The bell symbol on an Amazon Fire TV Stick means you have notifications you have not looked at yet. It appears next to Settings on the Home screen. To clear it, open Settings, then select Notifications. Amazon says the bell is removed as soon as you open that list, even if you do not select any of the notifications in it.
The bell is not an error and it does not mean anything is wrong with your Fire TV Stick. It works like the notification badge on a phone. This guide explains what triggers it, how to read and dismiss the notifications behind it, and how to reduce how often it comes back.
What the Bell Symbol Means
Fire TV devices collect messages from the system and from your apps in one list. Amazon’s developer documentation calls this list the Notification Center. On the device itself it is simply labeled Notifications, and it lives inside the Settings menu.
According to Amazon, when you have unseen notifications, a small bell appears next to Settings in the main navigation. The bell is only a marker. It tells you that something new is waiting in the list. It does not tell you what the message is or how many there are.
A bell with a line through it, or other icons in a status bar at the top of the screen, are Fire tablet symbols. They are not part of the Fire TV Stick Home screen, so the steps here do not apply to them.
What Causes Fire TV Stick Notifications
Amazon lists several common sources of Fire TV notifications. Most are routine.
- App updates. The Amazon Appstore sends a notification when an installed app has an update available.
- Finished downloads. You get a notice when an app has finished downloading or installing and is ready to open.
- System messages. Examples Amazon gives include low battery status, disconnected headphones, Bluetooth pairing, and other system updates.
- App messages. Apps can tell you about new content, such as new episodes of a series, a changed live TV channel lineup, or new features.
Some of these first show up as a small pop-up that fades after a few seconds. Amazon calls these heads-up notifications. If you do not dismiss the pop-up while it is on screen, it is saved to the Notifications list, and that is when the bell appears.
How to Clear the Bell Symbol on a Fire TV Stick
These steps apply to Fire TV Stick models, including the Fire TV Stick 4K, and to other Fire TV devices that use the same menus. Amazon notes that the Fire TV experience differs across some devices, so the position of the Settings option may not match exactly. You only need your Fire TV remote.
- Press the Home button on the remote to go to the Home screen.
- Move to Settings. On current Fire TV Home screens this is the gear icon in the main menu. On older versions of the interface it is the word Settings at the top of the screen. The bell sits beside it when you have unseen notifications.
- Select Notifications. The list opens with the most recent notification first, and each one shows the time or date it arrived.
- Read the notifications. Selecting one may open something related to it. For example, selecting an app update notification shows the updates available for that app, and you can choose whether to install them.
- Press the Home button to go back. The bell should no longer appear next to Settings.
You do not have to act on every notification to clear the bell. Amazon states that the bell icon is removed as soon as you visit the notifications list, whether you select a notification or not.
How to Dismiss Notifications From the List
Opening the list removes the bell, but the notifications themselves stay in the list. Amazon says a notification remains there until you engage with it, you dismiss it, you turn off notifications for that app, or the app removes it. If you want an empty list, dismiss them.
- Go to Settings and select Notifications.
- Highlight the notification you want to remove.
- Press the Menu button on the remote. It is the button with three horizontal lines.
- Choose Dismiss to remove the highlighted notification, or Dismiss All to clear the whole list.
The screenshots above show an earlier version of the Fire TV interface, so your screen may look different. If pressing Menu does not show Dismiss and Dismiss All, look at the bottom or side of the Notifications screen for a hint that names the button to press.
Dismissing is permanent for that notification. There is no list of dismissed notifications to restore from, so read anything you care about first. Dismissing an app update notice does not cancel or install the update.
How to Get Fewer Notifications
Clearing the bell only deals with what has already arrived. To cut down on new notifications, use the notification settings, which are in a different menu.
- Press Home and open Settings.
- Select Preferences.
- Select Notification Settings.
- Choose the option you need, as described below.
| Option | What Amazon says it does | Does the bell still appear? |
|---|---|---|
| Do Not Interrupt | Stops heads-up pop-ups from appearing on screen while you watch. | Yes. Standard notifications still go to the list and the bell still shows. |
| App Notifications | Turns notifications on or off for individual apps on this device. | Not for apps you turn off. Other apps and the system can still trigger it. |
Two limits are worth knowing before you change anything. First, Amazon says these choices are made device by device, so a second Fire TV Stick in another room needs the same change. Second, more detailed control is not available. You can turn an app’s notifications on or off, but you cannot pick which kinds of messages that app is allowed to send.
To undo either change, return to Settings > Preferences > Notification Settings and switch the option back.
Troubleshooting the Bell Symbol
The bell comes back right after you clear it
A new notification has arrived. Open Notifications and check which app sent it. If the same app keeps sending messages you do not want, turn that app off under App Notifications. If the notices are app updates, installing the updates stops the reminders. Our guide on automatic updates for Fire Stick apps shows how to let apps update on their own.
You cannot find Notifications in Settings
Amazon’s help page on navigating the Fire TV Home screen says the experience differs across devices and that the Settings menu has a search bar for popular settings. Scroll through all of the tiles first, since Notifications may be off screen. The notification options under Preferences are a separate screen and do not show the list of messages.
The bell stays on after you open the list
Go back to the Home screen and wait a moment for the menu to refresh. If the bell is still there and the list is empty, restart the device. Amazon’s instructions to restart a Fire TV device are Settings > My Fire TV > Restart, or unplug the power cord and plug it back in after 3 seconds. A restart is a general fix and Amazon does not list it specifically for the bell.
The menus do not match these steps
Your software may be out of date or your device may use a newer Home screen. To update the Fire TV software, go to Settings, select My Fire TV or Device & Software, select About, then Check for System Update.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the bell symbol on a Fire TV Stick a warning?
No. The bell only means there are notifications you have not seen. Most are routine, such as an app update being available or an app finishing its installation. Open Settings > Notifications to read them.
Can you turn off the bell symbol permanently?
Amazon does not document a switch that hides the bell itself. Do Not Interrupt only hides pop-ups, and Amazon states that the bell still appears with that option on. Turning off App Notifications for the apps that message you most will make the bell appear less often.
Does Do Not Interrupt delete notifications?
No. It stops heads-up notifications from popping up over what you are watching. Standard notifications are still saved in the Notifications list, where you can read or dismiss them later.
Why do pop-ups appear at the bottom of the screen?
Those are heads-up notifications. On Fire TV they appear at the bottom of the screen and fade after a few seconds. Amazon says you can dismiss one with the Back button while it is showing. Any that you do not dismiss are stored in the Notifications list.
Where does Amazon explain Fire TV notifications?
The most detailed official description is Amazon’s developer page on notifications on Fire TV. It is written for app makers, but it describes the bell, the notifications list, Do Not Interrupt and App Notifications.
Next Steps
Once the bell is gone, check Notification Settings so that only the apps you care about can bring it back. If you are tidying up other settings on the device, you can also turn off interest-based ads on the Fire Stick, delete Fire TV Stick apps you no longer use, or learn to use voice search on a Fire TV to get around faster.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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