How To Update Your Firestick

To update your Firestick: 1. From the home screen, open Settings (the gear icon). 2. Select My Fire TV. 3. Select About. 4. Select Check for Updates — if one is waiting, the option reads Install Update. 5. Let it download and install; the Firestick will restart itself, which can take ten minutes or more on older sticks. Keep it plugged into power the whole time and don't unplug it mid-install. That's the entire process — Fire TV updates are free, and the stick normally installs them automatically overnight, so a manual check is only needed when something seems out of date or an app demands a newer system version.

Step-By-Step: Update The Fire TV Software

Press the Home button on your remote and navigate to Settings — the gear icon at the right end of the menu row.
Open My Fire TV (on some older models it's labeled Device or System).
Select About.
Select Check for Updates. The screen shows your current software version and when it last checked.
If an update is available, choose Install Update and leave the device alone until it reboots back to the home screen.

You can also just say "Open Fire TV settings" into the Alexa voice remote to skip to step 2.

How To Check Which Version You're On

In Settings → My Fire TV → About → Software Version you'll see the Fire OS build your stick is running. Fire OS is Amazon's Android-based system, and version numbers look like "Fire OS 8.x". If your stick hasn't updated in a long time despite checking, it may have reached end of support — Amazon stops shipping new Fire OS versions to the oldest sticks, though they keep working with the apps they have.

Updating Apps (Separate From System Updates)

Apps update through the Amazon Appstore, not through the system updater. Automatic app updates are on by default; to confirm, go to Settings → Applications → Appstore → Automatic Updates and make sure it's set to On. To force-update a single app, find it in the Appstore and open its page — if an update is pending you'll see an Update button. Keeping apps current fixes a surprising share of "app won't open" problems on Firesticks.

Updating The Remote

The remote has its own firmware. It updates automatically, but you can check under Settings → Controllers & Bluetooth Devices → Amazon Fire TV Remotes, then select your remote to see its status and battery level. If the remote is laggy or unresponsive, fresh batteries and a re-pair (hold the Home button for 10 seconds near the stick) solve it more often than firmware does.

Newer Firesticks Run Vega OS — Updates Work Differently

Starting with the Fire TV Stick 4K Select released in late 2025, Amazon began shipping sticks on Vega OS, a new Linux-based system replacing Android-based Fire OS, and newer budget sticks have followed. For everyday use the difference is small — Vega devices download system updates automatically and the settings menu offers a similar check-for-updates option — but they don't support sideloading Android APK files at all, and their app selection depends on developers building Vega versions. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max and existing Fire OS sticks continue on Fire OS and update exactly as described above.

Update Won't Install? Try This

Free up storage. Updates fail silently on full sticks. Uninstall unused apps under Settings → Applications → Manage Installed Applications.
Power cycle first. Unplug the Firestick from power for a full minute, plug it back in, and check again.
Check your connection. A weak Wi-Fi signal stalls downloads; move the stick to the router's band with an HDMI extender or switch Wi-Fi bands.
Use the stick's power adapter. Firesticks powered from a TV USB port can brown out during the update's peak draw — the wall adapter avoids it.
Restart stuck installs. If it hangs on the update screen past 30 minutes, unplug, replug, and re-run the check — the installer resumes safely.

FAQ

Will updating delete my apps or settings?

No. System updates keep your apps, logins, and settings. Only a factory reset wipes the stick.

How often should I update?

You mostly don't need to think about it — the stick checks on its own while idle. A manual check is worth doing when an app refuses to launch, a new feature you read about is missing, or the stick has been unplugged for months.

My Firestick says it's up to date but apps keep breaking. Now what?

Update the apps themselves through the Appstore as described above, clear the problem app's cache under Settings → Applications, and restart the stick. For streaming to a TV without a stick at all, see our guides to mirroring your phone to a smart TV and screen mirroring from an iPhone — and if your Fire TV home screen itself won't load, our fix for the "Home is currently unavailable" Firestick error walks through that separately.