How to Tell if a Fire Stick Remote is Broken

The Amazon Firestick remote is a handy device that allows you to watch various TV shows and films on Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, and many other subscription-based channels.

Occasionally, however, you may experience problems with the device. In this article, we’ll show the most common Amazon Firestick problems and how you can fix them. Stick around to find out more.

Black Screen

You’re watching TV and all of a sudden you see a black screen. We know how annoying this can be. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Just follow the advice outlined below to fix this.

First of all, you should check your internet connection. If there isn’t a Wi-Fi connection, you may think your Firestick is broken.

1. Find a switch or a toggle on your internet router to turn it off.
2. Next, unplug the hub.
3. Wait for a couple of minutes.
4. Then, plug the router.
5. Turn it on and wait for a few moments.
6. Your problem should be solved and you can use your Firestick again.
   

However, if the Firestick is still acting up, or is too slow, you can restart it using your remote control. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Hold ‘Select, ‘Pause,’ or ‘Play’ for a couple of moments.
2. Your Firestick should start restarting, even if it was unresponsive before.

Another solution for your black screen is pressing the buttons ‘AV’ or ‘INPUT’ on your TV remote control. Click them until the screen isn’t black anymore and you can see Amazon Fire.

Have You Paired Your Firestick Successfully?

This is a more common issue than you’d think. If you haven’t paired the Firestick successfully, there’s a chance you might think your remote is dead. But once you pair the device and Firestick, it should work well. Follow these steps:

1. First, plug in MicroUSB cable to the TV.
2. Now, plug the Firestick into the HDMI port, which is on your TV.
3. Then, use the remote to choose the right HDMI channel.
4. Wait a few moments for the Fire TV to load.
5. Click the Home button on Firestick, and hold it for at least 10 seconds.
6. Once you do this, your Firestick should work properly.

If for some reason, your Firestick still isn’t working, then you should do the following:

1. First, unplug Firestick from the device, or its power source.
2. Next, press simultaneously ‘Back, button, ‘Menu’, and the left part of the navigation circle.
3. Hold on for at least 20 seconds.
4. Remove the batteries from your Firestick remote and turn on your Firestick.
5. Wait for a minute before replacing the batteries.
6. Turn your Firestick on. It should now be working properly.

Note: Any time you fix the issue with your Firestick remote, try using it with your streaming service to check if it’s working.

Applications Won’t Work

You’re just getting ready to watch something on your favorite streaming service, and realize it isn’t working. The rest of the applications are working just fine, however. So you may panic and believe your Firestick remote is broken. Fear not, you can fix this easily enough.

1. Locate ‘Settings’ and use the buttons on your remote to click on it.
2. In ‘Settings’, find ‘Applications’, and launch it.
3. You may have to enter your code if you have one.
4. You’ll see a message ‘Validating your pin’.
5. Once the code is confirmed, go down to ‘Manage Installed Applications’.
6. Here you’ll see all your installed applications in alphabetical order. Find the one that’s not working.
7. Click on it and then tap ‘Force stop’.
8. Next, click on ‘Clear Cache’.

You can now relaunch the application from Home, and it should work.

Firestick Not Compatible

One of the main reasons why a Firestick remote won’t work is because it isn’t compatible with your device. Often, this happens if you get it from a third-party seller. The issue being that some remotes are excellent replicas, and they might work just fine with some Firestick devices.

However, most of the time, they only look the part, but can’t perform the same functions. So if you’re thinking of saving a couple of bucks and getting a Firestick remote from another seller besides Amazon, make sure you verify its authenticity.

No Audio

If there are issues with the audio, you might first want to check if your TV isn’t muted. If that’s the case, great. You already know how to solve this. That said, if there’s still an issue, you’ll have to do the following:

1. First, the external speakers you have might not be compatible with your Firestick. You should turn on default mode to fix the problem.
2. If there are still audio issues, you’ll have to adjust Firestick audio settings.
3. Go to ‘Settings’ on Fire TV and find ‘Dolby Digital Output’.
4. Check if ‘Off’ is selected.

There you go, problem solved!

Issues with HDMI

Occasionally, your audio problems might not relate to a broken Firestick. The problem might be with your HDMI port. Here’s how to check this:

1. Find another device in your house to plug in Firestick. Check if there’s sound.
2. If there isn’t any sound, there’s probably an issue with HDMI.
3. Check all the cables in Home Theatre system and see if the cables are plugged in correctly.

Why Not Change the Batteries?

Finally, if you’ve tried everything and your Firestick remote still isn’t working, change the batteries. They tend to die very quickly if you use the remote regularly. Therefore, always make sure you have spares on hand, so that you can replace the old ones and continue using your Firestick remote.

Have you ever experienced any problems with your Firestick remote? How did you solve the issue? Tell us in the comments section below.