Today, the amazon fire stick is an indispensable tool. It makes it possible to stream any content from any streaming platform by pressing the buttons.
Even better, it has a simple design making it relatively easy to learn and use.
However, just like other technical tools, you are likely to run into a problem while using it. Sometimes, the issue could be pretty easy to fix but may make you run mad if you don’t know-how.
For instance, firesticks are pretty prone to restarting and buffing all by themselves. Such a technical issue gives a bad user experience and how to fix it highly depends on the cause. Further, if you do not fix these, in rare cases, firestick can eventually harm your TV as well.
Stick with us as we unravel why your fire stick keeps restarting and how you can fix it.
Let’s get started.
Why does my fire stick keep restarting?
The fire stick restarting is a sign that there is an underlying problem. The issue might be with the hardware, such as cables or software.
Let’s look at each of these causes and their solutions in depth.
Power issues
Firestick uses power to function. Consequently, if the power from the supply is inconsistent, it will result in unwanted restarting, or turn off itself.
Besides, all firesticks have specific power requirements, 5.25 volts, one amp, and 5 watts power. Similarly, TV models have a limited amount of current that they can supply. As a result, if the power supplied by the TV does not equate to the power demanded by the firestick, it will run into issues.
What’s the solution?
First, check on your power source and ensure it is consistent and reliable. Secondly, if the power supplied by the television is low, you need to increase it. How? You can purchase a special power cable that increases the power drawn from the device to meet the firestick needs.
Faulty cables
Amazon firestick uses a micro-USB cable to transfer data and communicate. As you might be aware, all cables are not the same. Hence, you cannot use just any other cable for your firestick. If you do not do that, the data transfer may not be consistent, resulting in the regular restarting of the firestick.
Additionally, the USB cable is prone to damage, resulting in a faulty firestick. When replacing the cables, you should be careful to get the correct quality to avoid such problems.
Cable extension problem
The firestick cable is too short to meet your comfort needs in most cases. Thus, you might need to use an extension to increase its length from the power source.
However, in some cases, the extension cord might not be delivering the needed power to sufficiently power the amazon kindle TV, resulting in the constant blinking of the firestick.
You can determine if that is the cause by plugging the firestick cable directly into the power supply and using it for a few minutes while checking if it is blinking. The extension cord is the problem if the blinking has stopped after plugging into the power supply. If not, you should continue with the other troubleshooting mechanisms.
Corrupted firmware and software
Besides the hardware’s parts, such as the cables, the fire stick uses software consisting of programmed instructions that instruct the amazon TV on what to do. However, the firestick software is prone to bugs like any other software.
Fortunately, developers release new versions to fix these errors. However, even though that might be good news, it may result in problems if you have not upgraded to the latest version. Consequently, it is essential to check for new software releases and install them regularly.
Additionally, the operating system is prone to viruses. Viruses are corrupted files released to damage the software or the operating system. These computer viruses may penetrate your device if you download a corrupted file. Therefore, it is crucial to countercheck every software before downloading it.
To update the amazon firestick, do the following:
Step 1: Navigate to the home screen
To move to the home screen, press the home button on your amazon firestick remote
Step 2: Move to the settings
While on the home screen, find the settings icon situated at the bottom part of the screen and click it.
Step 3: Select the fire TV
Please scroll down the settings menu and select My fire TV.
Step 4: Click on the about option
Scroll down and click on the About tab.
Step 5: Select about and install updates
After selecting the about tab, click on check for updates. If there are new updates, you will be prompted to install them. Click on the ‘install updates’ tab to install.
Extremely low storage space
Amazon firestick has a cache that stores information about the visited sites to help quicken the loading time of the sites. If the cache is bloated, the applications may fail to load correctly, which would cause the firestick to blink.
To solve this problem, you might be required to clear the garbage in the cache or reset the device.
Below is how to clear the amazon firestick cache.
Step 1: Move to the home screen
Press the home button on the remote to move to the home screen
Step 2: Open the settings option
find the settings icon and click it.
Step 3: Hover over the application’s widget
on the settings menu, find the application’s widget, and hover over it.
Step 4: Select the managed installed applications option
After moving the icon to the application’s widget, a menu will be displayed. If the menu is not displayed, you need to click on the widget.
Select the managed installed applications to display the installed apps on the menu.
Step 5: Select the app
Select one of the apps that you want to clear the cache. Advisably you should clear the cache in all apps.
Step 6: Click the clear cache option
After selecting the app, click on the clear cache tab to delete the cache
Step 7: Repeat the last two steps for every installed app
As I earlier said, you should clear the cache in all apps. Thus you should select the other apps and clear the cache as guided in steps five and six.
How to reset an amazon firestick?
Resetting the firestick not only clears the memory but helps correct the software errors that are a significant cause of blinking or firestick that is restarting on its own.
Below is how to reset the firestick;
Step 1: Eject external storage or any other connected devices
Before starting the resetting process, you need to eject the connected and the storage devices from the firestick.
Step 2: Press and hold the select and play buttons simultaneously
Place one finger on the select button and the play button and press them at the same time
Step 3: Hold the two buttons for at least 10 seconds
Continue pressing the two buttons for at least 10 seconds before releasing them.
Step 4: Release the buttons
After 10 seconds, you can release the buttons. After releasing the buttons, a message will pop up on the screen informing you that the settings have been reset to default.
Why does the fire stick keep going back to the home screen?
Firesticks have a simple design and are supposed to be user-friendly. Nonetheless, they are prone to a few glitches, which are pretty easy to fix.
The common one is the firestick taking you back to the home screen when you have opened another screen. What does that mean, and how could you fix it?
A firestick that keeps going back to the home screen means that the firestick is regularly restarting. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to stop this habit.
You can try ensuring that the cables are well connected and there are no loose connections. Similarly, you should ensure that you are not dealing with faulty hardware.
Further, you should avoid using extensions and regularly update your software. If nothing works for you, you can clear the cache or reset the firestick to solve the problem.
What does Reddit say about firestick keep restarting?
You are not the only one facing the problem of a regularly restarting firestick. Looking at Reddit, among other question-based sites, you will notice that this is a prevalent problem regarding firesticks.
The answers received on Reddit on why the firestick keeps on restarting indicate that the external signal effect is the most prevalent cause. It occurs when you place the device near an item with a high current flow which creates a surge affecting the functioning of the firestick.
Additionally, faulty cables and purchasing an incompatible cable during replacement have been reported to cause regularly blinking firesticks.
Those are not the only causes reported on Reddit but are among the top. You can look at the above sections to find more reasons why the firestick keeps restarting.
What can I do for insignia fire TV keeps restarting?
Since its launch, the insignia is increasingly becoming the favorite TV model of many people.
However, several people have reported issues about the fire TV regularly restarting in the recent past.
The manufacturer has suggested several things you can do on their platform when the insignia fire TV keeps on restarting. Below are some of them;
- Turn the TV on and off for several minutes to power cycle it.
- Reset the hand ware by pressing the select and play button simultaneously or navigating to the settings menu and selecting the reset tab
- If none of the above mechanisms has worked for you, you can try removing the batteries from the remote and installing a new set.
- Disconnect the TV from the network and wait for a few minutes before reconnecting it
- Update the software to the latest version
- Lastly, you can replace the HDMI cables.
If the problem has persisted even after trying the above fixes, you should report the issue to the insignia support for more troubleshooting assistance.
What can I do for the fire TV cube keeps restarting?
A fire TV cube is a device that allows you to control the functionality of the Amazon TV and echo speakers, home theater, and other smart home devices with your voice. That is possible because it supports Alexa, and it has all devices connected with cables to allow communication among them.
In some cases, this device may keep on restarting, but it is not a thing to raise the alarm. In most cases, the cause of this situation is not significant; hence it can be easily fixed.
Below are some of the things that you can do if your fire TV keeps on restarting;
- Unplug the firestick cube, turn off the TV and wait for a few minutes before reconnecting the cables
- Check the cables and replace them if they are in a bad condition
- Ensure that you are using official firestick accessories
- Try the firestick cubes on a different television
Firestick keeps restarting, optimizing system storage: cause and storage
“Optimizing system storage” is a waiting message displayed when updating the firmware. However, the firestick may instantly display this message in some instances, which would take longer before it stops displaying, rendering your device unusable.
Below are some of the causes and solutions to this problem;
Fake equipment
In ideal cases, you can use any power cord that you want. However, that is not always the case with the firestick TV. If you use a different power cord, you will face such problems.
Thus, it is crucial always to get the original equipment manufacturer’s power cord.
Use amazon’s original adapter
Similarly, using a fake adapter might result in the device taking longer to optimize the storage. Hence, you should ensure that you only use the original amazon adapter.
use the power adapter to connect the firestick
Some people use a USB cable to connect the firestick, which takes a longer time to be recognized by the TV, resulting in the optimizing storage waiting message. Instead, it would help if you always connected the firestick with a power adapter.
Unplug the device
Lastly, you should try unplugging the device from the HDMI port and other connected cables.
Then turn off the TV and wait for 5 minutes before plugging the cables and powering the TV.
You can look at this video, which explains how to fix a firestick when it shows an optimizing system storage waiting message.
Final words
To conclude, there are several reasons why your firestick keeps on restarting even when watching your favorite show.
Fortunately, the causes of this action are not too severe in most cases. Hence, you can fix them all by yourself without needing a technician,
Even better, we have discussed this problem in-depth and highlighted its causes and its solutions. Hence, you have the knowledge you need to stop the firestick from regularly restarting.