How to Fix Prime Video Not Working on Samsung TV? (The Complete Guide)

Lindsay Hayes

If the Amazon Prime Video app isn't working on your Samsung Smart TV, there are many fixes you can try. Always start by making sure your internet connection is good, and if it is, restart your TV next. After that, you can try tricks like updating the Prime Video app, updating your Samsung TV software, clearing the cache for the app, and even performing a factory reset if all else fails.

Amazon Prime Video is one of the most popular streaming apps these days, giving access to tens of thousands of movies and series, including many that are exclusive to it. I remember when I was about to watch the newest episode of an exclusive series and came across the Prime Video not working error. I was forced to find out how to fix it, and fortunately, I did.

So, if you're facing Amazon Prime Video not working on Samsung TV, there are many ways that you can fix that. Plus, I'll even show you the common causes for this. Let's jump right in.

Contents

How to Fix Prime Video Not Working on Samsung TV?

If you want to fix Amazon Prime Video and get it working on Samsung TV again, there are 13 great fixes you can run through to get back to enjoying your content as soon as possible.

Woman Watching TV

1. Connect to a Stable and Fast Internet Connection

Since the Amazon Prime Video app is one that entirely relies on being online to show you content, you need to make sure that the internet connection that you're using is reliable and fast.

This will enable the app to reach the Prime Video servers without any issues.

You can switch to any other connection that you have access to, and see if it will change the outcome.

2. Reset Your Wi-Fi Router

Even when your internet service provider is up and running properly, your router might get in the way of you being able to connect to the internet on any of your devices.

This happens occasionally, so all you really need to do is reset your router.

Some internet routers have a button on the back or underside that you can press to reset it, but generally, all you need to do is unplug it from power and then plug it back in. That will work, no matter what model of router you have.

3. Restart Your Samsung Smart TV

Restarting your Samsung Smart TV is the next thing that I'd recommend doing, as this can clear out any glitches you might be facing, and fast. It's one of the most effective options.

However, you might notice that when you press the power button on your remote control to turn the Samsung TV off and then on again, it simply seems like it went to sleep.

That's the way most smart TV models work these days, so to do a proper restart, you have to do things a bit differently.

There are two ways to effectively restart your Samsung TV to fix any issues with the Amazon Prime app.

The first is to grab your remote control and instead of just pressing the power button, press it and hold it down until the TV switches off and then back on.

Another way you can do it, especially if you can't use your remote control for some reason, is to simply unplug the Smart TV from its power source. Leave it unplugged for about 30 seconds, and then plug it back in and turn it on.

4. Update the Amazon Prime Video App

With any app, I always recommend updating it if you face any weird issues or bugs. This remains true for the Amazon Prime Video app. Here's how to update it on your Samsung TV.

  1. Press the Home button on your remote to bring up the menu.
  2. Navigate to the "Apps" icon.
  3. Press the center button on your remote to open it.
  4. Now, navigate to the top-right corner of the screen and select the "Settings" icon to open it.
  5. You can choose "Update All" to update all apps on your Samsung TV that are outdated, including your Amazon Prime Video app if there's an update available for it. You can also toggle "Auto Update" to "ON" so that the Smart TV will take care of any updates on its own.
  6. Alternatively, if you want to update the Amazon Prime Video app alone, you can do that too. Navigate to its entry in the list of applications.
  7. Scroll down the drop-down menu, and choose "View Details".
  8. If there's an update available, you will see a button that says "Update", but if not, it will simply say "Open". Choose Update to install the latest version of the Prime Video app, and that's it.
Video on Demand Display on TV

5. Clear the Cache

Clearing the cache of the Amazon Prime Video application can be a great way to get it working like you expect it to on your Samsung TV.

Managing your app data like this is pretty easy on Samsung TVs. Let me show you the steps to follow:

  1. Press the Home button on the remote.
  2. Navigate to the Settings icon and open it.
  3. Now, scroll over to "All Settings".
  4. In the left side panel, open the "Support" menu.
  5. Choose "Device Care".
  6. Now, go to "Manage Storage".
  7. Scroll through the apps that show up until you find the Prime Video app. Select "View Details".
  8. Now, scroll to "Clear Cache" and press the center button on the remote to choose it.

6. Clear the App Data

Clearing app data can also help fix Amazon Prime Video and get it working normally again.

However, keep in mind that doing this will log you out of the application and you will need to sign back in before you can use it again. If you aren't sure of your password, for instance, you shouldn't try this method.

Doing this is very similar to clearing cache data on Samsung TVs.

  1. Press the Home button.
  2. Open the Settings menu.
  3. Choose "All Settings".
  4. Choose the "Support" option from the left panel.
  5. Open "Device Care".
  6. Now, go to "Manage Storage".
  7. Scroll through the apps until you find Amazon Prime Video. Select "View Details".
  8. Now, scroll to "Clear Data" and select it.

7. Reinstall Amazon Prime Video App

When you reinstall the Prime Video app, you can basically start things on a completely clean slate with the app. If it still doesn't work after this, the problem you're facing probably has more to do with your Samsung TV software than the app itself.

To reinstall Prime Video app, the first thing to do is to uninstall it. However, keep in mind that some Samsung TV models come with Prime Video pre-installed. In this case, you may not be able to uninstall it.

Here's how to uninstall Prime Video on your Samsung TV:

  1. Press the Home button on your Samsung Smart Remote.
  2. Navigate the Smart Hub and select the "Apps" option.
  3. Go to the Settings button in the upper-right corner.
  4. This will bring a list of all the apps installed on your Samsung TV. Go through them and find the Amazon Prime Video icon.
  5. Scroll down the menu underneath its entry and choose "Delete".
  6. Press "Delete" from the prompt that appears.

Now that the application has been removed, you can move to install it again.

  1. Press the Home button on your Samsung TV remote.
  2. Go to "Apps".
  3. Select the search icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
  4. Type in "Prime Video" using the on-screen keyboard, then press "Done".
  5. Select the app from the options that appear.
  6. Click "Install".

That's it! You've been able to fully reinstall Amazon Prime Video on your Samsung TV.

Welcome Screen of Prime Video

8. Uninstall Unneeded Apps

You can also uninstall apps on your Samsung TV that you simply don't need anymore. This can free up memory on the television and potentially help other apps move smoother than they usually do.

  1. Press the Home button on your remote.
  2. Select "Apps".
  3. Open "Settings" from the upper right.
  4. Go through the list of apps and find the ones you want to remove.
  5. Choose "Delete" under each entry.
  6. Press "Delete" again.

9. Reset Samsung Smart Hub

When opening Prime Video just returns a black screen, the problem you're facing might be with Samsung Smart Hub, which you can consider to be the Samsung TV home screen app.

Fortunately, the Samsung Smart Hub can be reset, which can help solve a Samsung TV issue like this one. Let me show you how to perform a Smart Hub reset. Just note that the steps may differ slightly depending on your exact TV model.

Also, keep in mind that this is like a "lite" version of a factory reset. All apps that you have installed on your Samsung TV will be removed, and you will be logged out of any system apps you have signed into.

  1. Press the "Home" button.
  2. Go to "Settings".
  3. Navigate and select "All Settings".
  4. Go to "Support" in the left panel.
  5. Choose "Device Care". On some models, you may need to choose "Self Diagnosis" after this.
  6. Now, press "Reset Smart Hub".
  7. Enter the PIN for your Samsung TV, and that will reset Smart Hub for you. It is 0000 by default.

10. Update Your Samsung TV

It's always a good idea to install any software update that your Samsung TV gets since it brings new features and fixes bugs.

If you haven't done this, you can always manually update from the Settings menu.

  1. Press your Home button to open the TV menu.
  2. Choose "Settings".
  3. Go to "Support" in the side panel.
  4. Press "Software Update".
  5. Now, if there are available updates for your Samsung TV, choose "Update Now". This will download the software update, and once completed, your TV will restart and install it.

11. Ensure that Amazon Servers Are Up

Prime Video might not work no matter what you do if there's an issue with Amazon's servers. If this is the case, you will simply need to wait for the issue to be resolved by them.

You can confirm whether Amazon servers are down by checking on Down Detector.

12. Check Your Amazon Prime Video Subscription

You might also not be able to watch any of your Amazon Prime videos when there's something wrong with your Amazon Prime account and your subscription.

You can confirm if this is the problem by using your Amazon account to log into Prime Video on any other device. If you face the same issue, you might want to make sure that your subscription is still active.

13. Factory Reset Samsung TV

If everything else fails and you really need to watch Prime Video on your Samsung TV, you can perform a factory reset. This will wipe all data and changes you've made to your Samsung TV and return it to how it was when you bought it.

Here are the steps to follow for a factory reset:

  1. Press the Home button on your Samsung TV remote.
  2. Choose "Settings".
  3. Go to "General" in the left panel. On some smart TVs, you may need to go to "Support" instead, and then "Self Diagnosis".
  4. Select "Reset".
  5. Enter your TV's PIN. It is 0000 by default.
  6. Press "Reset".
  7. Finally, select "OK".
Man Holding a Remote in Front of TV

Why is the Amazon Prime Video App Not Working on My Samsung Smart TV?

It can be a good idea to know the different things that can cause issues and stop Prime Video from working on your TV the way it should. Here are some of the commonest causes.

You Have a Poor Internet Connection

The first culprit tends to be a bad connection to the internet. Prime Video, and all other streaming apps, rely on the internet to bring you the content that you want to watch.

If you have slow internet speed or the connection is unstable, the application won't be able to reach out to the servers and bring back the content that you want. If you want to watch movies on Prime Video and it doesn't work, this is the first cause to consider.

Glitches or Bugs in the Prime Video App

No software is perfect, so glitches and bugs are expected every once in a while. A bug in the Prime Video app might be why it isn't working on Samsung TV.

Updates to applications don't only bring new features, but they almost always come with fixes for bugs that might have been discovered.

Corrupted Cache or App Data

Just like with our smartphones, when the data in an app's cache becomes corrupted or too large, it can cause problems with how you're able to use that application.

Glitches or Bugs in the Samsung Smart TV OS

Your Samsung television has a full-blown OS on it, and this can experience the same issues that any software might have.

This can explain why updates or a reset can fix the problems that you're facing. Sometimes all it really takes is to unplug Samsung TV from the power outlet to get rid of glitches.

Your Samsung TV is Running Out of Memory

If your TV's memory is getting full, such as when it has been on for a long time and you have all sorts of apps running in the background, it can affect how other applications run.

Uninstalling applications you don't use can free up storage space as well as any occupied RAM from unneeded apps in the background.

Amazon Prime Video Servers Are Down

Big technology companies can sometimes encounter issues with their servers that can bring their platforms down globally. This isn't a regular occurrence, but it happens.

If you're unable to use Prime Video on your TV or other devices, and other people have a similar experience, this is likely to be the problem.

Amazon Prime Movie List

Read more resources

Final Words

If you're facing problems getting the Amazon Prime Video app to work properly on your Samsung TV, there are a lot of potential causes, like glitches and bugs, corrupted data, or slow internet speed, that can cause this to happen.

Fortunately, you can fix this issue in many ways. You can restart the TV, update your Samsung TV and the application itself, reinstall the Prime Video app clear the cache, or even reset the TV's software as a last resort.

Was this article able to show you what to do if your Prime Video application isn't working on your Samsung Smart TV? If so, take a look at our other articles to find more tips and fixes that work.

Lindsay Hayes

Author
Hi, I’m Lindsay, a techie from Kansas City. That’s right; I’m a born and bred Midwesterner. I learned to take electronics apart at my dad’s GameStop way back when, and I haven’t stopped since. I spend most of my time checking out new gadgets.
Related posts
Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. CPU Forever is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon (.com, .co.uk, .ca etc) and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Copyright 2024 CPU Forever, all rights reserved.