Why is my amazon prime not working

When Dune came out on Amazon Prime Video, I decided to do the movie justice and rewatch it after experiencing it in theatres.

As I settled down with all the lights off and my speaker system set up just the way I like it, the Prime Video app started having issues.

The stream would freeze randomly, just turn black, with only the audio playing in the background, and sometimes the app crashed during the several times that I attempted to watch it.

I booted up my computer and went online to find out what I could do to fix the app that was refusing to play anything at the moment.

I read through Amazon’s support pages and a few posts on some general user forums on technology and smart TVs, and after several hours of this, I finally had enough info to tackle this issue head-on.

Getting the app fixed was really easy thanks to the research that I did, and when you finish reading this article, you’ll also be able to fix the Prime Video app as I did.

To fix your Prime Video app that is not working, make sure you’ve paid for your Prime subscription, and check if your internet connection is up and running.

Keep reading to learn how to monitor your internet usage and how restarting your device can fix the issue.

Check Your Prime Subscription

You’ll need an active Amazon Prime subscription to watch content on Prime Video, and if you don’t have one or haven’t been on time with paying for the plan, you won’t be able to use the service.

Log in to your Amazon account and go to the Prime section to make sure you have an active subscription to Prime.

Pay your dues if you need to to get access and start watching the content on Prime Video.

Besides the content available on Prime, you’ll also get access to Prime Music, which has tons of licensed music, and Prime Delivery, which expedites your Amazon order.

Check Your Internet Connection

A working internet connection is required to stream any content on Amazon Prime, but even if you have an internet connection, it should meet the minimum requirements that Amazon has set.

Amazon recommends an internet speed of 8 Mbps to watch in SD 480p or 40 Mbps in 1080p HD, with higher speeds required for streaming in 4K.

Run a speed test at fast.com to know how fast your internet connection is.

Make sure all of the lights on your router are turned on, and none of them are in any warning color, like amber or red.

If they are, try restarting the router; if they remain, contact your ISP for more help.

Monitor Your Internet Usage

We saw that Prime Video requires a minimum speed to stream efficiently, and if any programs on other devices are using that internet connection, the Prime Video app would be restricted on the amount of bandwidth it can use.

Glasswire is a great utility to monitor network usage, so get it installed to check what device and app use the most data.

If you have any bandwidth-heavy apps running on your devices, exit them or turn those devices off if you are not using them.

The main culprits usually are gaming consoles or computers, so check them to see if they are downloading and using your bandwidth.

Try Another Device

If the app isn’t working on the device you’re having the issue with, why not try using the app on another device for the moment.

Come back to the other device after some time and try again to see if the app starts working again.

If you’re watching on a computer, use the browser instead of the app, or vice-versa.

You could even try logging in to Prime Video on the web browser on your TV.

This should usually let you continue watching on Prime if it was an issue with the app or the device.

Reinstall The App

If you want to watch on the device you’re having the issues with, you can try reinstalling the app.

Doing so will remove all data related to the app on the device and let you start using the app from scratch.

Uninstall the app from the device and then go to the app store.

Use the search bar to find the Amazon Prime app and install it, and when it finishes installing, log in with your Amazon account.

You don’t need to clear the app’s cache since reinstalling the app already does that.

Restart Your Device

When reinstalling doesn’t help, you’ll need to restart the device you’re having issues with.

It is easy to power cycle or restart your TV, and it won’t take more than a few minutes to get back to watching content on the app.

To power cycle your device:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Unplug the device if it is a TV or a computer.
3. Wait for at least 45 seconds before turning the device back on.

When the device turns back on, go back to Prime Video and see if the app still has the issues.

Contact Amazon

If none of the troubleshooting steps work out, don’t hesitate to contact Amazon’s customer service so that they can help you better.

Once they understand what device you’re using, they’ll be able to guide you through a few more methods to fix the Prime Video app.

Final Thoughts

When the Prime Video app runs into issues on the Roku, disable any VPNs you have enabled on your network.

Update the firmware on those devices and factory reset them if that doesn’t seem to work.

The Prime Video app is pretty well maintained with regular updates, so keep the app updated on all the devices you own.

Keep auto-update on for the app if you don’t want to search for updates every time manually.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reset my Amazon Prime Video?

Clear the app’s cache if your device lets you do so to reset the Amazon Prime Video app.

Otherwise, you can simply reinstall the app to clear its cache indirectly.

How do I update Amazon Prime on my smart TV?

The easiest way to update the Prime Video app on your smart TV, find the app in the TV’s app store and select Update.

Why has Amazon Prime stopped working on my TV?

Is there a problem with Prime Video right now?

How do I fix my Amazon Prime Streaming?