Amazon Fire Tablet No Sound? Try These 11 Fixes

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Amazon Fire Tablet No Sound

Amazon’s line of Fires are great devices for the price you pay; they’re affordable, good quality and perfect for an entry-level tablet user. However, this piece of tech can be fickle; not every tablet is created equally and one is bound to run into a hardware problem at some point, like the lack of sound.

It isn’t uncommon for the Fire tablet to experience some kind of audio problem, or any device of similar nature. While the root cause is up in the air and will require the process of elimination to troubleshoot, you can categorize the possible causes into two camps: hardware and software.

Both categories are irksome, but the root cause you should hope for is software. Software is the programs and operating system the Fire tablet works through. The hardware, on the other hand, are the physical components that make up the Fire. Hardware is much harder to fix and without the proper skills, you’ll need the assistance of an expert to fix it. Software is easier because it usually takes removing an app here or there or changing a few settings or simply updating a device.

With that being said, let’s go with the process of elimination, starting with the easier solutions first.

Why Is There No Sound On My Fire Tablet

1. Check the Volume with Buttons

Of course, this is a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many people forget that there are volume buttons; you usually forget they’re there. All it takes is fiddle with the volume buttons on the side to see if that fills your ears with sweet sound.

On the off chance that your volume buttons are damaged, or stuck, go into your Settings. When you’re in your Settings menu, select Display & Sounds. Mess with the volume there to see if it changes anything.

If neither of those solutions worked, move onto the next solution.

2. There’s A Glitch

When there is on your fire tablet, you may experience no sound. Luckily a glitch can get easily fixed with an update, and you can continue using your Amazon fire tablet with sound.

3. Improper Audio Configuration

Your Amazon fire tablet speakers aren’t the best when it comes to producing sound compared to proper speakers, but there are options that are used to improve the sound. When you’re using your Amazon fire tablet to connect to a speaker, you need to make sure that the speaker is configured properly so that the sound can work at all times.

4. Check the Volume with Headphones

The headphone jack on the Amazon Fire can be a touchy port. For example, if you remove a pair of headphones from the jack while the Fire is asleep, your device won’t always recognize the removal. When you play something, your device will actually think your headphones are still plugged in.

Of course, it’s also just as likely that you didn’t push the headphones all the way into the headphone jack. People often forget you have to make a little push before the plug is inserted all the way. Or, alternatively, you can’t because your case is in the way, some of which take up too much space between the headphones and the headphone jack. That proper connection isn’t being made.

And speaking of headphones, you should also check with different pairs. You could have a faulty pair of headphones and they finally died. While you’re at it, you should clean the headphone jack. It doesn’t have a protective cover, resulting in dust and dirt being jammed into it. Don’t clean it with water, but compressed air works absolute wonders.

5. It Could Be Your Software

When you play, say, a video file, you may not realize it but video files, generally speaking, have two separate codecs that are combined to bring you both audio and video. Every device comes with a set of codecs they can play. An old MP3 player that was released before MP4 was released won’t be able to play any MP4 files. That was before its time.

In this case, your Amazon Fire tablet may have the appropriate video files, but lack the necessary audio codec for sound. To fix this, simply install another playback app that has the means of playing the audio file you need. And if that fixes the issue, breathe a sigh of relief because it isn’t your hardware.

6. Bluetooth is Interfering

Strangely enough, Bluetooth can cause some audio problems sometimes. The fix is simple: turn it off. You can find the Bluetooth option in your settings or your notification shade, the menu you open by revealing your notifications at the top of the screen.

7. It’s Your Hardware

Think back to when the problems arose. Did you drop it? Have you had the Fire tablet for a while? The headphone jack is a delicate component and over time may have just worn out from use. You can get it replaced, but with how affordable Amazon fire tablets are, you should consider replacing it. After all, the cost it would take to repair it could be as much as a new Fire.

8. Glitch with the Installed App

Apps allow you to customize your Amazon fire tablet so that there’s a personal feel that suits whatever you need an app for and your tablet allows you to do that. Unfortunately, sometimes apps glitch out and this can have a negative effect on your sound. If you have apps installed on your fire tablet, these apps can glitch which can cause your audio not to work. To get your sound to work again, you’ll need to update the apps to get rid of the glitch or uninstall them.

9. The Show Itself’s Audio Has No Sound

If the show you’re watching on your Amazon Fire tablet is corrupted for some reason, or it has no sound, it can appear as if there’s something wrong with your fire tablet and it’s getting no sound. In cases like this, there’s nothing you can do about the audio. When you’re streaming this specific show, the sound may not work or appear to work when there’s just something wrong with the show. So the only solution would be to change shows.

10. Software Out Of Date

You may have noticed that the Amazon fire tablet’s sound isn’t working after a software update. If you’re experiencing problems with the speaker after an update, chances are that the problem is bug-related and you’ll just need to perform some troubleshooting steps to get rid of it. In this case, if this doesn’t work, then you’ll just need to wait for a future software update to be rolled out so that your fire tablets sound can work again. There could also just be a generic glitch on your tablet that’s causing you not to hear anything.

11. Audio Is Being Routed Somewhere Else

If your audio is being routed somewhere else, this can cause the no sound issue you’re experiencing when using your Amazon Fire tablet. The audio could be diverted through your headphones, or through a speaker, you need to make sure of this. 

12. Whatever You’re Listening to Is Quiet

If you’re watching something or listening to something on your Fire tablet, the audio track may be extremely quiet or there’s a problem with it. In this case, there isn’t actually anything wrong with your Fire Tablet, whatever you’re listening to has an audio track that isn’t loud enough so it may appear to you that your fire tablet has no sound when the sound actually works fine.

How to Fix Sound On Amazon Fire Tablet

If there’s no sound on your Fire tablet, first make sure that Do Not Disturb isn’t turned on. If your Fire tablet isn’t received sounds like chimes when you get a notification or audio you’re listening to in general, make sure that you’ve turned off Do Not Disturb.

1. Reboot Your Amazon Fire Tablet

Another obvious solution, but always worth mentioning. It’s funny, actually. A lot of technical problems can be fixed with a simple reboot of the device, whether it’s a tablet, smartphone or computer. People often forget that these devices occasionally make errors and those errors do build up, causing software problems like the lack of sound. Simply rebooting a device flushes those errors out, giving your device a clean bill of health. Unless the problem is deeper than that, but you aren’t there yet.

Just hold the Power button for 20 seconds, shutting your Fire tablet down. Wait 60 seconds before pressing the Power button again. If the audio is back, then your Fire tablet just needed a simple restart.

2. Update Your Amazon Fire Tablet

Many technical problems people experience get cataloged. When cataloged, professionals take the time to address these issues by creating a patch that will fix the problem. When these patches are rolled out, you receive them as “updates.” It’s very possible the problem you’re dealing with is being dealt with by other people and it may have already been addressed in a recent update.

It’s possible to get your sound back by checking for updates and installing them. Normally, your tablet updates automatically, provided you’re connecting to a working network connection. But in the event that it isn’t, here’s a list of updates that Amazon current has rolled out to Amazon Fire devices. If your version doesn’t match, then it’s out of date and could be causing audio problems.

3. Replace Your Fire Tablet

Since replacing your fire tablet is the fix you probably didn’t want to hear if you’ve found that your fire tablet is damaged and the problem is deeper than your speaker not working, you’ll need to get it replaced. If you have experience with repairing your Amazon fire tablet and you have the appropriate tools, you can get it repaired. If not, you’ll need to go to a repair store that can get your tablet repaired.

If a repair store isn’t around, you can replace your Amazon fire tablet (view on Amazon) with the newest model (Fire HD 10). It’s trustworthy and doesn’t have issues like other older models. Upgrading your Amazon fire tablet will lower the number of issues you have with your older version and you’ll no longer experience the sound problem you’re experiencing.

4. Remove Anything Covering The Speaker

When you first purchase your Amazon fire tablet, chances are you’re going to get a case so that you limit the damage caused to your tablet if there ever is any. If this is the case, you may have got the wrong case or it may have been manufactured incorrectly so it’s now covering the speakers on your Amazon fire tablet. It’s very basic advice but you’ll be surprised how by how many people don’t notice this. If you’ve checked and you’ve noticed that it’s blocking your speaker, then you should remove it.

5. Clean Speaker

If your fire speaker has no sound, the speakers may be filthy. This is usually the culprit when you’re using an electronic device and there’s something wrong with the speaker. If you want to check if this is the case with your Amazon fire tablet, you need to look at the speaker with a torch and make sure that it’s not dirty.

The very first thing that you need to do is to switch your tablet off. You also need to disconnect all the cables that have been plugged into your tablet.

Here are the next steps:

  1. Grab a dry q-tip
  2. Get a little rubbing alcohol and hold your phone face down. This is because the alcohol can easily get into the speaker if the phone was faced up.
  3. Put a little alcohol on the q-tip
  4. Start rubbing the q-tip across the earpiece lightly
  5. Do this four to five times

You can also place your mouth over the earpiece then suck and blow to remove the lint and dirt particles clogged inside the speaker.

Well, why alcohol?

Rubbing alcohol evaporates so it won’t get stuck in your speaker. This will prevent it from getting damaged. Once you’re done cleaning the speaker 4-5 times, switch your Amazon fire tablet on and play whatever audio you were trying to play before.

You should see that your fire tablet now has sound and you should be able to hear audio nice and clear.

6. Check the Headphone Jack to Know Audio isn’t Routed to Headphones

If there’s something stuck in the headphone jack or port, your Amazon fire tablet will think that headphones are plugged in. If there’s something stuck in there, you can use compressed air to get it out.

Here’s how to check if this is a headphone problem:

  1. Unplug any headphones if you have any plugged in
  2. Try to adjust the volume

There are two types volumes you are going to see on the screen. You can see ‘Volume’ or ‘Headphones’. If you see the ‘Headphones’, something is stuck in the headphone jack. If you see ‘Volume’ when you alter the volume with the button, this will confirm that it’s not a headphone jack issue.

7. Turn Off Bluetooth

To make sure that your Amazon fire tablet isn’t connected to a Bluetooth device that’s causing the audio to come out of there, you need to make sure that you turn off the Bluetooth on your tablet. When you do this, it forces all of the audio to come out the native speakers meaning that if you weren’t able to hear anything from your fire tablet, then you’ll be able to hear it now since the audio is being forced to come out of there. Sometimes you might not even realize that your fire tablet is connected to an external speaker until you turn off Bluetooth.

8. Blow Compressed Air in the Speaker

Since there might be some debris in your speaker that’s clogging it up and causing the sound to be muffled, blowing compressed into it will force it out.

To remove the dirt in the speaker:

  1. Open some compressed air
  2. Blow it at the speaker  a few times
  3. Most of the dirt should be gone so you will be able to hear sound now.

9. Reset Amazon Fire Tablet

The next thing that I’ll recommend you do is reset your fire tablet. If there’s an issue in your software that’s stopping you from being able to hear sound, resetting your fire tablet can fix the issue you’re experiencing. Be sure to back it up before you reset it so that you can restore your data.

To reset your Fire tablet:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap More and then “Device.”
  3. Tap “Reset to Factory Defaults” and then “Erase everything.”
  4. Go to your Settings and then “Device Options.”
  5. Then select “Reset to Factory Defaults,” and finally “Reset.”

10. Repair Your Amazon Fire Tablet

The last option is to get your Fire tablet repaired because your speaker could be permanently damaged or there could be some software problems and the only way to fix it properly is to get it repaired.

11. Contact Amazon Support

If you’ve tried all the fixes and for some reason, you still can’t reset your Fire tablet, the last option is to contact Amazon for a fix. If you couldn’t fix it, it looks like there’s a deeper issue that needs to be diagnosed and fixed. You’ll need to enter your fire tablets information on the Amazon website, then you have the option to message them through their messaging system, call them, or request service so that they’ll fix your fire tablet.

Brady Klinger-Meyers is an experienced tech writer and marketer who currently writes for Techzillo as well as other popular sites like MakeUseOf. At Techzillo, he focuses on consumer technology in general with his interest being Android OS. Read our Editorial Guidlines and Fact Checking process.

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