The Amazon Fire Stick is a great little gadget that allows you to stream video and music on your television. But it’s not immune from its own set of issues and problems that can arise with regular use.
The light on the remote may flash different colors to alert you to a number of things. In this article, we’ll take a look at the reasons why your remote might be flashing yellow or orange, and the best way to fix these issues, and get your remote working smoothly again.
A blinking yellow or orange light on a Fire Stick remote is normally related to a connectivity issue of some kind – it usually means an internet or Bluetooth connectivity problem.
These connectivity problems can actually be caused by other issues which you might not suspect from the color of the light on your remote. So read on to cover all the bases.
Table of Contents
The Remote is in Discovery Mode
If your remote has become unpaired from the Fire Stick or the Fire TV, the light will slowly blink yellow. This indicates the remote has gone back into ‘discovery mode,’ and is ready to pair with a new device.
To solve this issue on your remote, the steps are very simple.
First, restart your Fire TV device. Wait for one minute after it turns back on, then press and hold the Home button on your remote for 10 seconds.
This should re-pair your remote with your Fire TV device, and the light should have stopped blinking orange!
Remote Battery is Low
Normally, low batteries are signified by a slow-blinking red light on your Fire Stick remote. However, if the battery level hasn’t gotten low enough to register as needing replacing, the remote won’t flash red.
What can happen instead is your remote loses connectivity due to low battery, and so shows the blinking yellow light, not the red one. It can be misleading and confusing!
Your best bet for fixing this issue is to replace the batteries, then see if your remote reconnects to your Fire device. If not, try the steps in the fix above with your freshly charged remote.
Factory Reset the Remote
If the above fixes haven’t worked, you can try resetting the Fire Stick remote back to factory settings and see if you can pair it with your TV again.
Note: There are different steps to follow for different generations of Fire Stick remotes. These instructions are broken down into different categories for the most popular types of Fire Stick devices. If your remote isn’t listed below, you can check this Amazon page for more remote types.
Basic Edition Remote
- Press and hold the Home button; at the same time, press the Menu button 3 times.
- Release the Home button.
- Press the Menu button 9 times.
- Take the batteries out of your remote.
- Unplug your TV and wait for 1 minute/60 seconds.
- Replace the batteries then plug in and turn on your TV.
- When the home screen appears, press and hold the Home button for 40 seconds.
- Wait another 1 minute/60 seconds while the setup finishes.
Alexa Voice Remote (1st Generation)
- Unplug your TV and wait for 1 minute/60 seconds.
- Press and hold the Left button and the Menu button at the same time for 12 seconds.
- Release both buttons and wait for 5 seconds.
- Take the batteries out of your remote.
- Plug your TV back in and wait for 1 minute/60 seconds.
- Replace the batteries in the remote.
- Press the Home button.
Alexa Voice Remote (2nd Generation)
- Unplug your TV and wait for 1 minute/60 seconds.
- Press the Left, Menu, and Back buttons at the same time and hold for 12 seconds.
- Release all buttons and wait for 5 seconds.
- Take the batteries out of your remote.
- Plug your TV back in and wait for 1 minute/60 seconds.
- Replace the batteries in the remote.
- Press the Home button.
If after carrying out these steps your remote doesn’t automatically pair with the TV, press and hold the Home button for 10 seconds to establish a Bluetooth connection.
Less Common Issues
If you’re still having trouble with a flashing orange/yellow light, then be sure to check out the less common causes listed below.
Drop in Internet Connectivity
If your internet connection is not stable, you might experience a loss of connectivity with your Fire device and the Amazon servers. This in turn may force your remote to disconnect and can cause other connection issues between the remote and the Fire TV.
So, if you’ve still got the orange blinking light, make sure that your WiFi is connected and you have a stable connection.
If you don’t, you may want to try power cycling your router to reestablish connectivity. To do this, simply unplug your WiFi router, including any wired connections like ethernet cables, and wait for 30-60 seconds. Plug it back and allow it to boot up and connect to the internet.
If you have ongoing problems with your internet connection, you may want to consider contacting your provider or switching to a different provider. If the problems are mainly WiFi based, you could try using a wired ethernet connection.
Electrical Interference
While this is much less likely to cause ongoing connectivity issues, it can definitely make a difference to the effectiveness of your remote, and may on occasion cause it to disconnect from the Fire Stick, especially if there is interference very close to the Fire Stick or Fire TV IR sensor.
Make sure there is space around connections and sensors, and ensure there are no objects sitting between your remote and your Fire TV device.
Proximity from Fire Stick
If you’re using your remote from a great distance, the connectivity between it and your Fire device is going to be weakened. If you’re really far away, you may not have any connectivity at all.
The Bluetooth connection range for Fire Stick remotes is up to 30 feet, providing there are no obstacles in the way. Any further than that, you will get connectivity issues.
It’s also worth noting that some Fire Stick remotes only have a range of 10 feet, so bear that in mind if you have a large distance between your sofa and your TV.
Update Your Fire TV Operating System
The firmware for your Fire Stick remote should update automatically every 10 – 15 days. However, older devices may not receive updates as frequently. Follow these steps to check for and install any updates you may be missing.
Old Fire TV Interface
- Click Settings at the top of the home screen
- Scroll to the right and select My Fire TV
- Select About
- Scroll down and select Check for Updates/Install Update
New Fire TV Interface
- Select the Settings gear wheel icon on the far right side of the home menu screen.
- Scroll down to My Fire TV
- Select About
- Select Check for Updates/Install Update
The operating system should now start updating.
If your system shows Check for Updates, this is usually because your Fire TV is already fully up to date.
Update Your Fire Stick Remote
Normally, remote firmware will be updated along with overall system updates, but sometimes things can go wrong, like a drop in internet connectivity or Bluetooth while the update is running. Follow these steps to manually update your remote.
- Go to Settings
- Select Controllers and Bluetooth Devices
- Select Amazon Fire TV Remotes
- Find your remote on the list. If there is an update available, you can select it to download and install it.
Use the Fire TV App
If you still cannot get your remote to work, you might want to order a new one, or contact Amazon to see if they can help you out any further. But while you’re waiting for your new remote to arrive, you might be wondering how you can control your TV.
Well, Amazon has a mobile app that can turn your phone into a remote! The only requirement is that your smartphone must be connected to the same WiFi network as your Fire TV device.
Simply head to the App Store or Google Play Store on your mobile device.
Search for Fire TV and download the app. Once installed, sign in with your Amazon account.
Your Fire Stick should show up on the app screen as an available device. Follow the on-screen directions to connect.
You can now use your phone to navigate the Fire TV menus, in lieu of a remote.
Final Thoughts
Any kind of flashing or blinking warning lights, of any color, can often be a scary thing to behold. Especially when the piece of tech that’s flashing no longer seems to be responsive in any way!
But they all have their meanings and uses, and it’s much better to be told in some way that one aspect isn’t working, than for nothing to work and you have to spend hours figuring out exactly what has broken.
So if you see that flashing yellow light on your Fire Stick remote, fear not! Follow the steps in this article and you’ll be watching from the comfort of your sofa again in no time!
