Why Is My Amazon Prime Buffering? (Reasons, Fixes)

 

Amazon Prime Video has a large library of content that ranges from Amazon Originals to old favorites.

Having a Prime account lets you access those titles for free, in most cases.

However, you might notice that your Amazon Prime is buffering and wonder how you can fix that problem.

 

Why Is My Amazon Prime Buffering? (Reasons, Fixes)

 

1. Poor Internet Connection

 

A common problem behind buffering issues is a poor internet connection.

Amazon Prime videos rely on a stable internet connection to load.

If there are interruptions in your internet connection due to poor connectivity, then those interruptions result in periods of buffering.

The video has to pause because it’s trying to process the data that comes in interrupted batches.

Even something as minuscule as a disconnect that occurs for a millisecond can cause your video to buffer.

That’s because, for that millisecond, the video wasn’t receiving the data it needs to play.

Unfortunately, this is often because you’re using WIFI.

WIFI signals aren’t the strongest, and there are many factors that can degrade the signal even further.

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help make your internet connection stabler.

 

Fix: Use An Ethernet Cable Or Move Router

One of the best ways to improve your internet connection is to use an ethernet cable.

An ethernet cable allows you to directly connect your router to a device.

In this case, the device would be whatever system you’re trying to use to watch Amazon Prime videos.

If it’s your computer, then you’ll want to connect the ethernet cable to your computer.

If it’s your TV, then you’ll want to connect your ethernet cable to your TV.

As long as your TV is a smart device, then it likely has a port for an ethernet cable.

Ethernet cables provide more stable internet than WIFI because there’s less interference.

It’s a direct connection that passes the data from the router to the device.

If your router doesn’t have an ethernet port or the device you’re using doesn’t have one, then there’s still something you can do.

You can strengthen your WIFI signal by moving the router closer to the device.

When there’s less distance between the router and the device, there’s less interference with the WIFI signals.

That’s because the signal has a smaller distance to travel.

Signals also degrade as they pass through walls and solid objects.

By eliminating or limiting those objects, a WIFI signal can become stronger.

You’ll experience fewer interruptions, so your Amazon Prime will stop buffering.

 

2. Slow Internet Connection

 

Having an unstable internet connection isn’t the only problem that could be causing your Amazon Prime to buffer.

You might also just have slow internet.

Most internet companies sell internet packages based on data speeds.

This basically describes how quickly the router can upload and download packages of data.

The higher the amount of data it processes, the more expensive the internet package is.

The problem with streaming is that it requires a good amount of internet speed.

While you don’t need the fastest internet in the world to stream, it certainly helps.

The speed of your internet determines how often your Amazon Prime buffers because it determines how quickly data moves from your router to your streaming platform.

If your router is only capable of downloading a small amount of data every second, then it might not meet the requirements for streaming.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to improve the speed of your internet.

There is one thing you can do, however.

 

Fix: Consider Switching Providers

If you find that your internet runs too slow for your needs, then you’re going to need to switch to another internet provider.

You can also stay with your current internet provider if they offer bigger packages.

Of course, because you’re using faster internet, you can also expect to pay more for it.

Most basic internet packages may have some problems with streaming.

You can do a few things to mitigate just how slow your internet runs, but if your family uses the internet a lot, then you might just need to buy a bigger data package.

That might also require you to do a bit of moving around with your budget to afford more expensive internet plans.

When you have faster internet installed, the new router will be able to process data a lot faster.

This means that it can send the data to Amazon Prime faster which results in less, if any, buffering.

To keep your Amazon Prime videos from buffering, you may need to buy more expensive internet services.

 

3. Lots Of Devices Using The Internet At The Same Time

 

Even a medium-to-fast internet can have problems if there are too many devices using it at the same time.

This is how you might be able to salvage your slow internet, too.

The more devices that are using the internet, the more the router has to process data.

It’s sending packets of data to each device.

If you have someone watching Netflix in one room and Amazon Prime in another, then that’s two streams of data the router is processing.

It’s basically working over time.

If you already have slow internet, then it’s going to make your internet even slower.

Imagine that with even more connected devices like phones and smart devices.

You may not even realize how many devices in your home are actually using the internet.

Luckily, this is a problem you can fix pretty easily.

 

Fix: Reduce Device Usage

When you’re in the mood to watch something on Amazon Prime, then you’ll need to limit how many devices are in use while you’re watching it.

This might mean turning off other TVs, computers, or disconnecting phones from the internet.

Not everyone in the household might want to stop using the internet, however, so you might need to determine a schedule that works for everyone.

You can also turn such events into family movie nights, so everyone can watch Amazon Prime together.

Since everyone is together and performing the same activity, there are fewer devices in use.

You might also need to consider buying devices that perform two or more functions in one.

Instead of having a separate security device and house assistant, for example, you can have a device that takes care of both.

This will use less data since the router doesn’t have to send out two streams of data.

It may take some negotiation and planning, but if you can reduce the number of devices in use, you may notice that Amazon Prime stops buffering.

All the data is going toward the device streaming Amazon Prime rather than going toward different devices.

 

4. Device Storage Capacity Is Full

 

A problem with your device can also cause Amazon Prime, among other platforms, to buffer.

Every device has a certain storage capacity.

When the device reaches that capacity, it starts to perform slower.

That’s because it has to sift through all that data to find what it needs based on your inputs.

You might also run into problems because your device’s storage capacity is full.

You may be unable to download any videos you want off Amazon Prime.

Fixing this problem is a simple solution.

 

Fix: Delete Data

To keep your data streamlined, you’ll want to make it a regular habit of deleting your device’s data.

You might choose to delete the data every week or even every month.

By emptying or clearing your device’s storage, you’re allowing your device to run a lot faster.

It has less information to sift through to find what it needs.

It also means you’re able to download more videos.

You may notice that Amazon Prime stops buffering once you clear out your device’s storage.

 

5. Picture Quality Settings May Be Too High

 

Another common problem causing Amazon Prime to buffer is the picture quality of the video.

Most of the videos on Amazon Prime come in different picture qualities.

Some have standard definitions while others have high definitions.

You may even find some shows and movies that allow you to stream them in 4K resolution.

The better resolution the video has, the more data it needs to stream at that resolution.

Picture quality relates to its resolution.

The higher the resolution, the more pixels the video has.

However, having more pixels puts a bit of strain both on your internet and on your device.

The internet has to provide faster data.

Your device needs the right kind of graphics card to provide that number of pixels.

If either of those fails, then you’re going to see buffering.

 

Fix: Reduce Picture Quality

Fixing this problem is pretty easy.

If you’re trying to watch a video at a high resolution and the video keeps buffering, then you need to lower the resolution of the video.

When watching a movie or show on Amazon, you should see a settings menu.

This menu allows you to do a few things like changing the video resolution, its aspect ratio, and whether you want subtitles or not.

Move the video back one resolution tier and see if that fixes your buffering problem.

If it doesn’t, then move down to another resolution.

You may need to watch the video in poor quality, but at least it will stop buffering.