2 Free Ways to Speed Up Your Fire TV or Android TV

Every streaming device gets a little sluggish after enough months of installing apps and letting things run in the background. The good news: fixing it usually takes two free, five-minute changes rather than a factory reset. Google’s own Android Developer Options documentation covers what each setting does in more technical detail if you’re curious.

⚡ Quick Answer

Install a task killer app to close background processes quietly draining memory, and lower the animation scale in Developer Options so the interface responds instantly instead of sliding through transitions. Together, these two free methods noticeably speed up most Fire TV and Android TV devices.

Why Streaming Devices Slow Down Over Time

Every app you install can leave small background processes running even when you’re not using it — checking for updates, syncing data, or just sitting idle in memory. On devices with limited RAM to begin with, this adds up quietly until menus start feeling noticeably laggier than when the device was new.

Method 1: Install a Task Killer App

Search for “Fast Task Killer” in the Amazon Appstore (Fire TV) or Google Play Store (Android TV)

Install and open it

Run it to see a list of apps currently active in the background, and close the ones you don’t need running

💡 Pro Tip Run your task killer app right before starting a demanding app like a game or a 4K streaming service — clearing background clutter beforehand reduces the chance of stuttering during playback.

Method 2: Lower the Animation Scale

This is a genuinely underused trick: reducing or disabling the visual animations between screens makes the whole interface feel snappier, even on hardware that hasn’t changed at all.

Go to Settings > My Fire TV > About (or Device Preferences > About on Android TV)

Select the Build number repeatedly (about 7 times) until Developer Options unlocks

Go back and open the new Developer Options menu

Find Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale, and set each to .5x or Off

Comparing the Two Methods

Method	Best For	Effort
Task killer app	Devices with many installed apps running in the background	Low — install once, run occasionally
Lower animation scale	Making the interface itself feel faster to navigate	Low — one-time setting change

Using both together covers more ground than either one alone, since they address two different causes of sluggishness — background processes versus interface responsiveness.

Other Quick Wins

Also Worth Checking

Uninstall apps you genuinely haven’t opened in months
Restart the device every week or two to clear accumulated memory clutter
Make sure you’re on a strong WiFi connection — network issues often masquerade as device slowness, see our troubleshooting guide

Quick Questions People Ask

Is a task killer app safe to use?

Yes — it only closes apps you approve, and doesn’t uninstall or delete anything.

Will lowering animations affect how the interface looks?

Only the transition speed between screens — the actual layout and design stay exactly the same.

Do I need Developer Options for anything else afterward?

Not necessarily — it’s safe to leave enabled, though you can turn it back off from the same menu if you prefer.

How often should I run a task killer?

Whenever the device feels sluggish is enough — there’s no need to run it on a fixed schedule.

Final Thoughts

Neither of these fixes costs anything or takes more than a few minutes, and together they genuinely extend how long a device feels responsive before you’d start considering it “old” or in need of an upgrade.

Need help with something else? Our Fire TV guide and Android TV Box guide cover general setup and troubleshooting.