Amazon Fire TV Stick Remote Not Working? Here's How To Fix It - SlashGear

Amazon Fire TV Stick Remote Not Working? Here's How To Fix It - SlashGear,It can be highly frustrating when your Fire TV Stick's remote control stops working. We're here to offer suggestions for troubleshooting a misbehaving remote.

Amazon Fire TV Stick Remote Not Working? Here’s How To Fix It – SlashGear

More folks than ever are ending their relationships with pricey cable television providers and turning to streaming content instead. If you don’t have a smart TV, devices like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick are an ideal way to add streaming functionality to older televisions for a reasonable price.

Besides streaming video like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube and music from Spotify, Pandora, and others, the Fire TV Stick also features Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, which you can access by holding the Alexa button and speaking into a microphone on the Firetstick’s remote control. In addition to entertainment, Alexa controls smart home devices such as lighting, door locks, and climate control thermostats.

With so many facets of our lives impacted by this technology, it can be highly frustrating when your Fire Stick’s remote control stops working. Fortunately, we’re here to offer suggestions for troubleshooting a misbehaving remote.

Replace the batteries

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Replacing batteries is always the defacto place to start in the case of a dead remote. You might think the existing batteries are fresh, so they can’t possibly be low on charge already. But that would be a mistake because, though small, the remote control can use a lot of energy. The good news is that Fire Stick remote control uses two AAA batteries, which can be purchased nearly anywhere.

For folks that want to be more environmentally conscious, you can also purchase a set of rechargeable batteries and a charger. Besides keeping batteries out of the local landfill, you can also save money, especially if you have other devices which also take AAA batteries.

Finally, if your Fire Stick remote stops working right after changing the batteries, there’s a good chance they’re not inserted correctly. Try removing and reinserting the batteries, paying careful attention to the polarity indicators in the battery compartment and on the batteries themselves.

Be mindful of distance and obstructions

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Unlike traditional remote controls that use an infrared signal, the Fire Stick’s remote connects with either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The oldest models which use Bluetooth have a range of about 30 feet versus a range of 100 feet for the second-generation and newer Wi-Fi remotes. Some sources recommend a maximum distance of 30 feet to be safe, regardless of the connectivity method and theoretical range.

In any case, it’s good practice to avoid placing any obstacles in the transmission path. That could include books, decorative items, lamps, or even a gaming console on a table.

In addition, other electronic equipment can interfere with the remote’s signal. That includes Wi-Fi routers, wireless speakers, or even microwave ovens. If any of these items are too nearby to the television, try moving them further away. The Fire Stick can be brought out from behind the TV as a last resort using an HMDI extension cable.

Reconnect or reset the remote

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If your Fire TV Stick remote still isn’t working, you should try unpairing and reconnecting it, followed by a complete reset, if necessary. To unpair the remote, hold the Back, Menu, and Left buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds. A light on the top right corner of the remote should flash once it’s been unpaired.

Hold the OK/Select button (the large circular button in the center of the directional pad) for ten more seconds to pair the remote back up again. Your Fire TV will display a message on your television if the pairing was successful. Pressing and holding the Home button (with the house icon) instead of the OK/Select button also succeeds in pairing the remote, so it may be worth trying both methods if one doesn’t seem to be working.

If pairing/unpairing the remote, as outlined above, still doesn’t solve the problem, you can try resetting the remote completely, which effectively reboots the hardware and software.

The exact steps necessary to reset the remote will depend on the model and vintage Fire Stick you own, but the basic premise is that the Fire Stick dongle gets unplugged, then a series of buttons are held down on the remote itself. But don’t fret — we have a guide with instructions to reset every different type of Fire Stick remote control.