Imagine you are all engrossed up in your favorite movie or series. You have reached the climax of the movie, it’s a very exciting and intense moment as the movie unfolds, but all of a sudden, your Amazon Prime Video starts buf..fer..rr..ing – a total killjoy, isn’t it?
No matter if you stream via Prime’s Firestick apps or direct, we’ve all been there, and many users are facing such problems where their Amazon Prime Video movies or series start buffering, lagging, stuttering, and so on.
So, in this article, we are going to discuss some troubleshooting tips to have your Amazon Prime Video streaming a smooth sail.
Why Prime Video Is Buffering/Stuttering/Freezing?
Before we start talking about how to stop your Amazon Prime Videos from buffering, we need to know the reason why it is happening or, in other words, what is causing it to happen. Some of the causes you’d likely be investigating are:
Reason 1: Low Internet Speed
Do a speed test. If your internet connection is sluggish, then buffering becomes a frequent guest. In order to stream into SD quality content – 3Mb/s, for HD video 5Mb/s and for Ultra HD 4k quality-25Mb/s is recommended.
If you do find your internet speed to be at fault, then you can try out the troubleshooting tips that I’ll be discussing later on in the article, or you can always switch to a faster internet package.
Reason 2: Outdated Amazon Prime Video app/Software
Not all old is gold. One of the many reasons your Amazon Prime Video is lagging might be because you are using an outdated version of the app.
Reason 3: Unwanted Internet Cache
Having any temporary Internet data or Amazon Prime cache over time dwindles the performance of video streams and the device. So try to keep a lookout on such unwanted, corrupted cache or Internet files and clear them up.
Reason 4: Device Configuration Issue
Check that there are no issues with your device configuration. Sometimes problems with the device configuration can cause your Amazon Prime Videos to start buffering and lagging.
Reason 5: Amazon Prime Video Services Issues
If you’ve checked and are certain that all is well with your device and an internet connection, but it’s only your Amazon Prime Video app that is acting up with the buffering and stuttering, and no other sites such as Youtube, Facebook, Netflix, etc. are showing these problems then there is a possibility of a content delivery network issue with the Amazon Prime Video service and your device.
Simply contact Amazon Prime Video support, and they will assist you on how to solve the problem at hand.
How to Fix Amazon Prime Video Buffering Issue?
Fix 1: Leveling up your internet speed
- Try restarting your device, router, and modem- yes, the old, classic ‘have your tried turning it on and off?’ method we usually opt for when facing any technical problems.
- Close any bandwidth-intensive apps and disconnect other devices from the connection while streaming into Amazon Prime Video. The more devices using the same connection, the slower your broadband speed becomes.
- Connect your device directly to the router using an Ethernet cable.
- Pause the video if you notice it is stuttering or the audio starts lagging. Doing so will allow it to download a bit and tone down the buffering issue before you continue playing it.
Fix 2: Leveling Down Your Streaming Quality:
Although you will no longer enjoy that top-notch video quality, but lowering your streaming quality serves as a good remedy from having your video buffer and freeze up. To reduce your video streaming quality
- Go to the Amazon Prime Video app
- Click on Menu
- Go to Settings and then click on Stream & Download
- Tap on ‘Streaming Quality and Download Quality.’
- Then, adjust the quality of your video resolution to a lower degree
Different OS has different settings to change the video quality. Here we published a dedicate article to change the video quality for prime video.
Fix 3: Download Amazon Prime Video titles:
Downloading your Amazon Prime Video movies or series before you actually start watching them guarantees you will not fall into this buffering mess. To download Amazon Prime Video titles:
- Log in to your Amazon Prime Video app
- Select the video you wish to download
- Under the video details section, click on the ‘Download’ button
- Choose where you wish to save the video
- Choose the desired video quality
- Tap on ‘Start Download’
Note: Download options for the videos is only available for the Prime Video app on smartphone. There is no download option for the titles if you using the prime video on desktop browser.
FAQ’s | Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, to stop your Amazon Prime Videos from buffering, you can try looking into some more troubleshooting tips, such as:
1. Check and update your device’s DNS settings for better performance. Disable any VPN and proxy servers that may lag its smooth functioning.
2. You can switch to a fiber optic broadband connection if you are facing problems with a low internet connection.
3. Re-install the Amazon Prime Video app.
4. Ensure that your HDMI cable and display are compatible with HDCP 1.4 (HD) or HDCP 2.2 (UHD/HDR) if you are watching your videos on TV and so on.
There can be many reasons as to why your Amazon Prime Video has failed to respond. For instance, your internet connection may have collapsed, your device may be low in battery, or there are many devices connected to the same network tool, and so on. Try to find out the root cause of the problem and take measures as aforementioned to stop your streams from lagging.
Yes, your browser can also be one of the many reasons your Amazon Prime Video streams are buffering. Use web browsers that support HTML5 web player.
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