You've got the popcorn. The lights are dimmed. You’ve finally convinced everyone to agree on one movie. Then, you hit play and—nothing. Just a spinning circle of doom or a cryptic "Error 5005" staring back at you. It’s incredibly frustrating. When you’re staring at a frozen screen, the only question that matters is: Is Prime Video down, or is it just my Wi-Fi acting like a jerk again?
Most of the time, it’s not just you. But sometimes it totally is.
Amazon runs on AWS (Amazon Web Services). That's basically the backbone of half the internet. When AWS has a hiccup, Prime Video doesn't just stutter; it falls off a cliff. But before you start tweeting at Amazon’s help desk, you need to figure out where the break is happening. Is it a global outage, a regional spike, or did your cat just step on the router again?
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Checking the Pulse: How to Know if Prime Video is Actually Down
Don't just sit there refreshing. That never works. Honestly, the first thing you should do is check a third-party aggregator. Downdetector is the gold standard here. It relies on user reports, so if you see a massive red spike in the last ten minutes, you can bet your subscription that Amazon is having a bad day.
Another trick? Check social media. Search "Prime Video down" on X (formerly Twitter) or check the Reddit "r/AmazonPrimeVideo" sub. If the service is truly toast, you’ll see thousands of people screaming into the digital void simultaneously. If the last post was from three hours ago, the problem is likely inside your house.
The "Is It Just Me?" Checklist
Sometimes the app works on your phone but not your TV. That’s a huge clue. If the mobile app is streaming The Boys perfectly over 5G but your smart TV is throwing a fit, Amazon isn't down—your local connection or the specific TV app is the culprit.
Why Streaming Services Just Stop Working
It’s rarely one thing. Sometimes it’s a botched software update. Amazon pushes updates to their UI constantly. If they roll out a buggy version of the app for, say, LG WebOS, then every LG owner suddenly thinks the whole service is dead. It’s localized chaos.
Server load is the other big one. Remember when Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premiered? The sheer volume of people hitting the servers at the exact same second can create a bottleneck. It’s like a digital traffic jam. The servers aren't "down" in the sense that they've exploded; they're just overwhelmed and putting you in a very long, invisible line.
Weird Error Codes and What They Secretly Mean
Amazon loves numbers. Error 1060, 7031, 9074. They look like gibberish, but they’re actually breadcrumbs.
Error 7031 usually means there's an issue with your browser. If you’re watching on a PC, try switching from Chrome to Firefox. Chrome is notorious for memory leaks that can make Prime Video think your connection is unstable when it’s actually just the browser being bloated.
Error 1060 is almost always a bandwidth issue. It means the app isn't getting enough data to even start the buffer. If you see this, stop the "is Prime Video down" search and go look at your router. Someone in the other room is probably downloading a 100GB Call of Duty update.
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The Nuclear Option: How to Force It Back to Life
If the reports say the service is fine but you're still stuck, it's time to get aggressive.
First, power cycle everything. I don't mean just turning the TV off with the remote. I mean pulling the plug out of the wall. Count to thirty. This clears the temporary cache that often gets "stuck" during a handshake between your device and Amazon's servers.
Second, check your HDMI cable. This sounds stupid, I know. But Prime Video uses something called HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection). If your cable is old or slightly loose, the "handshake" fails, and the app will refuse to play video to prevent "piracy." It looks like a crash, but it’s actually a security feature being annoying.
Don't Forget the App Cache
On Android TVs or FireSticks, you can go into Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > Prime Video. Hit "Clear Cache" and "Clear Data." You’ll have to log in again, which is a pain, but this fixes about 90% of local "down" issues.
The VPN Trap
Are you using a VPN? Amazon hates them. They have some of the most sophisticated VPN detection software on the planet because of licensing deals. If you're trying to watch the US library from the UK, or even if you just have a VPN on for privacy, Prime Video might "black out." It won't always give you an error message; sometimes it just stays on a black screen forever. Turn it off and try again.
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Is My Internet Just Too Slow?
Streaming 4K UHD requires about 15 to 25 Mbps of consistent speed. If your ISP is "throttling" you during peak hours (usually between 7 PM and 11 PM), Prime Video might struggle to keep up. Run a speed test. If you're getting 5 Mbps, the problem isn't Amazon. It's your provider.
Summary of Immediate Actions
Instead of panicking, follow this flow. It saves time.
- Check Downdetector. If the spike is huge, go read a book for an hour.
- Try a different device. Phone works? TV is the problem.
- Restart the router. It’s a cliché for a reason.
- Sign out and sign back in. This forces a fresh session ID.
- Check for app updates in your device's store.
Actionable Next Steps
If you’ve confirmed that is Prime Video down is the reality for everyone, there isn't much you can do but wait for the AWS engineers to fix the server clusters. However, you can prepare for the next time this happens.
Start by downloading your "must-watch" shows for offline viewing on a tablet or phone. Prime Video allows you to keep a certain number of titles locally. This is a lifesaver during a total service outage or when your home internet dies. Also, keep an eye on your "Registered Devices" list in your Amazon account settings. If you have 20 old phones and tablets registered, it can sometimes cause sync errors. De-register the junk you don't use anymore.
Finally, if you're on a PC, disable hardware acceleration in your browser settings if you keep seeing stuttering. It's a small tweak that prevents the video player from fighting with your graphics card. Now, go check that connection and get back to your show.