Amazon Fire Stick users often run into sound-related issues with the streaming device. Sometimes there’s no sound on Firestick, which leaves the users wondering how to fix the Firestick no sound issue and resume their entertainment.
The Fire TV no sound issue is quite common and can be easily fixed by following several troubleshooting methods. This article will walk you through the best ways to fix the Firestick no sound issue by yourself.
Firestick No Sound – Common Issues
There could be many common causes behind the Firestick no sound issue. We list the causes below to understand the contributing factors that cause the sound issue on Fire TV Stick.
Faulty Cable Connections
Sometimes the cable connections come loose or get damaged, which can cause audio issues on your Fire Stick. Check the following to ensure that there’s no faulty cable connection causing the Firestick no sound issue.
- Ensure that HDMI/Optical connectors are correctly plugged in
- Look for signs of breakage/fraying in the HDMI cable and the power adapter of the Fire TV Stick
- Switch the ends of the HDMI cable or try using a new HDMI cable to see if the cable is causing the audio issue
- Check the cable of external speakers
Software Issues
Amazon releases regular software updates for Fire TV Stick. If your Fire TV Stick has not installed the new update, then there’s a chance that the old update is causing sound output issues.
Issues With Firestick Audio Settings & Output
The fire tv no sound issue could also be a result of internal Firestick Audio settings. You need to check for Dolby Digital Output in the settings of your Fire Stick and make sure that Dolby Digital Plus is disabled.
Bad Internet Connection
If you have a slow internet connection, your Fire TV Stick may struggle to stream content seamlessly and cause audio issues. You should check and see if your router is working fine, or you may need to upgrade your internet speed to stream high-quality content without audio/video glitches. Ideally, your internet speed should be above 5Mbps to stream Full HD content.
Faulty Hardware
More often than not, the Firestick no sound issue could also be a result of defective hardware. It could either be a malfunctioning component inside Firestick or a problem with faulty wiring of the audio cable or the power adapter.
TV Audio is Muted
Sometimes the issue could be an oversight on your part. For example, you might have muted your TV, blocking any sound output from your Fire TV Stick. Before you panic about the Fire Stick no sound issue, please make sure that you did not accidentally mute your TV or external speakers.
Troubleshooting Your Firestick With No Sound
Now that we have listed the causes above, it is time to tell you how to troubleshoot the Fire TV no sound issue and fix it quickly:
- Unplug your Fire TV Stick from all the sources, including the HDMI cable and power adapter
- Wait for up to 30 seconds and plug everything back
- Go to the audio settings and choose default mode
- Check your TV and ensure that the audio is not muted
- Connect the Audio/Video receiver with fire tv and power it on
- Open the TV menu and choose audio
- Make sure you disable Dolby Digital Plus
- Wait for 10 seconds and press the play/ pause button on the Fire TV remote
- Play something on Fire TV stick and check if the audio output is fixed
Other Quick Fixes When Your Firestick Has No Sound
After you’ve completed the initial troubleshooting, it is time to get into technician mode and fix the issues by following our guide to fixing fire tv no sound issue.
Check The Power Supply
Although many Fire Stick users connect the USB power cable straight to their television, many are unaware that the television cannot provide enough power for the Fire Stick.
Since the connection is not formed correctly, the visual and audio link will start to fail. Therefore, you must connect your power source directly to the fire stick for it to be recognized by your television.
Restart Firestick
Fire Stick not playing sound? Try restarting your device to check if it’s a blip. Similar to when you have a problem with your computer or phone, the remedy is usually to turn it off and on again. Try it on your Firestick to see if it resolves the no sound issue.
How to restart the Fire TV Stick:
- Press the Home button on your Fire TV
- Now, Go to the Settings
- Select My Fire TV from the options
- Click Restart
Wait for your Fire Stick to restart, and then try playing any content on it. If the audio issue still exists, then move on to the next step.
Check That TV Audio Is Not Muted
Sometimes your TV’s audio is muted, and that’s why your Firestick isn’t playing sound. Check and see if your TV audio is muted by pressing the MUTE (look for the icon with loudspeaker and cross) button on the remote control. You’ll be good to go if this fixes your problem!
Test Audio Receiver
External speakers can connect to a Firestick through an “AV receiver” like a home theater system. You need to confirm that the AV receiver is turned on if you use an external audio device for your home theater system.
The only way to tell whether or not your AV receiver is switched on is by looking at the power light. If the light is not turned on, you should press the POWER button to switch on the AV receiver. But if your Firestick has no sound and your AV receiver is on, proceed with the remainder of the quick fixes below.
Make Sure Dolby Digital Output Is Turned Off
An internal audio setting on Fire TV Stick can cause the fire stick no sound issue. You can fix it by following the steps below:
- Press the Home button on your Fire TV remote to go to the home screen
- Now, go to the Settings and select Display & Sounds
- Select Dolby Digital Output and turn it OFF
Note: Your surround sound receiver must support Dolby Digital Plus + specifically for Dolby audio to operate correctly. It is an audio output format based on Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.
Test HDMI Connections
Sometimes the HDMI connections on your Firestick may come loose or become defective. In such a case, you need to test the connections to ensure if the amazon fire tv no sound issue is being created by a faulty HDMI connection. Here’s how you can test HDMI connections on Fire TV.
- Unplug all the HDMI connections, including the power adapter
- Wait for 30 seconds and plug them back
- Restart your Fire TV Stick
- Select the correct HDMI input on your TV
- Check the sound
Check Extended Sound System Setup
Use this guide if you’re using an audio/video receiver to play Firestick audio through speakers. A Firestick not playing sound issue might be caused by this.
There are two ways to connect the external audio speakers:
Audio System Setup – TV acts as the output for Firestick
The firestick is connected to the HDMI port of the audio system. Next, the HDMI signal is sent to your TV via your audio system. Thus, your audio system acts as an “intermediary” between your Firestick and your TV in this arrangement.
Some audio systems do not have HDMI output ports; thus, this approach will not work if your receiver has an HDMI output port.
Audio System – Firestick Connected to TV with Audio Out
As for the second option, the Firestick is directly plugged into your TV. An audio-out wire connects your television to your receiver. There are different sorts of cables that may be used for this.
Here are some of the common cable types:
- RCA cable (the “older” style with red and white plug ends)
- Optical Audio cable
- Audio cable with 3.5mm jack
The firestick must be connected to the HDMI port on your TV for this to work.
When using your TV’s remote control, make sure the option to Enable Audio Output is ON. It may be referred to as External Audio in your TV’s Audio Settings section.
Check HDMI Port Compatibility
Many Firestick users do not realize this, but there’s a chance that while setting up the Fire TV Stick, you have plugged it into an HDMI port that does not support audio. This fix is for those who have just set up their Firestick and face the no sound issue right away. In such a case, you will need to confirm that you have connected the Firestick HDMI cable to a port marked as “DVI,” “Monitor,” or “PC.”
To resolve this issue, ensure that you have connected the Firestick to an HDMI port that supports audio.
Check Volume On AV Receiver
This fix for Firestick not playing sound is commonly missed, even by technicians. Here, the volume on your TV (or surround sound receiver) is set to 0 (zero). However, your TV or AV receiver may not easily switch to “Mute” mode if the volume is lowered down to zero.
Ensure the volume is above 0 by using the Up Volume button on your TV or audio system remote.
Test TV Internal Speaker
Some TV models come with a setting that allows users to turn the TV speaker ON or OFF. If you’re facing sound issues with your firestick, you must check your TV’s internal speaker. Here’s how to check the internal speaker on your TV:
- Go to the Settings/Menu on your TV
- Now, look for the Audio section
- Ensure Internal Speaker or Internal Audio is set to ON and not OFF
Upgrade Firestick Software
Amazon releases software updates for the Firestick’s operating system regularly to fix bugs and errors. So if you’re experiencing technical difficulties, such as a Firestick that won’t play sound, you should always check to keep the software up to date.
How to update the software on Firestick
- Go to the Fire TV Settings
- Now, choose System> About
- Select Software Version
- Click Check for System Update
Close And Restart Firestick App
There’s a fair chance that your Firestick has encountered a sound issue in a specific app. You can force close the affected app and relaunch it to fix the issue.
How to force close an app on Firestick:
- Go to the Firestick Home Screen > Settings
- Select Applications > Manage Installed Applications
- Find the app you’re using without a sound output (such as YouTube, Netflix, etc.) and click on it
- Select Force Close
- Now, relaunch the app from the home screen to see if the issue has been fixed
Uninstall And Reinstall Firestick App
If force closing and restarting the specific app does not solve the no sound on firestick issue, then it is time to go a step further and uninstall then reinstall the app. Here’s how you can do it.
How to uninstall an app on Firestick:
- Go to the Firestick Home Screen > Settings
- Select Applications > Manage Installed Applications
- Find the app you’re using without a sound output (such as YouTube, Netflix, etc.) and click on it
- Select Uninstall
- Wait for a minute, then go to the home screen and search for the app to reinstall it
- After reinstalling, open the app and check if the sound issue has been resolved
Use An Optical Audio Cable
You can use an optical cable to connect your TV and audio system. By doing this, you can resolve the Fire Stick no sound issue. You need to get an optical cable and attach the cable to your TV at one end and the audio system at the other end.
Check TV Resolution
The Firestick may not always have the power to output a full 1080p video stream with audio playback. This power deficiency can result in the Firestick not playing sound. To resolve this, change the video resolution from 1080p to 720p using your Firestick/TV remote.
Disconnect Echo Dot
Amazon fire tv no sound issue occurred with many Firestick users with Echo Dot after both the devices got linked. If you have an Amazon Echo Dot linked to the Firestick / Fire TV, you need to unlink them.
How to disconnect Echo (Dot) from Firestick
- Simply say, “Alexa, disconnect from Fire TV.”
- Wait for 30 seconds
- After both devices unlink, check if the sound issue has got fixed
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s get answers to some of the most asked questions about Firestick no sound issue.
How do I get the sound back on my Firestick?
You can fix the Amazon fire tv no sound issue by turning off the Dolby Digital Plus and reconnecting the HDMI cable. After doing these two tasks, you need to restart the Firestick.
Conclusion
If your firestick no sound issue persists after trying out every step in this guide, you need to contact Amazon support and have their technician inspect the problem.
We hope the troubleshooting methods and quick fixes mentioned in this guide help you fix the no sound on firestick issue. Let us know in the comments.
