Having the place where you store your cash get full is never a bad thing, but having your cache storage full could bring your entertainment life to a screeching halt if you’re a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick user. Has your Fire TV or Fire TV Stick been acting “buggy” lately? Lagging, or taking forever to load apps and content? Various data caching storage locations in Fire OS could be full, causing some of your home entertainment headaches.
Here at Pocket-lint, we care about you too much to allow you to watch things on your TV in suboptimal fashion, so we’re going to show you how to clear the cache on your devices and make it easier for you to watch Frank Castle make that one last kill! You’re welcome!
What is a streaming device cache?
Temporary storage that improves efficiency
Let’s go on a brief side quest, shall we? My wife loves her Roku, but I’m actually not a huge fan. The service is easy to use, and the app is well laid out, but I’m impatient and hate how slow it is to load apps, which it calls “channels.” That’s because it doesn’t store those apps’ data in a temporary folder on the device. No, if you want to speed up launch times, you have to plug a flash drive into the Roku’s USB-A slot (if it has one), and it will cache some data externally.
With Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, you don’t have to wait as long. But that speed comes at a cost. Eventually, the folders on those devices fill up because they store things like content thumbnails, your watch history, and lists, or perform functions like allowing you to stay logged into an app or helping your streaming device prevent buffering.
You don’t have to do anything; the software handles the heavy lifting, but eventually it will begin to max out, and you’ll need to delete the cache or apps, even, to keep your experience smoother than a frog’s forehead.
Quiz
Fire TV Stick history
Trivia challenge
From its 2014 debut to 4K streaming dominance — how well do you really know Amazon’s Fire TV Stick?
HistoryHardwareStreamingFeaturesAmazon
In what year did Amazon first release the original Fire TV Stick?
Correct! Amazon launched the original Fire TV Stick in November 2014, initially as an invitation-only product before making it widely available. It was designed as a budget-friendly alternative to the full Fire TV box released earlier that same year.
Not quite. Amazon launched the Fire TV Stick in November 2014, following the debut of the larger Fire TV set-top box earlier that year. It quickly became one of the best-selling streaming devices on the market.
Which port does the Fire TV Stick plug into on your television?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick connects directly into an HDMI port on your TV, making it incredibly simple to set up. A separate USB cable is also included to provide power to the device.
Not quite. The Fire TV Stick uses an HDMI connection to plug directly into your television. This design keeps the device compact and ensures compatibility with virtually any modern TV.
Which Fire TV Stick model was the first to support 4K Ultra HD streaming?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick 4K, released in October 2018, was the first stick-form-factor Fire TV device to support 4K Ultra HD, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It was a significant upgrade over the standard stick lineup.
Not quite. The Fire TV Stick 4K, launched in 2018, was the first in the stick lineup to offer 4K Ultra HD support along with HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio. Earlier stick models were capped at 1080p Full HD.
What is the name of Amazon’s voice assistant built into the Fire TV Stick remote?
Correct! Amazon’s own voice assistant, Alexa, is integrated into the Fire TV Stick remote, allowing users to search for content, control smart home devices, check the weather, and more using just their voice.
Not quite. Amazon built its own voice assistant, Alexa, into the Fire TV Stick remote. Alexa lets you search for content hands-free, control compatible smart home devices, and access a wide range of skills beyond just streaming.
What is the name of Amazon’s own free streaming service that comes pre-installed on Fire TV Sticks?
Correct! Amazon Freevee (previously known as IMDb TV) is Amazon’s free, ad-supported streaming service that comes pre-loaded on Fire TV devices. It offers a wide library of movies and TV shows at no subscription cost.
Not quite. Amazon Freevee, formerly called IMDb TV, is Amazon’s free ad-supported streaming service that comes built into Fire TV Sticks. While Prime Video requires a subscription, Freevee is completely free to watch with ads.
Which budget-focused Fire TV Stick model was introduced in 2020, featuring a simplified remote without TV controls?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick Lite launched in 2020 as Amazon’s most affordable streaming stick. Its remote omits the dedicated TV power and volume buttons found on standard Fire TV remotes, keeping costs down for budget-conscious buyers.
Not quite. Amazon introduced the Fire TV Stick Lite in 2020 as its entry-level streaming stick. The Lite version’s remote drops the TV control buttons to reduce the price, making it an attractive option for first-time streamers.
Before being rebranded, what was the original name of the Fire TV Stick’s operating system?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick runs Fire OS, Amazon’s own operating system that is based on Android but heavily customised with Amazon’s own apps, services, and interface. It has been the backbone of all Fire TV devices since launch.
Not quite. Fire TV Sticks have always run Fire OS, Amazon’s forked version of Android that replaces Google’s services with Amazon’s own ecosystem. Despite its Android roots, Fire OS looks and behaves quite differently from standard Android TV.
Which connectivity standard did the Fire TV Stick 4K Max (1st Gen, 2021) introduce to the Fire TV Stick lineup for the first time?
Correct! The Fire TV Stick 4K Max launched in 2021 as the first Fire TV Stick to support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), offering faster and more reliable wireless connectivity compared to previous models. It also featured a more powerful processor than the standard 4K stick.
Not quite. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max, released in 2021, made history as the first Fire TV Stick to include Wi-Fi 6 support. This newer wireless standard delivers improved speeds and better performance in homes with many connected devices.
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Did you cache that?
App gluttony and the consequences of a lack of maintenance
I don’t know about you, but my wife has a lot of apps/channels installed on the devices she uses most often, and we tend to bounce between quite a few free and paid streaming services. Think of your streaming stick or TV like a computer or smartphone. When it fills up, it gets buggy. All of those apps she downloads and all of those shows we watch are placing bits of information into the storage on our devices. If it’s just you watching, it may take a while before you notice a degradation in your experience, but with both of us watching anime, TV shows, and movies, our devices’ storage gets quite the workout.
You should already be clearing your cache regularly, every few months or so, but you’ll really know it’s time to do some maintenance when you’re trying to load apps, and they’re crashing. Or you might experience a lot of buffering when trying to stream a movie or your favorite series like Abbott Elementary or Maul. Be sure it isn’t a problem with your internet connection first, but if not, it could be your cache.
The Cache and the Furious
Speed things up by clearing the cache
While many roads lead to a cleared cache, let’s begin with an important note before we head out! Amazon notes in their help pages that if you haven’t used any app for more than 30 days and your device is running low on storage, there is a “storage optimizing feature” that will automatically clear that app’s cache. That feature runs in the background and has no option in the settings to deactivate it.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, clearing the cache on Fire TV and Fire TV Stick! Before we clear that cache, please note that which options you see will vary based on the age of your Fire TV device. For example, I own a Toshiba Fire TV that is a few years old and has only updated to Fire TV OS 6.7.0.8, while my Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) is currently on Fire OS version 8.1.7.4. The Stick has all the options below, while the Toshiba doesn’t. And with that, let’s get to the steps.
These steps should clear up any issues you’re having with apps or fix any low storage messages that pop up on the screen.
- Go to Settings from your Fire TV menu
- Select Applications
- Scroll down to Clear all Application Caches
- To clear all application caches, select Clear all Application Caches (option not available on the older Toshiba Fire TV I own)
- Select Confirm
To clear the cache and data for a specific app (on the older TV, you’d have to go this route for all the installed apps, one by one):
- Select the app
- Select Clear Cache, and then Clear Data
As I said earlier, many roads lead to a cleared cache. You may also clear your Fire TV device’s cache through the Amazon website!
- Go to Manage Your Content and Devices
- From Devices, select your Fire TV device
- Select Clear Your Fire TV Cache
If you need to uninstall an app from your device, go to Uninstall Games and Apps on Your Fire TV.
Bonus tip: If you watch content on an Echo Show device, you can find Fire TV Settings in your Echo Show Settings.
