Is Amazon Photos Not Working in 2023? Follow This Seller‘s Guide to Fix It Fast
As an ecommerce business owner, I rely on Amazon Photos every day to store product images, download reports, and review data for my online store. So when the app suddenly stops working, panic sets in.
After troubleshooting Amazon Photo issues for years, I‘ve learned how to quickly diagnose problems and get the app up and running again.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll draw on my experience as an Amazon seller to walk you through over a dozen fixes to try when Amazon Photos goes down. I‘ll also answer common questions about what happens if you delete the app and whether Amazon Photos still works reliably.
Let‘s dive in!
Why Amazon Photos Could Stop Working
Before we troubleshoot, let‘s review the main reasons the Amazon Photos app can fail on your iPhone, Android, Fire tablet, or computer:
- Outdated app needing an update
- Poor internet connection
- Server outage on Amazon‘s end
- Corrupted app cache/data
- Photos exceeding size limits
- Insufficient device storage
- Too many background apps running
As a seller who relies on Amazon services, I‘ve seen how each of these issues can halt productivity until the app is working again. The good news is that nearly all causes can be resolved with a few troubleshooting steps.
12 Fixes to Get Amazon Photos Working Again
Over the years, I‘ve honed my approach to troubleshoot and fix Amazon Photos problems quickly. Here are the top solutions to try, along with my tips for each as an ecommerce pro:
1. Force Close and Restart the App
Closing an app completely and restarting it flushes out memory issues and resets things to a clean state.
On iPhone:
- Swipe up from the bottom and pause on the Amazon Photos preview
- Keep swiping up to forcibly close it
- Tap the icon to launch again
On Android:
- Open Settings > Apps > Amazon Photos
- Tap "Force Stop"
- Start the app normally again
I restart apps daily between uses to maintain optimal performance. It takes seconds and can prevent many issues.
2. Clear App Cache and Data
Over time, corrupt files and outdated data get cached locally on your device, causing apps like Amazon Photos to malfunction. Wiping this provides a fresh start.
On iPhone, uninstall and reinstall Amazon Photos from the App Store. Your cloud data remains intact.
On Android:
- Go to Settings > Apps > Amazon Photos
- Tap Clear Cache followed by Clear Data
- Re-open the app – data syncs from the cloud
Clearing app caches monthly helps minimize technical issues in my experience.
3. Uninstall and Reinstall the App
If other resets aren‘t working, completely removing and reinstalling the app often does the trick:
- Delete Amazon Photos from your device
- Download it again from the app store
- Log in to your Amazon account – photos sync back
As a seller, it‘s useful to know that cloud data persists if you ever need to reset an app.
4. Check for App Updates
Staying on old versions of apps is asking for problems. Be sure you‘re running the latest Amazon Photos:
iPhone – Check the App Store > Account > Updates.
Android – Look in Play Store > My Apps & Games > Updates.
I make it part of my weekly routine to install app updates. Updates frequently include bug and performance fixes.
5. Reset Your Internet Connection
Without stable connectivity, apps can‘t sync properly with the cloud. Try toggling airplane mode on and off to reset the connection. Also switch between WiFi and cellular data to see which is faster at the moment. If on WiFi, move closer to the router or reboot it.
As a seller, I know rock-solid internet is mandatory for app performance. I use enterprise-grade WiFi and have backup LTE as redundancy.
6. Wait It Out if Amazon‘s Servers Are Down
Occasionally, like any major tech company, Amazon‘s cloud services experience outages. When this happens, you just have to hang tight until functionality is restored by Amazon‘s engineers. Typically service disruptions are resolved within an hour or two. As a seller, I just schedule other tasks and check for updates until it‘s back up.
To check the latest Amazon Web Services system status: http://status.aws.amazon.com
7. Sign Out and Back Into Your Amazon Account
Corrupted user data can affect apps like Amazon Photos. Signing out completely then back in again resets everything:
- Tap your profile icon > Sign Out
- Enter your email and password to sign in again
Periodically signing out of apps forces data to resync which clears up inconsistencies.
8. Reboot Your Device
Powering down and restarting your smartphone, tablet, or computer wipes out temporary memory glitches and frees up processing power for apps.
To reboot, turn your device fully off by holding the power button. Leave it off for at least 20 seconds, then restart normally. Open Amazon Photos – issues are often resolved.
I recommend rebooting your device at least once a week to flush memory and keep performance optimized.
9. Verify Photo Size Limits
Amazon Photos enforces limits on photo sizes for mobile uploads vs the desktop app.
Mobile app limit: 2GB per photo
Desktop limit: Unlimited size
If you‘re getting upload errors, check your photo sizes. Photos over 2GB will need to be uploaded via the Amazon Photos website.
10. Free Up More Local Storage
Low storage on your device can directly cause apps to crash or run poorly. Check how much free space you have in Settings, and delete old files, unused apps, cached data and anything else you don‘t need.
Aim for at least 10-15% free space on your smartphone or tablet for smooth app performance.
11. Force Close Background Apps
Too many apps running simultaneously eats up RAM and slows things down. Press the Home button twice (iPhone) or tap Recents (Android) to view apps running in the background. Swipe each one upwards to force close it. Closing extra apps gives more resources back to the app you want to use.
Pro Tip: I use Cleaner apps to automate closing background apps and freeing up device resources.
12. Wait Out Any Amazon Server Issues
Despite Amazon‘s highly reliable infrastructure, even their servers go down occasionally. When widespread outages occur, there‘s unfortunately nothing you can do but wait for Amazon to fix it on their end.
Major cloud providers have excellent uptime:
- AWS (Amazon) uptime: Over 99.99% per year
- Microsoft Azure uptime: 99.95%
- Google Cloud uptime: 99.9%
Given the robust redundancy and auto-recovery, any down time is usually resolved fast. So hang tight!
To check the latest AWS system status: http://status.aws.amazon.com
Troubleshooting Guide Summary
Here‘s a quick reference table summarizing the 12 fixes covered and how they help resolve Amazon Photos issues:
Fix | Time Required | Difficulty | Likelihood to Resolve |
---|---|---|---|
Restart App | 1 minute | Easy | High |
Clear Cache/Data | 2-3 minutes | Easy | High |
Uninstall/Reinstall | 3-4 minutes | Easy | Moderate |
Update App | 5-10 minutes | Easy | Moderate |
Reset Connection | 1-2 minutes | Easy | High |
Wait If Servers Down | Minutes to hours | N/A | Guaranteed |
Sign Out/In Account | 2 minutes | Easy | Low |
Reboot Device | 5 minutes | Easy | Moderate |
Check Size Limits | 1 minute | Easy | Situational |
Free Up Storage | 10-15 minutes | Moderate | Situational |
Close Background Apps | 1-2 minutes | Easy | Low |
Wait Out AWS Issues | Minutes to hours | N/A | Guaranteed |
I hope this table gives you a quick way to identify the fixes most likely to get Amazon Photos working fast based on your situation.
What Happens If You Delete the App?
If you ever delete the Amazon Photos app from your iPhone, Android phone, tablet, or Fire device during troubleshooting, rest assured your photos are still safe in the AWS cloud.
The app itself is just the local software interface that connects to your cloud storage. Removing the app does not affect the actual media files stored in your Cloud Drive account.
I can confirm from experience that deleting the app is perfectly safe – just reinstall it from the app store and log in to regain access to all your perfectly preserved photos.
Does Amazon Photos Still Work Well In 2023?
Absolutely! Despite isolated incidents where users experience technical issues, Amazon Photos remains an excellent, reliable cloud storage service as of 2023.
In my experience as seller who depends on it, Amazon Photos provides:
- Secure cloud backup for all my product images and reports
- Handy editing tools
- Facial recognition to automatically organize photos
- Easy sharing of albums with my team
- Integration with Amazon Fire TV devices for reviews
- Convenient print ordering with free Prime delivery
So I certainly plan to keep using it this year and recommend it to other online business owners!
When the occasional technical problem pops up, just use this guide to get Amazon Photos up and running again in minutes. Let me know if any other issues come up – I‘m always happy to help troubleshoot!
Summary: Keep Amazon Photos Working with These Fixes
I hope this detailed troubleshooting guide serves as a handy reference when you need to resurrect Amazon Photos after it stops working or gets stuck buffering.
While glitches happen, you can now quickly fix the majority of problems using the 12 solutions above. Just remember the issue is almost always solvable – your photos remain backed up in the cloud regardless.
With the proper maintenance and troubleshooting, Amazon Photos continues to provide small businesses like mine with a reliable foundation for storing, organizing and sharing media assets critical to ecommerce success.
So next time your Amazon Photos app acts up, confidently work through these fixes. Let me know if any other questions come up – I‘m happy to help fellow sellers keep this productivity tool working smoothly!