Amazon’s FireStick opens up a world of streaming possibilities, transforming any ordinary LED TV into a smart, entertainment hub. While it’s a game-changer in home entertainment, It comes with a snag – its limited storage capacity.
Given the storage constraints of Firestick, we must be discerning about what we download. It’s imperative to stick with essentials and steer clear of unwarranted apps that can slow down your device.
In the third-gen FireStick, equipped with a modest 1.3GHz processor and 8GB storage, sluggishness can be a bane. If you’re grappling with a sluggish FireStick, fret not. A Firestick performs slowly due to a variety of reasons.
If your Firestick is slow or performs sluggish, you need to do something to restore its speed. Background apps are among the things that slow down your firestick. There are many ways to improve the speed and performance of your Firestick. This guide will show you how to close those background apps taking up the space on your Firestick.
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Dealing with Open Apps
For those of us used to the simplicity of closing windows with a click on the “x” in the corner, mobile apps pose a different challenge. On smaller devices like phones and tablets, we swipe left or right to close apps. But when it comes to Fire TVs and Fire Sticks, closing apps is not so straightforward. Apps tend to linger unless we manually shut them down. Even hitting the “Exit” button doesn’t guarantee they’re completely gone.
Learning to Close Apps
To close apps on your TV, you need to navigate to Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications, select the app, and execute a ‘Force Stop.’ The process mirrors the steps on a tablet.
Here’s where the Background Apps & Process List app comes to the rescue. It offers a shortcut, sparing you a unique path to the device’s background apps. With a few taps, it shows you a lineup of currently active apps, allowing you to swiftly access the ‘Force Stop’ setting for the ones you want to close on your device.
In essence, the app doesn’t directly shut down apps; it serves as a path, enabling you to access the ‘Force Stop’ setting in a flash.
Taking Down Multiple Apps
If you have a slew of apps to close you can speed up the process. After closing one, a simple tap on the back button, whether it’s on your remote or tablet, shuttles you to the next app’s management page. From there, another ‘Force Stop’ does the trick. It’s a rinse-and-repeat cycle until your unwanted apps are history. On Amazon tablets, a notification might pop up, but Fire Stick and Fire TV users won’t experience that interruption.
Once you’ve cleared the clutter, a press on the back button will take you back to the Background & Process List app. A quick page refresh ensures all those apps are closed completely.
Simplifying the Process
The app may feel a tad clunky, but the best part? It’s absolutely free, and it lives up to its promise. For reference, I let all the Google and Amazon Fire apps keep running on my Fire tablet.
Diving into System Apps
Click on the System/User button, which reveals all the system apps humming in the background. The app streamlines the process of axing needless background apps, making your FireStick experience smoother.
Background Apps and Process List
So, what’s the deal with Background Apps and Process List? This utility app is the best way to access application settings on your device with ease. It allows you to uninstall, forcibly close, and clear app caches on your Firestick. The app comes to the rescue by enabling you to close background apps that slow things down or lead to buffering issues. It’s also a handy tool for tidying up app caches without deleting essential data. In a nutshell, it’s a straightforward app with a clear-cut purpose.
Let us know how to use the “Background apps and process list” app.
Features available in the app
Up/Down Arrow Button
There is an Up/Down button that allows you to use multiple shortcuts. You can select 2 views with the switch layout. Both are grid views, but one is with app names and another is without app names.
All App
The All App feature enables users to sort out their apps according to their name, size, and permissions. When you click on the “All App” button for the first time, it asks you to download a sister app called “App info Manager”. First, you need to download the “App info manager” to access the functions of “All app”
Test Net Speed
With the “Test Net Speed” users can test the downloading speed and upload speed. In addition, this feature also allows you to perform the ping test and scan your LAN or WiFi network. You get accurate information about the video quality on your device.
Network Scanner
There is a “network scanner feature” which allows you to scan your network. It lets you know which and how many devices are connected to your LAN or WiFi network.
Summing Up
These were some ways to close the background apps on your Firestick. In addition, you should also consider other factors that affect the performance of your streaming device. Closing the background apps and other processes running on your TV, clearing cache, and removing temporary folders can enhance the speed and performance of your device.
