Disney Plus Not Working on Firestick: Causes and Easy Fixes

By SmartHomeBit Staff •  Updated: 07/20/22 •  8 min read

 

How to Fix When Disney Plus Is Not Working on Your Firestick

So, you’ve turned on your Firestick, and Disney Plus isn’t working.

What’s the problem, and how do you fix it?

I’m about to walk through 12 ways of fixing your Firestick, from the simplest to the most complicated.

By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be watching Disney Plus in no time.

 

1. Power Cycle Your TV

If Disney Plus isn’t working on your Firestick, there could be a problem with the TV’s software.

Modern smart TVs have built-in computers, and computers sometimes hang.

And if you know anything about computers, you know a reboot solves many problems.

Don’t just use your TV’s power button.

The button will turn off the screen and speakers, but the electronics don’t turn off; they go into standby mode.

Instead, unplug your TV and leave it unplugged for a full minute to drain any residual power.

Plug it back in and see if Disney Plus will work.

 

2. Restart Your Firestick

The next step is to restart your firestick.

There are two ways of doing this:

3. Check Your Internet Connection

Disney Plus is a cloud app, and it won’t work without an internet connection.

If your internet is slow or disconnected, Disney Plus won’t load.

The easiest way to test this is to use another app.

Open a streaming app like Netflix or YouTube and see if it works.

If everything loads and plays smoothly, your internet is fine.

If it doesn’t, you’ll need to do some more troubleshooting.

Unplug your modem and router, and leave them both unplugged for at least 10 seconds.

Plug the modem back in, then plug in the router.

Wait for all the lights to come on and see if your internet is working.

If it’s not, call your ISP to see if there’s an outage.
 
Why is Disney Plus Not Working on My Firestick? (Easy Solution)
 

4. Clear Disney Plus App Cache & Data

Like most programs, Disney Plus stores data in a local cache.

Normally, the cache speeds up your app by negating the need to download commonly-used files.

However, cached files can get corrupted.

When that happens, you’ll need to clear the cache to get the app to run properly.

Here’s how it’s done:

5. Reinstall the Disney Plus App

If clearing the cache and data didn’t work, you may need to Reinstall Disney Plus altogether.

To do this, follow the first two steps above to get to the “Manage Installed Applications” screen.

Select “Disney+,” then choose “Uninstall.”

In a few seconds, the app will disappear from your menu.

Go to the app store, search for Disney Plus, and reinstall it.

You’ll have to re-enter your login information, but that’s only a minor inconvenience.

 

6. Install the FireTV Remote App

One interesting method I found was to use the FireTV Remote App.

This is a smartphone app that’s designed to pair your phone with your Amazon Firestick.

It’s free on Android and iOS, and it installs in under a minute.

Once you’ve set up the FireTV Remote App, Launch the Disney Plus app on your smartphone.

Once you reach the home screen, your Firestick should launch Disney Plus automatically.

From there, you can control it using your Firestick’s remote.

 

7. Disable Your VPN

A VPN can interfere with your Firestick’s internet connection.

For a variety of reasons, Amazon doesn’t like serving data over a VPN connection.

This isn’t only an issue with Disney Plus; a VPN can interfere with any Firestick app.

Turn off your VPN and try launching Disney Plus.

If it works, you can add the app as an exception in your VPN.

That way, you can keep your digital protection and still watch your favorite shows.

 

8. Update Your Firestick Firmware

Your Firestick will automatically update its firmware.

Under normal circumstances, you should be running the latest version.

However, you may be running an out-of-date version.

A new version may even have introduced a bug, and Amazon has already completed a patch.

In these cases, updating your firmware can solve the problem.

To do this, go to your Settings menu, then select “Device & Software.”

Click “About,” then choose “Check for Updates.”

If your firmware is up to date, you’ll see a notification.

If not, your Firestick will prompt you to download the latest version.

Wait a minute for the download to finish, then return to the same “About” page.

Instead of “Check for Updates,” the button will now say “Install Updates.”

Click the button and wait for the installation.

In a minute, you’ll see a confirmation.

 

9. Is your Firestick 4k Compatible?

If you have a 4K TV and you’re trying to stream Disney Plus in 4K, you need a compatible Firestick.

Some of the older models don’t support 4K.

Any of the current Firestick versions support 4K video right out of the box.

To find out whether yours is compatible, you’ll have to search for the specific model number.

Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t maintain any kind of table with specs for their models.

The best thing to do is set your TV to 1080p mode.

If your 4K TV allows this, try it and see if your Firestick works.

 

10. Check if the Disney+ Servers are Down

There might not be anything wrong with your Firestick or your TV.

There might be a problem with the Disney Plus servers.

To find out, you can check the official Disney Plus Twitter account.

Down detector also tracks outages on many platforms, including Disney Plus.

 

11. Test on Another TV

If nothing else has worked, try using your Firestick on another TV.

This isn’t a solution, per se.

But it lets you know if the problem lies with your Firestick or your television.

 

12. Factory Reset Your Firestick

As a last resort, you can perform a factory reset on your Firestick.

This will wipe your apps and settings, so it’s a headache.

But it’s a sure-fire way to fix any software or firmware issues on your Firestick.

Go to your Settings menu and scroll down to “My Fire TV,” then select “Reset to Factory Defaults.”

The process will take five to ten minutes, and your Firestick will restart.

From there, you can reinstall Disney Plus and see if it works.

 

Disney Plus Error Codes on Firestick

Sometimes, Disney Plus will deliver an error code on your Firestick.

That’s good news because it can help you diagnose the issue.
 

Error Code 83

Error Code 83 indicates that Disney Plus detects that you’re using an incompatible device.

You can usually fix this by restarting your Firestick Device and the Disney Plus app.

If that doesn’t work, double-check to make sure you’re running the latest firmware.

 

Error Code 42

Error Code 42 means that your internet connection is too weak or the app has suffered a timeout error.

Either way, the solution is the same; check your internet connection with another app, and reset your router if necessary.

You may also need to reconnect your Firestick to the web.

 

Error Code 142

Error Code 142 is similar to Error Code 42, and means your internet connection is either slow or unstable.

Follow the same steps as above to check your signal and reset your router.

As before, you may also need to restart your Firestick device.

 

In Summary

As you can see, getting Disney Plus working on your Firestick is simple.

You might have to spend some time in the menu running updates and checking other settings.

But at the end of the day, none of these 12 fixes are complicated.

With a little patience, you’ll be streaming your favorite shows again soon.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Is Disney Plus compatible with Amazon Firestick?

Absolutely! Disney Plus is compatible with the Amazon Firestick.

You can download it for free in the Firestick’s app store.

 

Why isn’t Disney Plus working on my 4K TV?

Not all Firesticks support 4K resolution.

If yours doesn’t, you’ll need to set your TV to 1080p.

If your TV has no 1080p option, you’ll need a different Firestick.

SmartHomeBit Staff