(9 Fixes) Prime Video Not Working On Samsung TV [2023]

Picture this:

It’s a cold, rainy day.

And all you want to do is snuggle under your favorite blanket.

With hot chocolate in one hand.

And your remote control in the other.

You press play and…

“Amazon Prime Video is currently unavailable.”

Don’t remove your blanket just yet.

Instead…

Keep reading to discover:

How to reset or update Amazon Prime Video.
Which VPN services you should get for your Prime Video.
9 easy ways to fix a Prime Video that’s not working on Samsung TV.
And so much more…

Why is Prime Video not working on Samsung TV?

Your Prime Video is not working on Samsung TV because of your VPN. Outdated firmware or Prime Video can also cause this issue. If not, network issues might be the root of this problem. Or your Amazon Prime subscription ended.

Prime Video not working on Samsung TV: 9 fixes

#1: Disable your VPN

Do you have a VPN running in the background of your TV?

Don’t worry. I get it.

I also want to watch shows and movies that aren’t available in my country.

However, this could be why your Prime Video isn’t working.

Alas, you have to turn it off.

I know you’ll ask:

“Does this mean I won’t be able to watch Prime Video using VPN anymore?”

Not at all.

You can still access Prime Video content in other countries.

In one condition…

VPN recommendations

And that is, you have to pay for your VPN.

Why?

Let me explain…

Imagine a free bus.

Isn’t it great? A free ride to anywhere.

But, soon, more and more people will use this service.

Up until it reaches a point where the bus becomes unbearably slow.

And the police pull you over because there are too many people on the bus.

Got the metaphor?

That’s why you need a premium VPN service.

And here’s what I recommend:

NordVPN.
SurfShark.
ExpressVPN.

#2: Power cycle

The solution may be something you’ve done before…

But you didn’t know what it’s called.

Power cycling is a complete restart of your device.

A single cycle can remove all residual charges…

And dislodge any stuck processes on the mainboard of your TV.

And all it takes is a few seconds to:

Turn your TV off.
Unplug it from the socket.
Wait for 30 seconds.
Plug it back in, then turn it on.

#3: Check your Amazon subscription

Have you paid Amazon yet?

Are you sure?

As for me, I’m not ashamed to admit that I sometimes forget to settle my payment.

It’s okay. We’re human, after all.

Just to be sure, here’s how you can check your subscription status:

Open Prime Video.
Go to Account & Settings.
Select Your Account.

From there, you can see when your subscription is supposed to end.

If you’re overdue, renew your membership, then you’re good to go.

#4: Update Prime Video

The next thing you should do is ensure that your Prime Video is updated.

And while you can’t trigger a manual update of apps on Samsung TVs…

You can turn on auto-update for Amazon Prime instead.

Press the Home button on your remote.
Go to Apps.
Press the Settings icon on your screen.
Toggle on Auto Update.

#5: Reset Prime Video

Were you able to use Prime Video on your Samsung TV without any hitch in the past?

If so, given that it’s a recent issue…

The quickest way to resolve your problem is to reset your Prime Video back to its original settings.

How?

You have to clear all of its cache and data.

Note: You can only do this for Samsung TVs released after 2020.

Press the Home button on your remote.
Go to your Settings menu.
Under Support, select Device Care.
Press Manage Storage.
Look for Prime Video, then press the View Details option under it.
Clear Data, then Clear Cache.

#6: Reset Smart Hub

Smart Hub is your Samsung’s menu system.

And sometimes, the problem isn’t with Prime Video…

But with your Smart Hub.

In that case, a simple yet effective method to fix your issue is to…

Reset your Smart Hub, or factory reset your TV.

Just follow these 5 easy steps:

Warning: A factory reset will delete all your data and personal changes to your TV. Proceed at your own risk.

Go to your Settings menu.
Select Support.
Press Self Diagnosis.
Press Reset Smart Hub.
Enter your PIN to confirm. By default, this should be 0000.

Note: There’s an extra step for Samsung TVs released in 2019 or later.

Before selecting Self Diagnosis, you have to go to Device Care first

#7: Update firmware

Next, try to update your firmware.

“Firm-what?”

The firmware is often called your TV’s “software for hardware.”

These are embedded code in the internal parts of your TV.

What they do is they tell the hardware on your device how to communicate with each other.

Now, what does

There are 2 ways you can update your Samsung TV’s firmware. These are:

Through your Settings menu.
Via flash drive.

Settings menu

Press the Settings button.
Go to Support.
Select Software Update.
Press Update Now.

But what if you just want to be extra sure that your TV’s updated?

In that case, you can use your USB.

Via flash drive

Step #1: Download the update

Open a laptop or a PC.
Go to Samsung’s Download Center.
Enter your TV’s model number or name on the search bar.
Look for your TV.
Select the latest version of the firmware.
Press Download.

Step #2: Copy the update to your USB

Right-click your downloaded file.
Select Extract Here.
Insert your flash drive into your PC.
Copy the extracted file to your USB’s root folder.

Step #3: Complete update

Turn your TV off.
Insert the flash drive into the TV’s USB port.
Turn on your TV and go to Settings.
Select Support.
Under Software Update, press Update Now.

Fun fact: Do you own a working Samsung Smart TV from 2012 to 2015?

Do you know that you can still update them?

That’s right. You can.

Samsung has been releasing a product called an Evolution Kit.

They’ve designed these kits to modernize your old Samsung TVs.

For a much lower price than their new TV products.

#8: Fix network issues

Prime Video could also stop working due to your network.

Check if your TV’s connected to the Wi-Fi.

It’s not? Then, ask yourself these questions:

Can your TV connect to other networks?
Can other devices connect to your network?

If your answer to either of those is no, you have a faulty Wi-Fi connection.

But, don’t call your ISP just yet…

Try these 4 quick fixes first:

Reset network

First, attempt to resolve this issue by resetting your network on the TV itself.

Note: This is only for M Series or LED Samsung TVs.

Press the Home button on your remote.
Go to the Settings menu.
Under General, select Network.
Press Reset Network.

Remove interference

Do you know that several appliances and furniture can block your Wi-Fi signal?

If you have any of these placed near your router, remove them immediately:

Mirrors.
Microwaves.
Ceramic tiles.
Baby monitors.
A neighbor’s Wi-Fi.
Thick, concrete walls.
Aquariums filled with water.

Power cycle modem or router

Power cycling isn’t only for TVs.

You can also power cycle your modem or router using these steps:

Turn your router or modem off.
Unplug it from the socket.
Wait for 30 seconds.
Turn it back on.

Ethernet

Alternatively, you don’t need Wi-Fi…

If you have an ethernet port on your TV.

Using ethernet over Wi-Fi guarantees:

Less latency.
More reliable.
Faster download speed.
Better bandwidth allocation.

Sounds pretty good, right?

Now, connect an ethernet cable from your router to the TV.

And then:

Go to your Settings menu.
Under General, select Network.
Go to Open Network Settings.
Select Wired.

Are you still experiencing internet problems? Try following this video:

#9: Buy a streaming device

Do you have extra cash lying around?

If so, how about we resolve this issue…

By bypassing the problem?

Allow me to clarify.

If you can’t install or use Prime Video on Samsung itself…

You can buy a streaming device instead.

Here are some of the best streaming devices on the market:

Apple TV 4K.
Nvidia Shield TV.
Amazon Fire TV Stick.
Chromecast with Google TV.
Roku Streaming Stick 4K, or Express 4K.

But, you might be wondering:

“Isn’t it wasteful to spend money just for Prime Video?”

And my answer to that is a resounding “No.”

Why?

For these reasons:

Security.
Longevity.
Better reliability.
Faster performance.
A wider range of apps.
More frequently updated.

Note: Still don’t think that streaming devices are a worthy investment? That’s okay.

You can also install Prime Video on your gaming consoles if you have one.

Just change your input and then:

Xbox

Go to your home screen.
Select Browse apps.
Open the search bar at the upper right corner of your screen.
Type ‘Prime Video.’
Press Install.

PlayStation

Go to your home screen.
Select Media.
Press All Apps.
Open the search bar.
Type ‘Prime Video.’
Press Install.

Note: You need to enable HDCP to use streaming apps for PlayStation devices.

HDCP prevents users from recording content.

To turn on HDCP, you just have to go to Settings > System > Enable HDCP.

Further reading: (5 Ways) How To Change Input On Samsung TV

BONUS: Contact Amazon or Samsung

If all else fails, there’s one thing left to do.

And that’s to give the professionals a call.

You can either contact Amazon or Samsung’s Support Center to solve this issue.