It’s frustrating when you finally choose a movie or show to watch on Amazon Prime Video, and it’ll show you the message, “This video is currently unavailable.” This issue can pop up for various reasons, such as technical glitches or streaming rights for certain regions.
Sometimes, it happens if you change your location or region while watching a series. Many reasons cause this frustrating problem in Amazon Prime Video; we’ll also discuss those reasons.
In this guide, we’ll explore different methods to troubleshoot and resolve Prime Video’s “video unavailable” issue. These methods can help you to get back to enjoying your content without interruption.
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What Are The Reasons For The “Amazon Video Is Currently Unavailable” Issue?
If you’re seeing the “this video is unavailable on Amazon” error, here are some common reasons why it might be happening:
1. Server Issues: Websites like Amazon Prime Video sometimes experience server problems. This could be due to maintenance, technical errors, or cyberattacks like DDoS. Usually, these outages are short, and the company updates users when it happens.
2. Domain Extension Problem (TLD): The domain extension is the last part of a web address, like “.com” or “.ca”. If you’re in a country with a specific domain (like “.ca” for Canada), you might need to manually switch to the “.com” version if the site doesn’t automatically redirect you.
3. Show Removed: Streaming rights change from country to country; sometimes, shows or movies get removed when the contract ends. If this happens, you’ll see a “video unavailable” message.
4. Cookie Settings: Streaming services like Amazon need to save cookies in your browser for everything to work smoothly. Make sure you’ve allowed cookies for the site.
5. Hardware Acceleration Issues: If your Prime Video app uses hardware acceleration to improve streaming, a glitch in the operating system or app can prevent videos from playing.
6. VPN or Proxy Use: Amazon might limit the content you can watch if you’re using a VPN or proxy. Sometimes, it might not even let you access the site. It’s best to either turn off the VPN or use a reliable one.
7. Antivirus or Firewall Interference: Sometimes, your antivirus or Firewall can block Prime Video if it thinks the server is suspicious. This can happen if too many people misuse the server to access content illegally.
8. HDMI Cable Problems: If you’re connecting to a TV using an HDMI cable, especially for 4K UHD content, you need a good quality cable. Otherwise, the TV might block the video from playing.
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How To Troubleshoot The “Amazon Video Currently Unavailable” Issue
If the video you’re trying to watch is not unavailable, fret not. Here are 8 working methods that will make the show or movie available for you.
1. Restart Your Device or System
Restarting your device or system is one of the simplest and most effective methods to fix Amazon videos is currently unavailable issue. Think of it like giving your device a short break, allowing it to reset and start fresh.
If you’re having trouble with the Amazon Prime Video app, a quick restart might solve the problem. Please turn off your device and router, unplug them from the power source, and wait about one or two minutes.
After that, plug them back in, turn everything on, and open only the Prime Video app. This refreshes the system and often resolves streaming issues. You can also try the other methods if this doesn’t help.
2. Check If Amazon Servers are Down
You can check if Amazon servers are down in your area using https://istheservicedown.com/problems/amazon-prime-instant-video this link.
The site can show outage data from the last 24 hours for streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and more. It also displays the number of reports about server issues for each service.
For Amazon Prime Video, you can see where the problems are happening. There are pie charts showing the specific issues, such as streaming problems, buffering, crashing, login issues, or video quality. If you want to check if Amazon’s server outages, we should focus on streaming problems.
3. Add a Show to The Watchlist
Sometimes, Amazon Prime Video may show an error saying a video is unavailable due to small app glitches. A simple trick to fix this is to add the show you want to watch to your watchlist.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open the Amazon Prime Video website or app.
Step 2: Search for the show you want to watch, then click the “plus icon” or “Add to watchlist” button.
Step 3: Go to your watchlist by hovering over your profile icon and start streaming the show from there.
If the issue is just a glitch, this should solve it. You can also change the video quality to see if the problem is related to a specific resolution or format.
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4. Turn VPN On/Off
Amazon may block you from watching videos if you’re using a free or unreliable VPN. The same goes if you’re using a DNS or proxy. Also, only some Amazon Prime Video shows or movies are available in some countries. Your VPN might connect you to a region where your favorite content isn’t available. To fix this, you can turn off your VPN.
Here’s how:
- Open your VPN app.
- Disconnect the VPN.
- Clear your browser data or the app data if you’re using the Prime Video app.
This will reset cookies and help Amazon find your actual location. You should now be able to stream without any issues.
If a show or movie isn’t available in your country, you can use a VPN to access it. Check out our detailed guide on changing your Prime Video country to learn more about watching content from other regions.
5. Disable Hardware Acceleration
To fix the “this video is unavailable” error on Amazon Prime Video, you might need to turn off hardware acceleration if your phone doesn’t support it.
This feature helps play HD and 4K UHD videos but can cause issues on unsupported devices. Here’s how to turn it off:
Step 1: Open the Amazon Prime Video app on your phone.
Step 2: Tap your profile icon in the top right corner.
Step 3: Select the settings (gear) icon, also in the top right.
Step 4: Choose the “Stream and download” option.
Step 5: Turn off the Hardware Acceleration toggle.
Step 6: Confirm your choice by tapping “Continue” on the pop-up.
Now, check if the issue is fixed. Keep in mind that turning off this feature might affect how HD and 4K videos play on your device.
6. Disable Antivirus/Firewall
Sometimes, antivirus software or firewalls can block Amazon’s servers, especially if you’re using a VPN. This can happen when many people use the same server to access content unavailable in their region, raising a false alarm with antivirus programs.
You can temporarily fix this by disabling your antivirus or Firewall, but be careful, as this may make your device less secure.
Here’s how to disable your antivirus and Firewall (using McAfee as an example, but steps may differ depending on your software):
Step 1: Open your antivirus program.
Step 2: Go to “Protection Settings.”
Step 3: Turn off both the Real-time Scan and the Firewall.
That’s all. Many antivirus programs let you turn off protection temporarily. Set a time limit, and then try streaming on Prime Video.
Note: Disabling your Firewall or antivirus leaves your device vulnerable, so proceed cautiously.
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7. Clear Browsing Data
If Prime Video works on a different browser but not your main one, and you’ve already updated the browser, the problem might be with your browser’s cookies. Clearing cookies and other browsing data can help.
Note: Deleting cookies will log you out of websites, so make sure you know your passwords or use a password manager.
Here’s how to clear browsing data:
Step 1: Open your browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.).
Step 2: Press Ctrl + Shift + Delete (on Mac, use Command + Shift + Delete) to open the browsing data settings.
Step 3: Check the boxes for “Browsing History,” “Cookies,” and “Cached Images and Files.”
Step 4: Select “All time” for the time range and click “Clear data.”
Step 5: Now, log back into Prime Video and try streaming again.
If you’re using the Prime Video app on your Android phone, you can also clear the app’s cache and data.
8. Update Your Browser
Sometimes, the “video is unavailable on Amazon” error happens because your browser is out of date. If you’re using an older version, update your browser to the latest version. You can also try using a different browser to see if the problem is with the one you’re currently using.
Here’s how to update your browser (using Google Chrome as an example, but the process is similar for other browsers):
Step 1: Open your browser and click on the three dots in the top-right corner.
Step 2: Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
Step 3: Scroll down and click on “About.”
Step 4: You’ll see the current browser version here. If an update is available, it will let you know. Click to update.
Step 5: Once the update finishes, your browser will restart, and you can try streaming again.
If you’re using the Prime Video app, ensure it’s updated as well, as this could also fix the issue.
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Conclusion
You can use these effective solutions to the “this video is currently unavailable” error on Amazon Prime Video. We explored various methods to resolve this issue and examined the underlying reasons for these problems.
We hope you’ve successfully fixed the video unavailability error on your device. Do you frequently encounter this issue? Are there any additional methods we should consider including in this guide? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
