Solved: Prime Video Won't Open On My Smart TV

Have you subscribed to Amazon Prime Video, but the streaming app won’t open on your Smart TV, and you can’t watch your favorite shows or movies?

Let us be your guide to knowing the reasons for this problem and what steps you can take to resolve it.

Contents In This Article

Why won’t Prime Video open on my TV?

TV software glitching.
Network and DNS issues.
Outdated or corrupt Amazon Prime Video app.
Expired subscription.
Your TV model does not support the Amazon Prime Video app.
Outdated TV software.
Prime Video service outage.
Region and time settings are incorrect on your TV.

How do I get Prime Video to open on my TV?

1. Restart Your TV

The first fix is simple: restarting your TV to remove temporary bugs in the app that are causing it not to open. Here’s how:

Close the Amazon Prime Video app on your Smart TV and turn it off.
Unplug the “Power” cable at the main, wait 30 seconds, and plug it back into the TV.
Turn on the Smart TV, open the Amazon Prime app, and see if everything works fine now.

2. Resolve Internet Issues

Communication errors between your Smart TV and the internet may lead to Amazon Prime Video loading and streaming issues. To fix this, power cycle your router this way:

Unplug the “Power” cable of the router for 3-5 minutes and reconnect it afterward.
Turn on the router and wait for the lights to get stable, indicating it is connected to the internet.
Restart your Smart TV and reconnect it with the internet connection.

You can also change DNS settings to troubleshoot network issues. Here’s how:

Press “Menu” on the remote.
Go to “Network” > “Network Settings” or “Settings” > “Network” > “Network Settings” (Samsung).
Select “IP Address/ DNS Settings.” (On Samsung, open “IP Settings,” and then go to “DNS Setting).”
Select “Manual.”
Change Primary DNS and Secondary DNS fields to “8.8.8.8” and “8.8.4.4,” and the Amazon Prime Video app will start to work on the Panasonic TV.

3. Clear Amazon Prime Video App Cache

It is possible the Prime Video cache on your Samsung or other Smart TV got corrupted with time, which might be why the app is not opening. So try clearing the app cache with these quick and easy steps:

Samsung TV:

Press the “Home” button on the supplied remote and select the “Settings” option.
Open “All Settings.”
Choose “Support.”
Select “Device Care.”
Go to “Manage Storage.”
Select “Prime Video” > “View Details.”
Select “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data.”

On other Smart TVs:

Go to “Applications.”
Choose “All Apps.”
Select “Prime Video.”
Choose “Force Stop.”
Go back one step.
Select “Clear Cache.”

4. Update Smart TV Software

An outdated Smart TV software might not be compatible with running the Amazon Prime Video or other apps like the HBO Max. Therefore, make sure your TV is updated to the latest software in the following way:

Samsung TV:

Open the Main Menu.
Go to “Settings” > “Support.”
Select “Software Update.”
Follow on-screen instructions.

Other Smart TVs:

Press “Menu” on the remote.
Select “Setup.”
Select “System Menu.”
Choose “System Update.”
Select “System Update Search Now.”
Install the latest update, and that will help you stream Amazon Prime on your Smart TV.

5. Update Amazon Prime Video App

The old Amazon Prime app version can also cause it to not open on your Smart TV. The quick fix here is to update the app to the latest version with these simple instructions:

Samsung Smart TV:

Press the Home button (on the remote).
Navigate to “Apps.”
Select “Settings” (top-right corner).
Toggle on “Auto Update.”

Other Smart TVs:

Press the “Home” button on the supplied remote and select the “Settings” option.
Go to “Applications.”
Choose “All Apps.”
Select “Google Play Store” or “App Gallery.”
Select “Updates Available” (Select “Prime Video” on Philips TV).
Choose “Update” next to the “Amazon Prime Video” app.

After the app is updated, see if it opens on your TV!

NOTE: Updating the Smart TV firmware will also update the installed apps automatically

6. Set the Correct Region and Time Settings

If the Amazon Prime Video app won’t open on your Smart TV, you might have misconfigured the region and time settings on it.

Samsung TV:

Open TV “Settings.”
Go to “General.”
Select “System Manager.”
Select “Time.”
Open “Clock.”
Select “Clock Mode.”
Select “Auto.

Panasonic TV:

Press “Menu” on the remote.
Select “Timer.”
Set the correct time zone from the drop-down list, and that’s about it!

Philips TV:

Press “Options” on the remote.
Select “Clock.”
Select “OK.”
Choose “Time” (Press “OK”).
Use the directional buttons on the remote to set the time, and press “Back” to exit.
Now press NET TV to get to the Home page and select “Country” in the lower right corner.
Select the correct region and the country, and then exit.

NOTE: If you can’t see your country in the list, your Smart TV is meant to be used in one country and supports streaming only specific apps for that region.

7. Reinstall the App

If the above method fails, reinstall the Amazon Prime video app on your Smart TV TV with these quick steps:

Samsung TV:

Delete “Amazon Prime Video” under “App Settings.”
Use the “Search” icon under “Apps” to search for Amazon Prime Video.”
Select “Install.”
Open the Prime Video app and log into your account.

Other Smart TVs:

Press the “Home” button on the supplied remote and navigate to the “Settings” option.
Go to “Applications.”
Choose “All Apps.”
Select “Prime Video.”
Choose “Uninstall.”
Go back and press the “Apps” button on the remote.
Select “Apps Market” / “App Store” / “Content Store.”
Select “Amazon Prime Video.”
Choose “Free,” type in your TV user ID and password if prompted, and you’re done reinstalling the app.

8. Verify Your TV Supports Amazon Prime Video

If you have an older Smart TV, Amazon Prime Video might have ended support for it.

The reason is the Amazon Prime Video app constantly updates for new features and hardware. There comes a time when the company can no longer keep up with the older hardware, and it becomes expensive for it to maintain its updates for the older TVs.

Your best option, in this case, is to upgrade your TV model or use a streaming device like Roku or Firestick with the TV to stream Prime content.

However, most recent Smart TVs are compatible with the Amazon Prime Video app.

Takeaway

In this article, we’ve explained why Amazon Prime Video won’t open on your Samsung or other Smart TVs and shared some solutions as well.

Like most streaming apps, Amazon Prime Video services may have been down due to a technical issue or scheduled upgrades. In most cases, the service resumes in a few hours, and the app will open on your TV.

We hope one of the methods has worked for you, and you can now enjoy your favorite programs running on Amazon Prime on a bigger display.