Are you a binge-watcher of Prime Video?
Do you get excited about newly-released movies and shows?
You can’t wait to get home and quickly turn on your Samsung TV.
But when you do…
Bummer.
It’s not working…
Why?!
You’ve come to the right place!
Here you’ll discover:
- Why your Amazon Prime members account could be the issue.
- 11 easy fixes to make your Prime video work on your Sanmsung TV.
- How updating your Samsung TV can free you up from the latest bugs.
- How cold booting your Samsung TV can reset the main board and solve the issue.
- And lots more…
Why is Prime Video not working on my Samsung TV?
Your Prime Video is not working because it can’t make a connection to the internet. It can also be overloaded with stuffed data, incorrect location settings, or the TV software is not up to date.
Prime Video not working on Samsung TV: 11 easy fixes
#1: Cold boot your Samsung TV
The most common fix is a so-called cold boot from your TV.
A cold boot will reset the TV and mainboard.
And there are 2 easy ways to do this.
Take these steps with the TV turned on:
- Press and hold the power button from the Samsung Remote.
- Hold on until the TV turns off AND on again (until you see the Samsung Logo appear back on the screen).
The second way is like this:
- Unplug the power from the TV for at least 1 min.
- Plug the power back in.
- Turn on the TV again.
This is the first fix, but if it doesn’t work continue to the next step.
#2: Delete and reinstall the Amazon Prime Video app
Good old delete and reinstall is the next logical fix.
It lets you start with a clean sheet with the Amazon Prime Video app. Plus, it’s super easy.
Note: After you reinstalled it, the Prime Video app will ask you again for your account details in order to log in.
Delete the app
Here’s how to do that:
- Press the Home button on your Samsung remote to go to the TV’s menu.
- Go to Apps.
- Select Settings in the upper right corner.
- Select Amazon Prime Video app.
- Select Delete and confirm.
Reinstall the app
After you’re done, reinstall the app:
- Press the Home button on your Samsung Remote to go to the TV’s menu.
- Go to Apps.
- Use the search option and search for the Amazon Prime app.
- If you found it then select it.
- Thereafter install the app.
Then open the app and see if it’s working again.
#3: Reset the Smart Hub
The Smart Hub is your way to go within the Samsung Smart TV.
This is the menu system where you can access all the apps.
It’s possible that the Smart Hub can cause the holdup on Prime Video.
So, you can reset the Smart Hub in that case.
Warning: After resetting the Smart Hub your installed apps, settings, and account details will be deleted. So they’ll need to be reinstalled or re-entered.
Here’s how to reset the Smart Hub within the Samsung TV:
- Push the Home button from the remote.
- Go to Settings.
- Scroll down to Support.
- Choose Self Diagnosis.
- Toggle down and select Reset Smart Hub.
- Put in the PIN (by default it’s:0000).
Done.
#4: Update the software of the TV
Samsung will release updates now and then.
These updates are meant to keep your TV running smoothly and they fix the latest bugs.
For example, these bugs relate to customers complaining about apps not loading or keep getting stuck on their Samsung TV.
Then Samsung will put their engineers on top of the issue and hopefully they release an update to get it fixed.
The only thing is…you need to know about these updates.
It’s really easy to check and run updates:
Follow these steps:
- Press Home on the remote.
- Navigate to Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to Support.
- Choose Software Update.
- Select Update Now.
If there is an update, wait until it’s finished. After the update, the TV will reset itself.
Pro tip: Enable auto-update. This way updates will be done automatically., So you won’t have to think about it or miss an update in the future.
#5: Double-check your Amazon Prime account
If you’re an Amazon Prime Member then you have automatic access to Prime Video.
If you don’t have access to the movies and shows, it’s possible your Amazon Prime subscription is not active or expired.
You can double-check this on your Amazon account within the Amazon app.
Here’s how:
- Open the Amazon app.
- Go to Prime Membership.
- Go to Account Settings.
- Select Manage Prime Membership.
See if it’s active and if needed update your payment settings.
Additionally, you can check this video:
Deregister your device
Another possible scenario is that you’ll reach the limit of streams at the same time.
The maximum number of streams is 3 at the same time when using the same Amazon account.
So, if you notice that too many streams are active at the same time you might want to remove some registered devices.
Here’s how you can check how many devices you have registered. Plus, how to deregister them:
- Select Prime Video Settings.
- Choose Registered Devices.
- Deregister the device you want to remove.
#6: Deactivate VPN
An active VPN can also cause the issue.
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network and can protect your internet traffic.
It can hide your location and IP address. In this way, you are harder to track by other parties. For example, websites that collect your data for commercial purposes.
However, it can also cause issues with Prime Video.
The reason most likely is that Prime Video can’t read your ‘hidden location’.
It can think that you are in another country.
And since some movies are not available in other countries it can stop the movie from loading.
You can try to deactivate the VPN and see if it’s working better.
If it’s working normally without the VPN, you can try to contact the VPN manufacturer and ask for recommended settings while using Prime Video or simply disable it.
#7: Clear the cache from the Prime Video app
The app itself can store data in the form of cache memory.
For example, you are watching a movie but suddenly you need to go.
You pause the movie and turn off the TV.
The app will then save the movie timeframe together with all the other necessary data. Both of these will be stored in the cache memory.
So, when you come back…
You can just pick up where you left off.
If this happens daily, the cache memory can get full and will react slower.
In that case, you should clear it once in a while.
It’s really easy and here‘s how:
- Select the Home button.
- Navigate to Settings.
- Select Apps and.
- Go to Prime Video App and select View Details.
- Thereafter select Clear Cache.
That’s it and try it out.
#8: Check your internet connection
This one is a bit common and in a lot of cases the issue.
So, if you have a wireless internet connection, then check the WiFi signal.
Place your own phone close to the TV to compare. Check how many bars you see.
You can also check this within the TV and here’s how:
- Select Home on the Samsung Remote.
- Choose Settings.
- Go to General.
- Navigate to Network.
- Thereafter select Network Settings
See how many bars there are shown on the screen. If you see 1 or 2, it means the internet is kinda slow and can cause the app not working smoothly.
You can try to move the router closer to the TV. Another thing you could do is buy a wifi extender or a better router.
Ethernet cable connection
With an ethernet cable, you establish a direct physical connection with your router and TV.
The bonus here is unlike a wireless connection, you don’t have many obstacles. For example walls or the distance to the router.
So, if you have an internet port on your Samsung TV then it’s worth trying.
Reset the router
For the sake of starting with a clean connection, you can reset the WiFi-router.
Just unplug the router from the power socket for around 1 min.
Then reconnect it and check if all the LED indicators are blinking as they should.
If you are not sure which ones should blink, or there is none blinking at all and also no internet, then contact your Internet Service Provider.
They can double-check if there’s an Internet connection at all.
Bonus tip: reset the WiFi from within the Samsung TV.
Here’s how:
- Press the Menu or Home button.
- Navigate to Settings.
- Chose General
- Toggle to Network.
- Finally chose Reset Network and confirm
After that’s done, reselect the WiFi again and see how it goes.
#9: Hotspot via your Smartphone
Did you know your smartphone can share its internet with other devices?
You can use it as a mini WiFi router.
Note: Before we get started, keep in mind that it can affect your mobile data bundle. Since that’s what we’ll use. Therefore double-check this to prevent exceeding costs.
Android smartphone Hotspot
If you use an Android phone take these steps:
- Select Settings on your smartphone.
- Navigate to Portable Hotspot.
- Enable Hotspot.
Apple smartphone Hotspot
And on an Apple phone it goes like this:
- Select Settings.
- Select Personal Hotspot.
- Thereafter enable Allow others to join.
Finally, connect the Samsung TV with the hotspot. Place it close to the TV and test it.
Gentle reminder: keep in mind, with Prime Video you are streaming movies. These movies consume a lot of data. Therefore use this fix rather to determine if it’s a WiFi issue. Because after all, the wifi is more stable and better for streaming movies to the TV.
#10: Factory Reset
You can reset the TV back to factory settings.
This will reset the TV back to its setting from when you just bought it.
The fix is quite rough, so try it only when nothing else seems to work.
Warning: after the factory reset all your data will be erased like your personal settings and user data.
Take these steps for a factory reset on the Samsung TV:
- Go to Settings.
- Navigate to General.
- Scroll to Reset and select it.
- Put in your PIN.
The PIN is by default: 0000.
If you can’t find these steps, it’s possible you have a different TV model. Then optionally try this:
- Go to Settings.
- Navigate to Support.
- Select Self Diagnosis.
- Select Reset.
#11: Contact Samsung, Prime Video, or your ISP
If you exhaust all these fixes and still have no luck, then the best option is to contact Samsung, Amazon, or your Internet Service Provider (ISP) directly.
For Samsung support, you can try this link.
Or if you use Prime Video, contact their support here.
If you know for sure it’s your internet then contact your ISP.