Quick answer: To update your Firestick, go to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Check for Updates. If an update is available, select Install Update and keep the stick plugged in until it restarts on its own. Before you start, make sure your internet is fast and stable and you have about 2 GB of free storage. Fire Sticks can also update automatically in the background. If you never update, apps like Netflix and YouTube will eventually stop working. I learned most of this the hard way, and here's everything I wish I'd known.
Why You Can Trust My Take on This
I've owned several Fire Sticks over the years. There's one in my bedroom, one in my living room, and I carry one when I travel so I can plug it into any hotel TV. Most of my friends and family use them too, which means I'm usually the one they call when something goes wrong.
I've had updates fail on bad hotel Wi-Fi and stall because of full storage, and I've watched a family member brick his stick by unplugging it mid-update. So this isn't a copy of Amazon's help page. It's what actually happens when you update a Fire Stick in real life.
How Do I Update My Fire Stick?
Updating a Fire Stick takes just a few clicks:
From the home screen, open Settings (the gear icon).
Select My Fire TV.
Select About.
Scroll down to Check for Updates (on some versions it says "Check for System Update").
If an update is available, select Install Update.
Wait. The screen may go black and the stick will restart on its own. That's normal.
That's the whole process. The steps are easy. Most problems come from what happens before and during the update, which is where most guides stop.
My 2-Step Checklist Before Every Update
Before I install any update, I check two things. Each one comes from a mistake I made.
1. Check your internet speed first.
I once started an update in a hotel room with terrible Wi-Fi. Halfway through, the screen went black. When the stick came back, it kept crashing, and nothing fixed it except a full factory reset. I lost every app and had to download and set everything up again.
Now I never update on weak Wi-Fi. If you're in a hotel, on a shared connection, or your streams are buffering, wait until you're on a fast, stable network.
2. Make sure you have at least 2 GB of free storage.
Another time, I skipped the storage check. The update started, then froze somewhere around 60 to 70 percent. I unplugged the stick, plugged it back in, and tried again, and it wouldn't download at all. I ended up calling Amazon's Fire Stick technical support. After a few tests, we found the cause: my storage was full. Once I deleted some apps, the update installed fine.
To check your storage, go to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Storage. I keep about 2 GB free before any update.
The Hidden Storage Hog Most People Miss
If you use the Downloader app to install apps, check it. Every file you download stays in Downloader's storage, even if you never install it. So you might have only a few apps installed and still find your storage almost full.
Open Downloader, go to its files section, and delete anything you don't need. I also clear the cache on my IPTV apps from time to time (Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > [app] > Clear Cache), which frees up more room.
Does My Fire Stick Update Automatically?
Yes. By default, your Fire Stick downloads and installs system updates on its own, often while it's sitting in standby. You'll also sometimes see a pop-up asking you to update while you're using it.
For most people, I'd leave it that way. Automatic updates keep things secure and working, and you never have to think about it.
I personally don't let mine update automatically, though, and here's why.
I once used an IPTV service called StelloTV. My Fire Stick updated itself in the background, and afterward the StelloTV app stopped working. It wasn't compatible with the new system version, and I couldn't use it until the provider released an update of their own. There's no official way to roll a Fire Stick back to a previous version, so once an update is installed, you're stuck with it.
Amazon doesn't give you a simple "turn off automatic updates" switch. This is what I do instead:
When the update pop-up appears, I choose "Remind me later" instead of installing.
When I'm done watching, I unplug the Fire Stick. It can't update in standby if it isn't powered on. I plug it back in when I want to use it.
To be clear, this delays updates rather than blocking them for good. If the stick stays on and connected long enough, it can still update. But it gives me control over when it happens, and that's what I care about.
What Happens If I Don't Update My Fire Stick?
Honestly, in the short term, not much. If you use your Fire Stick for the everyday stuff most people do, like Netflix, YouTube, and IPTV apps, you probably won't notice a difference between one version and the next.
The problems come when you fall far behind:
Apps stop working. Netflix, YouTube, and other major apps eventually drop support for very old system versions. When that happens, they won't open or update until you update the stick.
You miss security fixes. Some updates patch security holes. If you hear that your current version has a security issue, that's a good reason to update right away.
You miss new features. If a friend's Fire Stick has a feature yours doesn't, that's usually why.
My personal approach is to stay slightly behind but never far behind. I don't install every update the day it drops. In my experience, my stick sometimes felt slower after an update. Maybe that's coincidence, maybe it's the "updates slow your device so you'll upgrade" theory people talk about with phones. I can't prove it either way. Either way, I don't let my stick get so old that YouTube or Netflix stops working, because at that point you're only hurting yourself.
The #1 Rule: Never Unplug During an Update
This one happened to an older family member we'd set up with a Fire Stick. He was in the middle of a show when an update pop-up appeared, and he pressed Update. His show disappeared, the screen changed, and he assumed the stick had frozen, so he unplugged it.
That interrupted the update halfway through and left the system files incomplete. The stick wouldn't work properly after that, and we had to factory reset it. He lost all his apps.
So if you remember one thing from this post: once an update starts, leave the stick plugged in and let it finish, even if the screen goes black or it restarts more than once.
If you've set up a Fire Stick for a parent or grandparent, tell them what I told him: if an update message pops up, press "Not now" and ask someone before doing anything. I also asked his sons to keep an eye on it for him.
If an Update Goes Wrong: How to Factory Reset
Factory resets are a pain, and I avoid them whenever I can. But if a failed update leaves your stick crashing or stuck, here are your options.
Option 1: Use the remote. If the stick boots far enough for the remote to work, hold the Back button and the right side of the navigation circle together for about 10 to 15 seconds. You'll get a prompt to reset. If you don't cancel it, the reset starts automatically.
Option 2: The OTG keyboard trick (when nothing else works). This is my go-to when a stick won't boot properly:
Get a cheap micro USB OTG Y-cable (easy to find on Amazon).
Plug the Fire Stick into the OTG cable, connect the power cord to one branch, and plug a standard USB computer keyboard into the other.
Plug the Fire Stick into your TV and power it on.
As it boots, press Alt + Print Screen + I together. Repeat each time the boot animation restarts until you reach the recovery screen.
Use the arrow keys to select the factory reset option and press Enter.
Key combinations can vary by model, so if this one doesn't work on your stick, search for your specific model's recovery method.
Make Recovery Less Painful
Resetting is only half the pain. Rebuilding everything afterward is the other half. Here's how I make it faster:
My IPTV login details are saved in my chat with the provider or in my email, so I can find them in seconds.
I keep a sheet with my logins for Netflix and my other apps.
Do this before you update. You'll thank yourself if something goes wrong.
So, Should You Update Your Fire Stick?
If you asked me this as a friend, I'd ask you back: why are you updating?
I update when:
There's a new feature I actually want.
An app I use requires a newer version.
I hear about a security issue with my current version.
Otherwise, if everything works fine for you, it's okay to stay on your current version for a while. Just don't fall so far behind that your apps stop working.
And when you do update: check your internet, make sure you have about 2 GB of free space, and don't unplug it until it's done.
Written by
Dana Reyes
Dana has spent six years untangling streaming hardware, from set-top boxes to the router behind them. She writes the setup guides she wishes she had.
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