Kindle Fire Keeps Freezing – What to Do

Nothing ruins your day like a frozen tablet, especially when you’re trying to get something important done. Amazon’s Fire tablets are generally pretty reliable, but they’re not immune to the odd crash, freeze and error. If you’re experiencing slow response times or outright freezing, you’re not alone.

There are many reasons why your Fire tablet could be freezing, but they mostly boil down to a software or compatibility issue. Here, you’ll find some solutions to the common problems that the Fire tablet experiences, and how to implement them.

Why Is My Kindle Freezing?

As stated above, the causes could be manifold and there could be a compounding effect where several problems are happening at once. More than likely, however, it has to do with processor load.

If the processing demand placed on the device is greater than what it’s designed to support, that causes problems. If the processor is struggling to parse requests from various sources, that makes the problem even worse.

That’s not to say that this is the only possibility, but it’s a common problem. To prevent it from happening, try to be measured in how you use your Fire. Don’t open too many applications simultaneously or access several websites at once, if you can help it.

Also, avoid using the device in extreme temperature conditions. Very hot or cold environments negatively affect the processor.

In some rare instances, cases or sleeves have been known to impact upon the performance of the Fire tablets. If you have a recurring problem with your tablet freezing up, try using it without a case for a while to see if it solves the issue.

Solution #1 – Restart

This should be your go-to with most electronic devices if they become unresponsive. And unless you risk losing data that you’re working on, it’s generally a safe thing to do.

If your screen is completely unresponsive, start by pressing and holding the power button on the tablet for a full 40 seconds. After a few seconds, the screen will go blank but keep holding down the button for the full 40 seconds. It’s helpful to use a timer for this, to ensure that you’ve held it long enough.

Once the 40 seconds pass, release the button. Your tablet might start back up on its own. If it doesn’t, turn it on as you normally would and wait for the startup screen. You should now be able to use the device without any further adjustment.

If this doesn’t work, and the screen remains unresponsive, plug in your device to charge with the original adapter that came with it. Charge it for 30 minutes and then try the procedure again.

If the screen isn’t completely unresponsive, you’ll see a message saying “Do you want to shut down your Kindle?” after holding the power button for a few seconds. In this case, choose the “Shut Down” or “Power Off” options and simply start it up after it has shut down.

Software Updates

Another common cause of a range of issues is older software versions on the tablet. Fortunately, it’s easy to check if you have the newest version of this software, and download a newer one if need be.

You can go to Amazon’s Software Updates page for Kindles and Fire tablets. There you can use the various links to find out which model of the Fire you have, which software you need, and how to download and install it.

If you continue to experience issues after updating the software, you’re not totally out of options. However, they get a bit more extreme.

The Nuclear Option

Try this only if all else fails, because it will wipe out all the data on your tablet, returning it to how it was the first day you used it. You’ll lose your apps, pictures, movies, and anything else in the storage. If you purchased apps, these will be lost too, so you should check with the developers about recovery policies for apps lost this way.

On most tablets, you can factory reset the device by swiping down from the top of the screen and accessing the “Settings”. In the settings find “Device Options” and in that menu tap on “Reset to Factory Defaults”. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the reset.

Again, this should be your last line of defense. Before you perform a factory reset, consider contacting Amazon’s device support here. You may be experiencing something that isn’t covered in this article.

When Your Fire Is Iced

An unresponsive device can be a real pebble in your shoe. Don’t let it get you down though, it’s probably not a permanent problem. Go through the solutions outlined in this article and if they fail you, a full factory reset will almost always work to revive your tablet.

To prevent freezes and lagging in the future, try to implement the precautionary measures that are listed here. Hopefully, you can at least cut down on the instances of freezing.

Are you a newcomer to Amazon’s Fire tablets or have you owned previous models? Have you had issues with other tablets? Let us know in the comments section below.