Nothing ruins a Tuesday night quite like settling into the couch with a bowl of popcorn only to realize Amazon Prime is not working. You click "Play." You wait. The little loading circle spins. You wait some more. Maybe you get a cryptic error code like 7031 or 1060 that looks like it belongs in a mainframe from 1985. It’s frustrating. Honestly, it’s mostly annoying because Amazon usually just works, so when it doesn’t, you feel a bit stranded.
The truth is, Prime Video is a massive, complex machine. Between the AWS servers that power half the internet and the specific DRM (Digital Rights Management) requirements of movie studios, a lot can go sideways. Sometimes it’s on them. Usually, it’s on your router. Occasionally, it’s a weird handshake issue between your HDMI cable and your 4K TV.
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First Off: Is it Just You?
Before you start factory resetting your smart TV and losing all your saved passwords, check if the problem is universal. Amazon’s infrastructure is incredibly robust, but even the giants stumble.
You should head over to DownDetector. It’s the gold standard for this. If you see a massive spike in the graph within the last hour, put the remote down. There is literally nothing you can do if an Amazon Web Services (AWS) us-east-1 node is having a meltdown. This happened famously in December 2021, taking down not just Prime Video, but Ring doorbells and even Disney+ for hours. When the "skeleton" of the internet breaks, you just have to wait for the engineers in Seattle to fix it.
If the map is green and everyone else is happily watching The Boys, then the call is coming from inside the house.
The "Everything" Fix: Power Cycling and Cache
We joke about "turning it off and on again," but in networking, this is basically a holy ritual for a reason. Most modern streaming devices—like the Fire Stick, Roku, or that built-in app on your Samsung TV—don't ever actually "shut down." They just sleep. Over time, the cache fills up with junk data, or a background update gets stuck in limbo.
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- Pull the power plug from the wall. Don't just hit the standby button on the remote.
- Wait a full 60 seconds. This lets the capacitors drain.
- Plug it back in.
If you are on an Android TV or a Fire TV device, you can actually go into Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > Prime Video and select Clear Cache. Do not click "Clear Data" unless you want to type your password in again with that clunky on-screen keyboard. Clearing the cache wipes out the temporary files that might be corrupted without nuking your login info.
Your Internet is Faster Than You Think, But More Brittle
You might have gigabit fiber and think your connection is bulletproof. It isn't. Amazon Prime Video needs about 5 Mbps for HD and at least 25 Mbps for 4K Ultra HD. But speed isn't the same as stability.
Wi-Fi interference is the silent killer. If your router is tucked behind a fish tank or sitting next to a microwave, you’re going to get packet loss. When Amazon’s player detects packet loss, it doesn't always just buffer; sometimes it just throws a "Connection Error" and gives up.
If you can, hardwire your device with an Ethernet cable. If you’re using a Fire Stick, you might need a $15 adapter for this, but it’s the single best investment you can make for a stable stream. If Ethernet isn't an option, switch your Wi-Fi band. The 5GHz band is faster but has a shorter range; 2.4GHz is slower but penetrates walls better. If you’re two rooms away from the router, 2.4GHz might actually be more reliable for Prime Video, even if the "speed test" looks lower.
The Browser Headache: Chrome, Silverlight, and DRM
Streaming Amazon Prime on a PC or Mac is a whole different beast. If you're getting a black screen but you can hear the audio, that is almost certainly a HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) issue.
Amazon’s content is protected. If your browser or your monitor setup thinks you might be trying to record the screen, it will kill the video feed. This often happens if:
- You have a screen-sharing app like Discord or Zoom open.
- You’re using an older VGA cable instead of HDMI or DisplayPort.
- Your browser is outdated.
Check your Chrome or Firefox extensions. Specifically, "Dark Mode" extensions or ad-blockers can sometimes break the Prime Video player's script. Try opening an Incognito/Private window. If Prime works there, one of your extensions is the culprit. Disable them one by one until the video plays. Also, for the love of all that is holy, make sure your graphics drivers are updated. NVIDIA and AMD frequently release patches specifically to fix video playback bugs in browsers.
That Annoying "Location Error" or VPN Block
Amazon is very aggressive about regional licensing. The Office might be available on Prime in the UK but not in the US. If you are using a VPN, Amazon will likely detect it.
Even if your VPN is set to your own country, the IP addresses used by big providers like NordVPN or ExpressVPN are often flagged. Amazon sees 5,000 people trying to watch a movie from the same IP address and assumes it’s a proxy. They’ll throw an error saying your device is connected to a "proxy or unblocker." Turn the VPN off. If you’ve already turned it off and it’s still not working, your DNS cache might be "leaking" your old location. Restart your computer or flush your DNS.
Account and Subscription Snags
Sometimes the reason Amazon Prime is not working isn't technical; it’s financial. It sounds silly, but check your "Manage Prime Membership" page.
Credit cards expire. Banks flag the $14.99 (or whatever the current rate is) as suspicious if you haven't used the card in a while. If the payment fails, Amazon doesn't always kick you out of the app immediately. Instead, the app just acts "glitchy." It might let you browse the catalog but throw a generic error the second you hit play.
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Also, check your Registered Devices. Amazon has a limit on how many simultaneous streams can happen from one account (usually three). If your cousin in another state is watching Thursday Night Football and your kids are watching Bluey in the other room, you might be the one getting bumped.
Common Error Codes and What They Actually Mean
- Error 7031: This is usually a browser issue. It means the server dropped the connection. Update Chrome or switch to the desktop app.
- Error 1060: Low bandwidth. Your router is struggling, or your ISP is throttling you.
- Error 9074: This is a "Processing Error" on Amazon’s end. It usually means the specific title you're trying to watch is having a metadata glitch. Try a different show. If the other show works, you just have to wait for Amazon to re-upload the broken one.
Handling Smart TV App Failures
Smart TV apps are notorious for being poorly optimized. Vizio, LG, and older Samsung TVs are the worst offenders because they rarely get firmware updates after the first year of the TV's life.
If the app is "stuck," look for a way to force-close it. On a Samsung TV, you can usually hold the "Back" button for five seconds while the app is open to kill the process. On an Apple TV, double-click the TV button on the remote and swipe up on the Prime app.
If all else fails, delete the app and reinstall it. This forces the device to download the latest version of the player, which often contains the DRM keys needed to play newer releases.
The HDMI Handshake
If you’re using an external device like a Roku or an Apple TV 4K, the physical cable matters. A loose HDMI cable can cause a "handshake" failure. The TV and the streaming box have to constantly agree that the connection is secure. If that connection flickers for even a millisecond, the stream will die to prevent "piracy." Swap the ends of the cable or try a different HDMI port on the back of the TV. Port 1 is usually the most stable.
Actionable Next Steps to Get Back to Your Show
If you've read through this and you're still staring at a blank screen, follow this specific sequence to narrow it down:
- Test a different device: Open the Prime Video app on your phone (using cellular data, not Wi-Fi). If it works there, your home internet or your TV is the problem.
- Check for a System Update: Go to your TV or Fire Stick settings and manually check for software updates. Sometimes a security patch is required before the app is allowed to stream.
- Reset your Router: Unplug it for 30 seconds. This clears the routing table and gives you a fresh IP from your ISP.
- Lower the Quality: If your internet is shaky, go into the Prime Video app settings (usually under "Streaming & Download") and change the quality from "Best" to "Better" or "Good." It uses less data and might stop the buffering.
- Contact Amazon Support: If you’ve done all this and nothing works, use the "Help" section in the Amazon app to requested a "Call Back." Their technical team can actually see if there is a "block" on your specific account that needs manual clearing.
Most of the time, a simple power cycle of the TV and the router simultaneously solves 90% of these "not working" complaints. It’s annoying, but it’s the price we pay for having the world's library beamed into our living rooms via invisible radio waves.