Black Screens on Amazon Prime Video: Fixes for Every Device

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Couple stuck with Prime Video issue on TV

Is your Amazon Prime Video stuck on a black screen?

You’ve come to the right place! Prime Video is one of the best streaming services out there, but its performance issues can be really frustrating, especially when you’re paying a monthly subscription.

If Prime Video is stuck on a black screen, chances are you have a bad Internet connection, you’re connected to a VPN, your HDMI cable is damaged, or the app needs to be updated.

Luckily, in this article, you’ll find numerous fixes for every device to get rid of this problem.

The 8 fixes to get rid of a black screen on Prime Video are:

  1. Check your cable connections.
  2. Check your Internet connection.
  3. Disable browser extensions (For PC).
  4. Disable your VPN.
  5. Update Prime Video.
  6. Clear the cache.
  7. Reinstall the app.
  8. Update your device.
  9. Check Prime Video’s servers.

Read on to forget all about this issue!

#1 Check That Your Cables Are Properly Connected

If you’re using an HDMI cable to connect your device (phone, tablet, computer, game console, etc.) to your TV, you might want to check if it’s damaged.

Check that your HDMI cable is properly connected

A cable that’s not properly connected or damaged can cause a black screen while trying to stream your favorite Prime Video shows.

Don’t worry, though. You can easily check if that’s the issue by unplugging your device’s cables and plugging in them again. I also recommend using another HDMI cable to see if the problem goes away.

If it persists, don’t worry! Keep reading to learn more about other ways to get rid of Prime Video’s black screen.

#2 Check Your Internet Connection

The next thing you might want to try is checking your Internet connection.

If your Wi-Fi signal is weak, you may experience different issues while trying to watch your favorite movie or TV show.

Luckily, you can easily check if your Internet connection is to blame by entering www.speedtest.net and pressing “Go”.

If the results show that your Internet connection is running slow, try restarting your modem and router. To do it:

  1. Locate your modem
  2. Unplug them and wait 30 seconds.
  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.

Once you’ve done that, launch Prime Video again to see if it’s still stuck on a black screen.

If the issue persists, please make sure your Internet plan is fast enough to meet the demand of your devices.

You see, the more devices and streaming services you have, the faster your Internet plan will have to be.

But, how can you tell if your Internet plan is fast enough? Simple!

I always like to tell our readers to multiply the number of people living in their home by 25 Mbps. This way, if you have a family of four, you’ll need an Internet plan of at least 100 Mbps.

Tip: If your Internet plan is not fast enough, try giving your provider a quick call to learn more about other plans.

#3 Disable Browser Extensions (For PC).

If you’re using a browser to stream Prime Video, you might want to keep reading!

If you’re like me, you probably like using browser extensions to enjoy new features and functions.

Although these are great, they can interfere with some websites and cause performance issues, like a black screen.

You can easily check if your browser extensions are to blame by disabling them and launching Prime Video again.

Follow these quick steps to disable a browser extension:

Google Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome and click on the three dots icon at the top of your screen.
  2. Go to “More Tools” and select “Extensions”
  3. Turn off the switch to disable the extension. If you want to remove it, click on “Remove”.
Uninstall browser extensions

Microsoft Edge:

  1. Launch Microsoft Edge.
  2. Click on the three dots icon at the top of your screen.
  3. Select “Manage extensions”.
  4. Disable the extension by turning off the switch. Click on “Remove” if you want to delete the extension.

Safari:

  1. Click on “Safari” on Apple’s menu.
  2. Select “Preferences”.
  3. Click on “Extensions”.
  4. Uncheck the boxes next to the extensions to disable them. If you want to delete them, click on “Uninstall”.

Mozilla Firefox:

  1. Launch Mozilla Firefox and click on the three horizontal lines icon at the top of your screen.
  2. Click on “Add-ons and themes”.
  3. Select “Extensions”.
  4. Click on the extension you want to disable and turn off the blue switch. If you want to remove it, click on the three dots icon and select “remove”.

Once you’ve disabled your browser extensions, try launching Prime Video again to see if the issue was solved.

Tip: make sure your browser is compatible with Prime Video.

#4 Disable Your VPN

Streaming platforms put a lot of effort into blocking VPNs because of their licensing agreements.

Amazon Prime Video has to negotiate licensing and distribution terms to offer certain titles on its platform. So, if you’re living in Spain, but are watching a TV show that is only offered in Canada, the platform might have legal issues.

If you’re using a VPN, Prime Video may be restricting some features in your account, which can lead to experiencing performance issues while trying to stream a movie or TV show.

Try disabling your VPN to see if the black screen goes away. Follow these quick steps to do it:

iPhone and iPad:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Select “General”.
  3. Tap on “VPN & Device Management” and disconnect.

Android:

Please note that this process may vary depending on your device’s model.

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap on “Connections”, then select “More Connections”.
  3. Go to “VPN”.
  4. Select the VPN you’re using and disconnect from it.

Windows PC:

  1. Type “View Network Connections” in the search bar at the bottom of your screen.
  2. Look for the VPN you’re using.
  3. Right-click on it and select “Disable”

Mac:

  1. Click on “System Preferences” and select “Network”.
  2. Select your VPN connection.
  3. Click on “Disconnect”.

Fire TV:

  1. Go to Settings and select “Applications”.
  2. Choose “Manage Installed Applications”.
  3. Select the app you used to activate the VPN.
  4. Click on “Uninstall”.

#5 Update Prime Video

Prime Video often releases new updates to fix bugs, glitches, coding errors, or other elements that may be causing performance problems, such as a black screen, flickering, login issues, etc.

Normally, apps will be automatically updated on your device; however, this process can be interrupted by network issues, crashed background processes, or other unexpected circumstances.

Don’t worry, though! You can manually update Prime Video, you’ll just need to:

For iPhone and iPad:

  1. Go to the App Store.
  2. Search for Prime Video.
  3. Tap on “Update”.
Update Prime Video on iOS devices

Android:

  1. Open Google Play Store.
  2. Tap on the profile icon located at the top right of your screen.
  3. Select “Manage apps & device”
  4. Tap on “Manage”, then search for Prime Video.
  5. Choose “Update”.
  1. Open Microsoft Store. If you don’t see it in the taskbar, you can look for it in the search box located in the lower-left corner of your screen.
  2. Select More (3 dots icon)
  3. Press “Downloads and updates”
  4. Click on “Get Updates”
  1. Select “Microsoft Store” in the search box at the bottom of your screen.
  2. Go to the library in the lower-left corner of your screen.
  3. Click on “Get updates”
  4. Select “Update all” or choose Prime Video.

Amazon Fire TV:

  1. Click on the app’s icon (three squares and a “+” sign).
  2. Highlight Prime Video.
  3. Press the three horizontal lines button on your remote.
  4. Select “More Info”.
  5. Click on “Update”.

LG Smart TV:

  1. Press the home button on your remote.
  2. Open the LG Content Store.
  3. Click on “My Apps”.
  4. Select Prime Video and click on “Update”.

Xbox One:

  1. Highlight Prime Video.
  2. Press the three horizontal lines button.
  3. Select “Manage app”.
  4. Click on “Updates”.
  5. Select “Update All”

Tip: If you’re using another device, go to Google and search for “How to manually update apps on <Your Device’s Name Goes Here>”.

#6 Clear the Cache

If your Prime Video is still stuck on a black screen, your cache might be to blame!

If you’re wondering what “cache” means, keep reading!

The easiest way to understand your app’s cache is to think of it as a memory scrapbook. This is where temporary data is stored, such as videos, login credentials, fonts, and much more.

Your cache eliminates the need to re-download this information every time you relaunch an app. This can reduce loading times and improve your streaming experience.

But, if there’s a problem with a file stored in your cache, Prime Video may be stuck on a black screen, glitch, and display data incorrectly. This is why I recommend clearing your cache every once in a while.

Follow this quick guide to clear Prime Video’s cached data:

For Android devices:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Click on “Apps”
  3. Choose “Installed applications”
  4. Select Prime Video.
  5. Look for the “Storage” tab
  6. Press “Clear app cache”

Google Chrome:

  1. Launch Google Chrome and at the top right, click “More” (3 dots icon)
  2. Go to “More tools” and select “Clear browsing data”
  3. At the top, select “Time range”, then “All time”
  4. Tick all boxes.
Clear your browser's cache

Safari:

  1. Launch Safari.
  2. Select “Safari” at the top of your screen and click on “Preferences”.
  3. Click on “Privacy”, then select “Manage Website Data”.
  4. Select “Remove All”.

Fire TV:

  1. Press the Home button on your remote.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Select “Applications” and click on “Manage Installed Applications”.
  4. Select Prime Video.
  5. Click on “Clear Cache”.

Tip: If you can’t find the “Clear Cache” option on your device, I recommend reinstalling the app. Please read fix #7 to do it.

#7 Reinstall the App

Hundreds of users have found that reinstalling the app solved the annoying black screen, so if none of the fixes above did the trick, this just might!

Please note that reinstalling an app is another way to clear cached data.

Follow these simple instructions to do it:

Android:

  1. Press and hold Prime Video.
  2. Drag the app to the trash bin icon and release.
  3. Go to Google Play Store and search for Prime Video and tap on “Install”.

iPhone and iPad:

  1. Press and hold Prime Video until it jiggles.
  2. Tap on “Remove app”.
  3. Go to the App Store and search for Prime Video. Then, tap on “Download”.

For Windows PC:

  1. Select the Windows button located in the lower-left corner of your screen.
  2. Click on the Settings gear icon, then go to “Apps”
  3. Look for iTunes and press “Uninstall”
  4. Go to Microsoft Store and install it again.

Fire TV:

  1. Go to Settings and select “Apps”.
  2. Click on “Manage installed apps”.
  3. Select Prime Video and tap on “Uninstall”
  4. Go to the main menu to search for Prime Video.
  5. Click on “Get” or the shopping cart icon.

LG Smart TV:

  1. Press the Home button on your remote.
  2. Look for Prime Video.
  3. Press the up button on your remote and highlight the “X” mark. Then, press Enter.
  4. Click on “Okay”.
  5. Press the Home button and select “Apps” at the top of your screen.
  6. Select Prime Video and click on “Install”.

Once you’ve completed the steps above, try launching Prime Video again to see if the issue went away.

#8 Update Your Device

If your device is not running on its latest software version, you won’t be able to enjoy all of Prime Video’s features and you may experience numerous technical issues, like a black screen.

Normally, software updates are automatically installed on your device. However, if you have network issues, this process will be impossible.

Don’t worry, though! Follow these simple steps to manually update your device:

Android:

Please note that the process of updating the software will vary depending on your device’s model. But most devices can be updated in this way:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap on “System”
  3. Select “System Update”
  4. Follow the prompted instructions to install the latest version.

iPhone and iPad:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap on “General”.
  3. Select “Software Update” and tap on “Install now”.
Update your iOS device

Windows PC:

  1. Type “Settings” on the search bar at the bottom of your screen.
  2. Click on “Update & Security”.
  3. Go to “Windows Update” and click on “Check for Updates” to start updating your device.

Fire TV:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Click on “My Fire TV”.
  3. Go to “About” and click on “Check for System Update”.
  4. Click on “Install”.

LG Smart TV:

  1. Go to Settings and select “General”.
  2. Select “About This TV”.
  3. Click on “Check for Updates”.
  4. Select “Install”.

#9 Check Prime Video’s Servers

If none of the solutions above have worked, it’s time for us to check Prime Video’s servers.

Although it’s unusual, the platform’s servers may be down due to coding errors, overload of traffic, and even minor hacking.

These situations can lead to performance issues such as a black or green screen, flickering, buffering, etc.

To check if Prime Video’s servers are to blame, you’ll just need to:

  1. Open your preferred browser.
  2. Type “Down Detector” and click on the first option.
  3. Type “Prime Video” and check if the graph shows any reports.
Check if Prime Video's servers are down
The higher the spikes, the more likely Prime Video is experiencing performance issues.

If the platform’s servers are down, its IT department is the only one who can solve this.

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

Conclusion

Not being able to binge-watch your favorite TV show after a long day because Prime Video is stuck on a black screen can be really frustrating, especially when you’re paying a monthly subscription!

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

More often than not, simple actions like checking your cable connections, updating Prime Video and your device, disabling your browser extensions, and clearing the app’s cache, can solve the issue.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article. If you found it helpful, please make sure to check our other related content below.

Here at Tech Detective, we’re passionate about bringing quick and easy solutions to everyday problems.

Enjoy your movie!