Apps Crashing or Glitching On Firestick? Try This Easy Fix

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Couple stuck with Firestick issue on TV

Are you stuck trying to figure out why apps keep crashing or glitching on your Fire Stick?

You’ve come to the right place! You wouldn’t believe how many people are in the same situation as you.

Not being able to properly use your Fire Stick can be really frustrating, especially when you’ve waited all day to get home and stream your favorite movie!

If your apps keep crashing or glitching on your Fire Stick, chances are you have a bad Internet connection, outdated software, a corrupted cache, or the app’s servers are down.

Don’t worry, though! Try these 8 simple fixes to get your apps working on your Firestick again:

  1. Check your Internet connection.
  2. Relaunch the faulty app.
  3. Check the platform’s servers.
  4. Update the app and your Fire Stick.
  5. Disable your VPN.
  6. Clear the app’s cache and data.
  7. Reinstall the app.
  8. Restart your Fire Stick.

Keep reading to fix the issue!

#1 Check Your Internet Connection

Before doing anything else, let’s make sure your Internet connection is not compromised.

If your Internet speed is running slow, you may experience different performance problems, such as glitching issues. To check if that’s the case, enter speedtest.net or fast.com.

Test your Internet speed.

If the results show that your connection is running slow, check your Internet plan. You see, if there are different devices connected to the same network, you may experience connection issues.

Remember, the more devices you have, the faster your Internet plan will need to be.

The best way to know what Internet plan is best for your needs is by multiplying the number of people living in your home by 25 Mbps. This way, if you have a family of four, you’ll need an Internet plan of at least 100 Mbps.

If your plan includes fewer Mbps than the ones you actually need, give your provider a quick call to upgrade your plan.

Once you’ve done that, try restarting your modem and router. This quick action usually solves connection issues. To do it:

  1. Locate your modem and router.
  2. Unplug them and wait 30 seconds to let the devices cool down.
  3. Plug in the modem and wait one minute.
  4. Plug in the router. If your router has a power button, press it. Then, wait two minutes.

Tip: Please make sure to place your router at the center of your home and away from fish tanks, thick walls, or other electronics to avoid connection issues.

#2 Relaunch the Faulty App

The app you’re trying to use might’ve encountered an issue while running background processes. This typically happens when the app hasn’t been closed in a long time.

Luckily, this can be easily fixed. You’ll just need to relaunch the app. To do it:

  1. Press the home button on your remote.
  2. Go to Settings and click on “Applications”.
  3. Select “Manage Installed Applications”
  4. Go to the faulty app.
  5. Click on “Force Stop”.
Relaunch an app on your Fire Stick

Once you’ve completed the steps above, try launching the app again to see if it works. If the issue persists, don’t worry! Keep reading to learn more about other ways to fix it.

#3 Check the Platform’s Servers

If the app you’re trying to use keeps crashing or glitching, chances are its servers are down.

Although this is unusual, server downtime may occur due to an overload of traffic, power outages, minor hacking, or hardware issues.

Follow this quick guide to check if the app’s servers are down:

  1. Go to downdetector.com
  2. Type the app’s name on the search bar. For example “Disney+”.
  3. Check if the graph shows any reports. The higher the spikes, the more likely the app is experiencing performance issues.

Unfortunately, if the app’s servers are down, the only thing you can do is wait until the problem is solved.

Don’t worry, though! Server downtime hardly ever lasts long.

#4 Update the App and Your Fire Stick

Technology changes in a heartbeat. This is why, companies often release updates.

These include new features and solve different performance issues that their users may be experiencing, such as glitching, playback errors, login difficulties, and much more.

Normally, updates will be automatically installed on your device. However, this process can be abruptly interrupted due to strict privacy settings, network issues or crashed background processes.

Don’t worry, though! You can still manually download updates. Follow this guide to do it:

To update your apps:

  1. Press the home button on your remote and click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
  2. Select “Applications” and click on “Appstore”.
  3. Click on “Automatic Updates” to turn this feature on.

To update your Fire Stick:

  1. Go to the Settings menu.
  2. Select “My Fire TV” and click on “About”.
  3. Click on “Check for Updates”.
  4. Install the new software version.
Update your Fire TV

#5 Disable Your VPN

If you’re trying to use streaming platforms, but these keep crashing or glitching, you might want to disable your VPN.

Virtual private networks have fantastic benefits. They allow us to securely navigate and access all sorts of international content.

Sadly, streaming platforms like Netflix, HBO, or Prime Video, put a lot of effort into blocking them because of their licensing and distribution agreements.

Honestly, I don’t blame them. After all, they may have serious legal issues if their subscribers keep streaming titles that are only offered in other countries.

To see if your VPN is to blame, try disabling it and streaming another TV show or movie.

#6 Clear the App’s Cache and Data

Moving on, let’s clear the faulty app’s cache and data.

These store temporary information such as fonts, videos, images, and even user preferences. By keeping this data handy, your apps will load faster and improve your overall experience.

Now, if cached data has great benefits, why should clearing it frequently be a good idea?

Simple. Because it can help get rid of corrupted files.

Certain elements stored in your cache and data may become damaged, resulting in glitches and other performance issues.

When you clear your cache and data, these get a chance to restart from scratch unaffected. Follow these simple steps to do it:

  1. Press the home button on your remote.
  2. Click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
  3. Select “Applications” and click on “Manage Installed Applications”.
  4. Scroll down until you find the faulty app.
  5. Select the app and click on “Clear Data”.
  6. Click on “Clear Data” to confirm the process.
  7. Press the return button on your remote.
  8. Select “Clear Cache”, then press the rewind button on your controller (the two arrows pointing left icon) and select “Confirm”.

Tip: This simple action will also free up some space on your Fire Stick and solve different issues, such as Error Code 8056.

#7 Reinstall the App

Sometimes corrupted files or bugs won’t go away by simply clearing your app’s cache and data. If you’re still having trouble with a specific app, try reinstalling it.

Follow these quick steps to do it:

  1. Press the home button on your remote and click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
  2. Select “Apps”.
  3. Click on “Manage installed apps”.
  4. Select the faulty app and tap on “Uninstall”
  5. Press the home button on your remote again. Then go to the“Find” section.
  6. Search for the app and click on “Download”.

#8 Restart Your Fire Stick

Finally, let’s restart your Fire Stick.

As simple as it seems, this process can refresh background processes and solve the different technical issues.

There are different ways in which you can restart your Fire Stick, these are:

Method 1:

  1. Press the home button on your remote and click on the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
  2. Select “My Fire TV” and click on “Restart”.
  3. Select “Restart” again to confirm the process.

Method 2:

  1. Press the Select and Play/Pause button on your remote for ten seconds.
  2. Your Fire Stick will automatically restart.
Restart your Fire Stick

Method 3:

  1. Unplug your Fire TV from the power source.
  2. Wait 30 seconds.
  3. Plug it back in.

Conclusion

Not being able to enjoy your Fire Stick because the apps keep crashing or glitching can be really frustrating!

Hopefully, with the help of this article, you’ll be able to get rid of this annoying situation in no time.

Remember, quick actions like checking your Internet connection, updating the faulty app and your device, disabling your VPN, restarting your Fire Stick or reinstalling the app can fix the issue.

I really appreciate everyone who reads our content. Here at Tech Detective, we’re passionate about bringing quick and simple solutions to everyday problems.

If you found these fixes helpful, please make sure to check out our other related articles below.

Have a great day!