I’ve been using a Fire TV for a while but noticed my remote kept having problems controlling the TV, or not pairing. I did some research into how to fix it and here’s what I found.
In general, you should replace the batteries on your Fire TV Remote, reset your Fire TV device and reset your Fire TV remote. To reset your power TV device you should unplug it from the power and plug it in again. But, there are 7 kinds of Fire TV remotes and each needs to be reset in a unique way.
The types of Fire TV remotes are:
- Basic edition
- 1st generation, 2nd generation, 3rd generation
- Lite
- Fire TV – TV remote
- Fire TV – soundbar remote
An article from Amazon (link: here) provides a picture of each of the different kinds of remotes, and gives steps about how to reset each different kind of Fire TV remote.
This is, however, only one step in fixing your Fire TV remote, so keep it handy while going through the steps in this article, where I will explain everything you need to know about getting your Fire TV remote working again.
Fire TV Remote Not Controlling TV
One of the most obvious signs something is wrong with your Fire TV remote is that it just stops controlling your TV. To fix your Fire TV remote, here’s what you do:
As a whole a Fire TV remote needs to be paired to your Fire TV device before it will work. Your Fire TV remote may have been unpaired, the batteries might be flat, or you may not have line of sight between your remote and the Fire TV device.
To pair your Fire TV remote you should go to the Settings on your Fire TV device. If you don’t have a working remote, then you can download the Fire TV app from the iOS App store, or the Google Play store.
That will allow you to use your smartphone as a remote until you pair your remote. To pair your Fire TV remote you should go to the Fire TV home screen. From there, you select Controllers & Bluetooth Devices > Amazon Fire TV remotes > Then you should press and hold down the home button on your Fire TV remote for 10 seconds.
Once your remote is paired it should work, otherwise the batteries for your remote might be flat. Try some new batteries and see if it starts working again. You won’t be able to pair your Fire TV remote to your Fire TV device if it doesn’t have any battery. So, once you replace the batteries try pairing it again.
Some Fire TV remote models also need line of sight between the remote and your Fire TV device. If there is a pot plant, an empty bowl of chips/popcorn or something else that is in front of your Fire TV and blocking it, the remote won’t be able to send a signal.
Double check nothing is blocking your Fire TV device. Or, move anything out of the way any try again. The other issue could be with Consumer Electronics Control (CEC).
Fire Stick Remote Won’t Turn On/Off TV
Using one remote is easier than using a bunch of different remotes. But, does a Fire TV remote turn a TV on and off? There are a range of settings you need to do to get a Fire Stick Remote to turn your TV on and off.
In total there are two steps to set up your Fire TV remote to turn your TV on and off. The first is to set it up as a device on your TV, and is done in the CEC settings. And the other is to enable CEC device control in the Fire TV settings.
If your TV doesn’t support CEC then your Fire TV remote won’t be able to turn your TV on and off. To know whether your TV has CEC it’s best do a Google search for the make and model of your TV and the words CEC. Or, ‘does the your tv model have CEC?’.
For example if your TV is a Samsung QN90A QLED. Then search for ‘does a Samsung QN90A QLED have CEC’. If your TV supports CEC then you should look for the instructions to add devices to it.
It can be in the user manual, or on the official website of your TV manufacturer. If and when you have enabled CEC on your TV, you need to enable CEC devices on your Fire TV device.
To do that go to Settings on your Fire TV device and then select Display & Sound > HDMI CEC Device Control > From there you’ll have the option to enable it. Once you enable it you should be able to use your Fire TV remote to turn your TV on and off.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 12, 2021.
Fire TV Remote Freezes
Sometimes your Fire TV remote will just freeze and you won’t be able to move around the menu or select anything. Although, it shouldn’t happen very often when it does, this is what you should do…
A frozen Fire TV remote is fixed by turning your Fire TV device off and on again, and resetting your Fire TV remote. To turn your Fire TV device off and on again you can unplug it from the power, then plug it back in.
There are complicated steps for restarting a Fire TV remote, and the steps are different based on what kind of remote you have.
A very helpful document from Amazon shows what each of the Fire TV remotes looks like, and how to restart them. Follow the instructions by clicking here. After resetting your Fire TV device, and your Fire TV remote it should be working again. If not, you should contact the customer support for Amazon Fire TV, and have them look into it for you.
Fire TV Remote Not Pairing
After you get a new Fire TV remote, or it unpairs because you took the batteries out you’ll need to pair it again. But, sometimes it just won’t pair. Here’s an explanation about how to fix your Fire TV remote when it has this issue…
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 12, 2021.
A Fire TV remote that doesn’t pair is fixed by double checking the batteries, moving your Fire TV remote closer to your Fire TV device, and restarting your Fire TV device. On top of that you can use the Fire TV app on your smartphone to pair your remote.
There is also a limit of 7 remotes that can be connected at once. A good distance to be within when pairing your Fire TV remote is 3 meters (10 feet). It’s a good idea to try each of the steps until one of them works for you.
If all else fails your remote might be faulty, and you should contact Fire TV support about how to fix the issue moving forward. They may replace the remote under warranty or advise you to buy a new one.
Alternatively, they may be able to gather some additional information from you about your device, and why your remote isn’t pairing and fix it for you.
Have a different brand smart tv? Please check out our article on Smart TV Remote Not Working to find your specific TV brand.
Fire TV Remote Keeps Unpairing
Your Fire TV remote might pair just fine, but keeps unpairing itself, and then you need to pair it again to be able to use it. Major headache! Here’s how to fix a Fire TV remote that keeps unpairing.
As a whole, this is most likely caused by your Fire TV remote going out of range of your Fire TV device. When this happens the remote won’t work and it will unpair from your Fire TV stick. The range where your Fire TV stick will work is within 10 feet (3 meters).
Othertimes there may be a fault with your specific remote and you should replace it. Before replacing it you should also try restarting your Fire TV device, and resetting your Fire TV remote.
Your remote might also be covered by the warranty so it’s a good idea to contact Amazon Fire TV support regarding the issue and see what they recommend to do.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 12, 2021.