll tell you about the various things you can do to remedy any buffering problems you may experience while streaming video on your Amazon Firestick.

I'll cover multiple solutions in this piece, and your remedy may end up being a single issue, or it could be a combination of issues.

Why Is My Firestick Continually Buffering?

A slow internet connection is arguably the top reason for your Firestick's buffering issues.

Most Internet Service Providers deliver more than enough bandwidth for buffering-free streaming. To buffer SD video, your connection speed needs to be 5 Mbps or faster. HD video requires 10 Mbps, while 4K video needs at least 25 Mbps. Of course, the faster your connection, the better.

speed test

You can easily test the speed of your internet connection by using your computer or mobile device to test your internet speed by visiting Fast.com (operated by Netflix) or Speedtest.net.

There are also multiple speed test apps available for your Firestick. The Speedtest by Ookla app is my favorite of the available lot.

These tests will tell you whether or not your connection speeds are up to snuff. If your measured speeds are way below the speeds that your ISP claims, something may be wrong with your connection.

I'd advise restarting your modem and your router, then repeating the tests. If your download speeds continue to be less than exciting, contact your ISP's customer support folks to get help troubleshooting the issue.

If your internet download speeds appear to be providing more than enough bandwidth for streaming, something else might be affecting your viewing pleasure. So, it's time to start troubleshooting. Pay attention – we might both learn something.

Here are some possible issues that could affect your Firestick's buffering abilities:

Other devices on your home network may be putting a big strain on available bandwidth. Your internet bandwidth is shared among all of the users connected to your home network. If you have multiple other users connected and they're all streaming video at once, things can slow down considerably. If one of your computers or a game console is downloading a huge system update, that can also eat up the available bandwidth.
Where is your WiFi router located in your home? How far away is the Firestick from the router? If your router is on one end of your home and your Firestick is on the other end, you could be getting interference thanks to thick walls, the way your home is built, other nearby wireless networks and other factors that could interfere with your WiFi signal.
Your ISP may be throttling your bandwidth. Some internet providers will throttle their users' connections if they're streaming from "unapproved" sources. Also, quite a few ISPs will throttle your connection speeds if you use more than a certain amount of data in a single month.
Is your Firestick running the latest available version of its operating system? An outdated OS could cause issues with playback.
Are your streaming apps updated? Older versions of apps don't include the latest features, and could be missing optimizations and bug fixes that were introduced in later versions.
Is your Firestick running low on available RAM? If there are other apps running in the background, you could be running low on memory, and the background apps could be using processor cycles.
Is your Firestick the victim of a malware infestation? Malware can eat up memory and bandwidth, slowing things down all around.
Is your Firestick running hot? Overheating is no good for any electronic device.
Is the streaming provider experiencing issues on its end of things? The streaming service could be experiencing server or connection outages. Or, if everyone is trying to watch the four-hour version of the Justice League movie at the same time, HBO Max might have trouble keeping up.

How to Remedy Buffering Issues on Your Amazon Firestick

1. Reboot Your Firestick

While "Have you turned it off and turned it back on again?" has become a standard joke in the IT industry, restarting your Firestick can solve a multitude of issues. Restarting your Firestick shuts down any apps or services that are currently running, giving you a fresh start.

To restart your Amazon Fire TV Stick, do the following:

Go to "Settings."
Scroll right and select "My Fire TV."
Choose "Restart."

Amazon Fire TV Stick restart

If this doesn't solve your buffering issue, proceed to the next step.

2. Check the Strength of Your WiFi Signal

Extended buffering could be an indication that you're using a weak WiFi signal. It's easy to check the strength of your WiFi signal in the Amazon Fire TV Stick settings:

Go to "Settings."
Select "Network."
Use the Firestick remote to highlight the WiFi network your Firestick is currently using.
Press the Play/Pause button on your remote to view your Amazon Fire TV's Signal Strength. For optimal streaming, signal strength should be "Very Good."

Check WiFi signal strength

If the connection isn't "Very Good," try moving your Wi-Fi router to a closer location, or move the Fire TV to a location closer to the router.

If that isn't feasible, check for other connected devices that use the same WiFi network, as they may be interfering. Try temporarily shutting down those devices and see if things improve.

Other WiFi networks operating on the same channel can also cause interference. Try logging into your wireless network administration page and change the channel used by your WiFi network.

Check to see if you're using your WiFi router's 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency. While 5 GHz will provide a faster connection, it also has a shorter operational range than that offered by 2.4 GHz. If your device is on the other side of the house from your router, you may want to change to 2.4 GHz.

3. Use an Ethernet Cable Whenever Possible

If you can't get a good WiFi signal, try using an Ethernet cable running directly from your router to your Firestick. (There are a number of Ethernet adapters available that are compatible with the Firestick.)

Ethernet Cable

4. Use a VPN

At first blush, using a VPN to improve your streaming experience might seem counterintuitive. We've always been told that a VPN slows down your connection speeds, as a VPN reroutes and encrypts an internet connection, adding to the connection overhead, leading to a slower connection.

However, if your ISP is throttling your internet connection while you're streaming video, a VPN can hide your online activities from the ISP, meaning they won't be able to discriminate against your streaming ways.

NordVPN is my #1 recommended VPN for Amazon Fire TV Stick.

NordVPN connection

The provider makes an Amazon Fire TV app available in Amazon's Appstore, making it easy to install the app. NordVPN not only provides fast connections, it also does a top-notch job of unblocking geo-blocked content from Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and many other streaming sites.

Here's how to install NordVPN on the Amazon Firestick. Also, check out my full review of NordVPN.

5. Turn Off Background Processes and Apps

There may be apps running in the background on your Fire TV device. These could be putting a hit on your connection bandwidth, as well as your Fire TV system resources, even though you're not actively using the apps.

To view apps that are running on your Fire TV, do the following:

Go to "Settings" -> "Applications."
Click "Manage installed applications."
Select the app that would wish to stop running.
Select either "Force stop" or "Uninstall."

HBO max force stop

6. Clear the Firestick's App Cache and Data

The Amazon Fire TV Stick offers 8 GB of storage. While once upon a time 8 GB was an impressive amount of storage, today's apps require larger amounts of storage for the app and its data.

An app's data and its caching can take up quite a bit of storage space. Just like a computer or mobile device, if your Fire TV Stick's storage starts getting full, things can slow down.

To clear stored data and temporary data caches, do the following:

Go to "Settings" -> "Applications."
Click "Manage installed applications."
You'll then see information on the right-hand side of the screen, showing how much space is being used by the app, how much data the app stores and the current size of its cache.
Select the apps that are taking up loads of memory, then click the "Clear data" and "Clear cache" options.

HBO max clear data

While you likely won't have to re-enter your login credentials, there is a slight chance some of the apps may require you to log in again.

7. Keep Your Fire TV's Operating System and Apps Updated

Your Amazon Fire TV Stick should automatically update both its own operating system and any apps you may have installed on the device. However, from time to time you may want to manually update your Firestick.

To force an update, do the following:

Go to "Settings" -> "My Fire TV".
Click "About".
Scroll down the screen a bit and then click "Install update".
Your Firestick will likely require a reboot.

Firestick force update

8. Keep Your Firestick As Cool As Possible

Heat is the enemy of any electronic device, and your Android Fire TV device is no exception. If you have numerous apps or services running on your Firestick, the device's performance can take a big hit.

Depending on which HDMI port you have your Firestick plugged into, it can take a lot of heat from your television. Consider using a different HDMI port or perhaps an HDMI extender. Use a fan in extreme cases.

9. View Lower-Quality Video

While 1080p and 4K video are certainly more enjoyable to view, they can use considerably more bandwidth and processor power to smoothly stream.

While many video streaming apps will automatically adjust video quality according to your connection speed, they may also offer the ability to manually adjust video resolution. 480p and 720p video streams use considerably less bandwidth than 1080p and 4K streams.

10. Look For Other Devices That Are Hogging Your Network Bandwidth

Any device you connect to your home network uses bandwidth. This reduces the available bandwidth for use by other devices. If your Firestick has to share your network's available bandwidth, streaming performance can suffer.

If you have other devices, like computers or other devices downloading large files, stop these bandwidth-heavy downloads to free up bandwidth for your Fire TV to use.

11. Reset Your Fire TV Stick to Factory Settings

When all else fails, read the instructions reset your Amazon Fire TV Stick to its original factory settings. This will wipe the slate clean, getting rid of any problems (including malware) that could be causing the buffering issues.

Keep in mind that this is definitely the last thing you should try, as it will revert your Firestick to the way it was when it first came out of the box. All of your apps, files and settings will be erased, requiring you to start over fresh.

So, be sure to back up whatever you can and maybe make a list of the apps you have installed.

To reset your Firestick to factory settings, do the following:

Go to "Settings" -> "My Fire TV".
Scroll down and select "Reset to Factory Defaults".
Select "Reset".

Firestick factory settings

Firestick Buffering Errors FAQ

How Do I Fix Disney Plus on Amazon Firestick?

Try the following to fix Disney+ when it's not working on your Amazon Firestick.

Check to see if your connection speeds are up to streaming Disney+. A minimum of 5Mbps is required to stream high-definition content, while 15Mbps is required for 4K content.
Check the Amazon Appstore to confirm you have the most recent version of the Disney+ app.
Visit com to check the status of the Disney+ servers. If they are not currently up, you'll need to wait for the server issues to be remedied.
Restart your router and the Amazon Firestick. Unplug the power to your router and Firestick. Plug your router in, then wait a few minutes for the router to come back up, then restore power to your Firestick. Try the Disney+ app again.
Clear the Disney+ app's Data and Cache. Go to your Firestick's Settings, go to "Applications" and click "Manage Installed Applications," then select the Disney+" app from the list and click on "Clear Data" and "Clear Cache." Log back into the Disney+ app and try the service.

How Can I Stop Buffering on Firestick Cinema APK?

Cear the Cinema APK app's Data and Cache. Go to your Firestick's Settings, go to "Applications" and click "Manage Installed Applications," then select the "Cinema APK" app from the list and click on "Clear Data" and "Clear Cache."

How Do I Stop My Firestick From Freezing?

Try these steps to keep your Firestick from freezing.

Make sure your internet connection is working properly. Make sure your connection is delivering the correct download speeds.
Clear the freezing app's Data and Cache. Go to your Firestick's Settings, go to "Applications" and click "Manage Installed Applications," then select the freezing app from the list and click on "Clear Data" and "Clear Cache." Log back into the app and try it again.
Check the Amazon Appstore to confirm you have the most recent version of the app that is freezing.
Do a soft reset of your Firestick by simultaneously pressing and holding the Select and Pause/Play buttons on your Fire TV remote. In about 5 seconds, you should see a "Your Amazon Fire TV is Powering Off" notification on your TV screen. The Firestick will restart.
If #4 doesn't fix the problem, unplug the Fire TV from its power source and plug it back in after 30 seconds or so.
Make sure your Firestick is running the latest version of its operating system.
If your Fire TV keeps freezing after a factory reset, contact Amazon Customer Service for support.

In Closing

As you can see, there are a number of factors that can cause video buffering issues on your Amazon Fire TV Stick. By doing a little troubleshooting, as well as following the steps I've outlined above, you can likely resolve any buffering issues your Firestick is suffering from.