If you are not aware, your Amazon Fire Stick and Cube need to be regularly updated. These updates are quite useful because they improve your speed as well as eliminate or reduce buffering and freezing during playback. Amazon’s recent updates have introduced more functionalities and upgrades to Firestick. They have fixed bugs that previously affected these devices in many ways.
The Amazon Firestick latest update will help to significantly improve your streaming experience. That’s why it’s important to know how to update your device.
Causes of Buffering, Freezing and Choppy Playback
One of the most commonly cited problems by users of Amazon Firestick is the issue of buffering, freezing, or getting choppy during playback. So why does that happen?
Here are some of the major causes of streaming problems that most people experience with Amazon Firestick:
1. Low-Quality Overcrowded Streams
The main reason why buffering, freezing, or choppy playback happens on Amazon Firestick is probably the stream you have chosen. The problem, in this case, may be due to too many ads or people accessing content from the same stream. You need to get the latest, less-crowded, and most reliable stream to enjoy smooth buffer-less streaming.
2. Lack of Updates
Another common cause for streaming problems is failure to keep your Firestick device constantly updated. You need to ensure that your Firestick is regularly updated. If you don’t have the latest Amazon Firestick update, you’ll experience several streaming and performance issues.
Your Firestick will keep on bugging you down the same way your phone behaves when it lacks the latest updates. You can’t sync your phone with the latest apps and programs without installing updates. The same thing happens to your Fire TV Stick as well.
When Do You Need to Install Amazon Firestick’s Latest Upgrade?
You can always unpack and install updates on your Amazon Fire TV software but keep in mind that the software is designed to automatically update itself every time a new version is released as long as the device is connected to the Internet.
However, to be sure that you have the latest update, it is always a good idea to take matters in your own hands and do a manual check. Amazon tends to release these updates frequently, sometimes after every couple of months according to AFTV News. It is therefore recommended that you check your device after a couple of months to confirm if it actually did or didn’t update automatically.
How to Find Out If You Have the Amazon Firestick Latest Update?
To determine if your device has the latest Firestick update installed, head on to settings and go to My Fire TV. Select the About tab. Then click the Check for Updates option. You’ll be able to see your current version and the date you last checked for updates.
If your system tells you that you last checked for updates a year or several months ago then you need to look for the latest updates. This is because technology is advancing really fast nowadays and you must have missed several updates during that time.
And, of course, your Fire TV will be quite buggy and have frequent performance problems if you have stayed for years without installing updates. Some apps won’t even work on your Firestick without the latest update.
It is important to ensure that you have the latest version installed on your device. You just need to click on Check for Updates and the system will tell you everything. It even tells you if your TV is up to date or is missing important updates.
How to Get and Install Amazon Firestick Latest Update?
Updating your Amazon Firestick is quite simple and works in the same way for all Amazon Fire devices including:
- Firestick
- 1st and 2nd generation Firestick that comes with Voice Remote
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Fire TV
- Amazon Fire TV Cube
To update your device, just follow these simple steps:
- Go to Settings
- Scroll down to Device
- Select About
- Scroll down and choose the Software Version tab
- Go to Check for System Update. If you don’t have the latest update, the system will automatically download one for you.
- Select Install System Update and you are good to go. The new update will install itself the next time you reboot your device.
Checking for updates is very important if you have had the Firestick for more than a year. Amazon has released several updates in the last year. So, if you haven’t installed the Amazon Firestick latest update since last year, you probably could be having some streaming issues caused by this lack of updates. Once updated, you’ll be amazed by the improvement you’ll see on your device.
3. Storage
Your TV storage could be another reason why you are having buffering, video lagging, choppy playback, freezing, and other streaming problems. Just like any other electronic device such as your phone, tablet, or laptop, your Amazon Firestick is also affected by the amount of stuff stored inside.
If the device’s storage is full or close to being full, it won’t process commands properly and perform as expected. It will drag and give you poor streaming experience. You, therefore, need to make sure that your device’s storage is not full or even near full.
To check on the amount of free storage available in your device, go to Settings, My Fire TV, and About. You’ll see the storage capacity of your device and how much free space you still have left. You need to make sure that you have at least 1GB of free storage in your device at all times.
For example, a 4K Firestick has around 8GB which is enough to add a few apps and still have more space left to allow the device to perform optimally.
Conclusion
There are many other issues that can cause streaming problems including your Internet connection. But the stream you choose, updates, and storage are some of the most common causes of lagging, buffering, freezing, and choppy playback. Hopefully, you now know how to keep your device updated with the Amazon Firestick latest update at all times.
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