The other night I sat down to watch one of my favorite shows only to find that my Toshiba Fire TV remote was not working properly. This is after I’ve had to deal with my Toshiba TV itself not turning on just months prior to that.
Of course, I began to investigate all of the possible issues that could be causing my problem.
If your Toshiba Fire TV remote is not working, try replacing the batteries or checking if your remote is damaged. Also, check if the remote is paired properly or if you’re too far away from your TV. Finally, check if anything is obstructing the IR sensor from communicating with the TV. If nothing works, pair your remote again or perform a factory reset.
There are several other troubleshooting methods that you can consider but it is important to first understand the common issues that you can expect to encounter while using your Toshiba Fire TV remote.
This guide will provide you with all of the information that you need to properly troubleshoot your remote-control issues.
Toshiba Fire TV Remote Not Working: Common Issues
The section below will detail several different common issues that Toshiba Fire TV owners might experience with their remote.
These issues will be covered in detail so that you can better understand the problems you might be experiencing.
Incompatible Pairing
If your remote control is not paired properly or is incompatible with the TV you are using, then you will likely experience issues when trying to use your remote. Your remote will not be able to control a TV that it is not compatible with.
Battery Issues
Battery issues are another common cause of remote-control issues. If you have not inserted the batteries correctly or if they are dead, then your remote control will not function properly. It is important to pay attention when inserting the batteries into your remote.
Too Far Away
If you are attempting to control your TV using a remote control from too far away, this will likely cause issues when communicating the command signals due to the distance. Remote controls are meant for use in rather close proximity to the TV they are paired with.
Damaged Remote
A damaged remote control will have trouble functioning properly even if it is properly paired with a TV. If your remote has been dropped, crushed, or exposed to liquid, it is likely damaged and will need to be replaced.
A friend of mine had the same issue with his Insignia Fire TV remote. Sadly, he dropped it and it kept working for a little while until he had to eventually get it replaced.
Interference
Certain electronic devices in proximity to your remote control can cause interference. This interference can result in your remote control not working properly even if paired with a compatible TV.
Objects Obstructing Communication
If there are any significant obstructions between your remote control and the TV, you can expect to experience issues with responsiveness. While remote controls do not always have a completely clear line of sight, the bigger the obstruction, the more likely you will have problems.
Now that you understand more about the different issues you could potentially experience, you can move on to considering some troubleshooting methods to help your resolve these problems.
Troubleshooting Toshiba Fire TV Remote Not Working
1. Check/Change The Batteries
You should check the batteries that you have currently installed in your remote control. This will include making sure that they are oriented properly as well as properly charged. If your batteries are not oriented properly, simply change their position in the remote to the correct one.
If your batteries are completely dead, you will need to replace them with a fresh pair. If your batteries are installed correctly and fully charged, then you will need to consider some hardware fixes like the ones detailed below.
2. Power Cycle Remote Without Batteries
Power cycling your remote control is a simple hardware fix that will often result in the resolution of many types of issues you might be experiencing. The process to power cycle the remote without batteries will be detailed below.
1. To begin, remove the batteries from your remote.
2. Once the batteries have been removed, press and hold the power button for at least 60 seconds to drain the leftover power from the remote.
3. After 60 seconds have passed, press all of the buttons for a few seconds, then replace the batteries.
This will complete the power cycle process for your remote. To do this without having to remove the batteries, see the section detailed below.
3. Power Cycle Remote With Batteries
1. To power cycle your remote with the batteries still installed, press and hold down the power button for at least one minute. This will automatically begin the power cycle process.
If a power cycle has not resolved your issue, you will need to consider clearing the line of sight between the remote and the TV. This will be detailed more in the next section.
4. Remove Obstructions From The IR Sensor
Obstructions between your TV and your remote control could be causing your Toshiba Fire TV remote to not work correctly. Your TV and your remote control communicate using IR sensors and IR beams. When the line of sight is obstructed significantly, your devices will not be able to communicate properly.
You should clear the immediate area between your TV and your remote control to cut down on the levels of interference that you could experience while using your remote control. This includes furniture, other devices, and walls that could potentially obstruct the IR beams from your remote.
If there are no obstructions blocking the IR beams of your remote, you might need to consider re-pairing your remote to your TV to resolve issues. This process will be covered next.
5. Pair The Remote Again
Pairing your remote with your TV again can help resolve many types of errors that your remote might be experiencing. The process to do this is quite simple and should only take a few minutes.
1. To begin the pairing process, locate the pairing button on your Toshiba Fire TV remote. This button is generally located on the back of your remote. You may need to remove the battery cover to see this button.
2. Once you have located the pairing button on your remote, press and hold it down for at least 20 seconds.
3. After this time has elapsed, the remote will start blinking to indicate that it is ready to pair.
If pairing the remote again did not resolve your issue, a last resort could be to factory reset the remote. This process will be discussed in detail below. You can also view this video if you are having trouble completing this process.
6. Factory Reset The Remote
To bring your remote control back to factory settings, you will need to do a full factory reset on the remote. The process to do this is simple and will be detailed below.
1. To begin, press and hold down the DPAD-left, back, and menu buttons for at least 15 seconds.
2. After you have held down these buttons simultaneously for at least 15 seconds, the factory reset process will automatically begin.
If you have exhausted this list of remote-control fixes, then you will need to consider some troubleshooting methods that apply to your TV instead as detailed in the next section.
7. Power-Cycle The TV
Power cycling your TV can be a great way to encourage the resolution of any errors that are causing your issues with your remote control. To power cycle your TV, simply unplug it for at least 60 seconds to allow all of the power to drain from it.
Once this process has been completed, plug the TV back up to complete the power cycle process. If you are still having an issue with your remote control after power cycling your TV, you could consider doing a factory reset on your Firestick. This process will be detailed below.
8. Reset The FireStick To Factory Settings
1. To begin the factory reset process for your FireStick, press the home button on your remote control.
2. From the home screen, select Settings to enter into the Settings menu.
3. In the Settings menu, select My Fire TV.
4. In the My Fire TV menu, select the Reset To Factory Defaults option.
5. Click Reset when prompted to begin the factory reset process.
If this did not work, you should consider trying one more troubleshooting method pertaining to your TV. This method will be detailed next in the section below.
9. Update TV Firmware
You should consider updating the firmware for your TV to make sure that it has the latest software version. Each TV will have a different firmware update process. You will need to consult your manual for your specific brand and model of TV for the exact process to update the firmware on your TV.
If none of these fixes have helped resolve your problem, you may need to consider an alternative method for controlling your Fire TV as detailed in the section below.
10. Use The Toshiba Fire TV App
The Toshiba Fire TV app is a great alternative to a standard remote control that will allow you to control your TV using your mobile device. You can download the Toshiba Fire TV app on the app store of your device and once installed, you can use it to control all of the main functions of your Fire TV.
Another option to consider is to simply get a new remote.
11. Get A New Remote
If your remote control has been frequently not working properly and you do not wish to utilize the Toshiba Fire TV application to control your TV, then you will need to replace your remote. There are many universal remote controls on the market that can be found for quite cheap.
Before grabbing a new remote control, you should consider contacting the support lines for your devices as detailed in the section below.
You Can Always Call Support
You should keep in mind that at any point during your troubleshooting process, you can contact either Toshiba support or Amazon support for more information regarding the issue with your remote or TV.
No matter what the issue is, the support lines for your devices will be able to offer you the best advice and troubleshooting plans possible.
Final Thoughts
This guide has provided you with all of the information that you need to determine the root of your remote-control issues.
This can be valuable information to have when trying to troubleshoot issues that may arise while using your Toshiba Fire TV remote.
