Are you trying to access your library, but Amazon Prime won’t load on your smart TV?
This issue can occur if your device does not have enough memory, or the Amazon app installed on your television is outdated.
Has your internet connection been intermittent recently? Amazon Prime will freeze or lag if it is not connected to a stable network that supplies enough bandwidth for the app to reach its server.
Updating your app, as well as your smart TV’s software will help fix Amazon from not loading when you try and launch it.
With this guide, you will be informed of the reasons behind why Amazon Prime won’t load on your smart TV, as well as be provided with six simple solutions that you will be able to execute on your TV, so you can get back to watching your all-time favourites.
Why is Amazon Prime not loading on my smart TV?
Why won’t Amazon Prime load on smart TV?
Amazon Prime will not load on your smart TV if your device does not have enough internal memory available for the video service to download the necessary data and files to operate successfully. Amazon Prime will automatically download cache files onto your smart TV which is used to help improve the performance of the app on your device.
Besides the RAM on your smart TV affecting the performance of the application, there are additional reasons that will cause Amazon Prime to freeze;
Reason 1. Outdated Amazon app
The downloaded Amazon Prime app on your smart TV could be due to an update which is why it will not load when you come to launch it.
Updates become available to get rid of any faulty files that may have transpired in the current version of the app, as well as improve certain features.
Reason 2. Intermittent internet connection
If your internet connection is intermittent while you are trying to load Amazon Prime, the app will either freeze, lag or display a black image.
Amazon needs to be connected to a stable network to be able to successfully reach their server, and stream content.
- A minimum download speed of 1Mbps is required for standard quality
- 5Mbps is required for high definition
Reason 3. Amazon Prime subscription
You may be unaware that your Amazon Prime subscription has expired, and needs to be renewed.
The app won’t give you access to its library if you do not have an active account.
Reason 4. Smart TV software issue
If your smart TV’s software is experiencing issues, this will interfere with how well the installed applications function.
Your TV may be needing a software update, or certain downloaded apps have incurred corrupted files that are hindering the performance of your smart device.
Reason 5. VPN interference
Are you launching Amazon Prime through the use of a VPN?
Amazon may think you are trying to access its content from a different country, and prevent you from logging in to your account.
Where is Amazon Prime not available?
Amazon Prime is available worldwide except for;
- China (mainland)
- Iran
- North Korea
- Syria
Your location settings could be configured incorrectly, which is blocking your device from accessing the application.
Reason 6. Amazon server down
The server could be down due to maintenance or an unexpected outage, which is why Amazon Prime won’t load on your smart TV.
Your device will not be able to process the request to access Amazon’s files if it cannot get accepted on Amazon’s side.
Luckily, you can check Amazon’s service status to stay up to date, and confirm if the issue is from your device.
How to load Amazon Prime on smart TV
How to fix Amazon Prime not loading on TV
You need to make sure there is enough memory on your smart TV, to ensure Amazon Prime can load properly. If your device’s RAM is too full, the app will be unable to download all the necessary data required to load its content. If you have unnecessary apps installed on your TV, delete them to free up more space.
Along with uninstalling applications off your smart TV, clearing Amazon’s cache files will help fix the loading error;
Fix 1. How to clear Amazon Prime cache on smart TV:
Step 1. With your TV turned on, click on the ‘Home’ button on your remote
Step 2. Select ‘Setting’ followed by ‘Apps’
Step 3. Click on ‘System Apps’
Step 4. Find Amazon Prime and press it
Step 5. You should now be able to select ‘Clear Cache’
Note, this is based on a Samsung smart TV, different TV models include an additional step.
(Fun Fact; around 198 million people visit Amazon Prime a day, which is more than the population of Russia).
If you have enough storage space on your smart TV, you can fix Amazon Prime from not loading by carrying out the following steps;
Fix 2. Update Amazon app
Updating your Amazon Prime app will get rid of corrupted files currently installed on your smart TV, as well as improve its performance.
How to update Amazon Prime on smart TV:
Step 1. Open the app section on your TV
Step 2. Click on ‘Settings’ followed by ‘App Update’
Step 3. Find Amazon Prime
You can now confirm you want to proceed with the update if one is available.
Fix 3. Refresh internet connection
If your network connection is intermittent, this will interfere with Amazon Prime loading successfully on your smart TV.
The app needs to be connected to a stable network to process your request to have access to Amazon’s media library.
You can check that you are receiving adequate bandwidth for the app to run properly by testing your internet speed.
If you find your speeds are not what they should be, you can reboot your Wifi router to refresh the connection. You can do this by turning your modem off and unplugging it for a couple of minutes.
Fix 4. Check your subscription status
Make sure your subscription with Amazon Prime is still active.
You may have forgotten you cancelled your subscription, or your monthly payment could have been rejected, resulting in Amazon cancelling your account.
How to check Amazon Prime subscription:
Step 1. Launch the Amazon Prime page
Step 2. Select ‘Your Account’
Step 3. Within the ‘Settings’ tab, click on ‘Manage Prime Membership’
Check that all your details are correct. You will need to renew your subscription if it has been cancelled.
Fix 5. Update smart TV software
Your smart TV’s software may be contaminated, or overdue an update.
How to update smart TV software:
Step 1. Launch ‘Settings’
Step 2. Click on ‘Support’
Step 3. Choose ‘Software Update’
You can select ‘Update Now’ to confirm the installation. Your smart TV will automatically update its software, however, there may have been an interference during the last download.
Fix 6. Disable VPN
The VPN could be blocking your device from reaching the Amazon server. Disable your VPN and relaunch your Amazon Prime application to see if this fixes the error.
If you have to make use of a VPN, you may need to change to a different one that supports Amazon Prime.
How can I improve my Amazon Prime streaming quality?
You can improve your Amazon Prime’s streaming quality by updating the resolution in the settings section of the app.
Step 1. Access your Amazon Prime account
Step 2. Go into ‘Settings’
Step 3. Click on ‘Stream Download’
Step 4. Now choose ‘Stream Quality’
You will now be able to update your quality from the options provided. (Good, better, best and highest quality).
Conclusion
Now that you know why Amazon Prime won’t load on your smart TV, we hope you have utilised one of the six easy solutions we have provided, to help fix this issue from occurring on your device so you can get back to browsing Amazon’s extensive library of shows and movies.
If you have tried all of the fixes given in this guide, and you are still experiencing loading issues, you can check out their Prime Video support page for answers, however, if you still do not find what you are looking for, sign in to your account so you can contact them directly.
(Quiz Time: Three of the countries that do not have Amazon Prime available, are from the same continent. Which continent do they belong to? Hint; it is the largest).
If you know the answer, fill out our Contact Us form with your name, email address and your answer in the comments section.
