Whether it’s to free up space on the paltry internal storage of a Fire TV Stick or to try to fix an app that is acting up, clearing the cache data of an app on a Fire TV can get to be a chore that needs to be frequently done. With a recent update to the app management screen in the Fire TV settings, it is now quicker and easier than ever to clear the cache of an app and move on with your streaming.
To clear the cache of an app on a Fire TV, you used to have to load the Manage Installed Applications list, which can be done in a single click using my shortcut app, find and select the app you want to clear, scroll down and select the clear cache option at the bottom, and then back out to the app list if you need to clear the cache of another app. Now, thanks to a recent update, Amazon has added a remote button shortcut that clears the cache of the highlighted app.
To clear the cache of an app, you now just need to highlight it on your list of apps in the Fire TV’s settings and press the Rewind button on the remote. You’ll see a message to confirm that you want to clear the cache of the app and you’re done and ready to move on to the next app if you’d like. That’s just two button presses per app to clear the cache of an app, compared to eight button presses per app before.
This is a very tiny change in the grand scheme of Fire TV updates, but it’s a very welcomed one for anyone that is low on storage space or who frequently needs to set a buggy app straight that is starting to act up. Amazon has also added the ability to press the Play button on the remote while highlighting an app to uninstall it, but I expect that’s not as common of a task as clearing an app’s cache.
@AFTVnews
AFTVnews
This is good. My Toshiba FireTv is constantly running out of memory. I only have a couple of optional apps installed, and installing apps to an external thumb drive simply doesn’t work. Any suggestions on how to get more apps available? I’m considering buying a cheap AndroidTV box just so I can run Plex without clearing all my caches daily.
I mostly use the Roku. We have multiple TVs, and each has at least two streamers (except for the guest room). This includes a Toshiba Fire Edition TV. The main smart TV has a Fire TV Cube, Roku Ultra, and Nvidia Shield TV. I run a Plex server on a NAS. (Trying to host it on the Shield was problematic). I’ve found the Roku Plex app and Android Plexamp to be the most reliable. My opinion based on my experience. Yours may be different and I respect that.
To clarify: I primarily use the Roku Plex app as opposed to the Plex app on other streaming devices. My use of any streaming device depends on the app.
Is there an option to format the drive to use for internal storage? Even if you can get the drive to accept apps, the app developer has to permit it. I’ve had a few apps the used to be able to be installed on a drive be changed to not allowing it anymore. You probably need a newer TV with 16GB of storage or a fire tv cube
“I’m considering buying a cheap AndroidTV box just so I can run Plex without clearing all my caches daily.”
Bingo
That’s what I did.
Walmart ONN, $20, and my main IPTV app, ESPN, Google Play, JioPages browser.
That’s it.
Not For Fire TV 2 running up to date firmware.
They finally added something useful. Maybe someday they’ll add a storage option comparable to what we had on smart phones in 2007…
Nice one, thanks