You’re trying to watch the latest episode of your favorite show on your Firestick when suddenly a huge white box covers the center of the screen. No matter what buttons you mash, it just won’t go away.
Sound familiar? If so, you’ve come to the right place.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll discover exactly what that pesky white box is, why it appears out of nowhere, and most importantly – how to banish it for good with a few simple steps.
I’ll walk you through troubleshooting tactics from restarting your device to updating its software. By the end, your Firestick visuals will be box-free and crystal clear once more!
What Exactly is the Mysterious White Box?
Also known as the “Text Banner”, this accessibility feature is designed by Amazon to aid visually impaired Firestick users by displaying descriptive text.
When enabled, it typically occupies just a small portion of the screen. But if the size gets accidentally maximized, it can swell to obscuring proportions.
The Text Banner provides information like:
- Titles of focused movies/shows
- Content descriptions
- Navigation guidance
What Causes It?
You can trigger the Text Banner display by pressing and holding the rewind and fast forward buttons on your Alexa remote.
This combo is easy to activate unintentionally while quickly scrubbing through videos. Accidental enabling – especially when the size is already set to max – leads to startling full-screen coverage.
3 Surefire Ways to Banish the bothersome Box
Regain your unobstructed screen real estate with these solutions. Just follow them sequentially until your problem resolves.
1. Try the Rewind/Fast Forward Buttons
Ironically, the very same remote combo that turned on your text box can also turn it off.
Press and hold down the rewind and fast forward buttons simultaneously again for 3 seconds.
This shortcut toggles the Text Banner off once more. Take care to avoid those troublesome triggers in the future!
2. Use the Play/Pause Button Hack
If step 1 fails, this alternative offers temporary visibility.
Hold down the play/pause button for 1 full second.
The white box vanishes briefly while the play button is depressed. Useful for quick visual checks before pursuing advanced troubleshooting.
3. Disable Text Banner in Settings
For a permanent fix, dive into the accessibility settings to deactivate at the source.
Navigate: Home > Settings > Accessibility > Text Banner
In the Text Banner menu:
- Toggle feature OFF
- Restore default size/positioning
- Customize appearance if desired
Regaining control of text banner behavior prevents further full-screen hijacking.
Additional Troubleshooting Tips
If banishing the box requires more persuasion, these supplemental tactics may help.
Restart Your Firestick
As with any electronic device, a reboot clears temporary glitches and resets things to factory conditions.
To restart:
Home > Settings > My Fire TV > Restart
Or press and hold select + play/pause buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds.
Check for Software Updates
An outdated OS could contribute to text box sticking. Update to latest to resolve potential issues.
Home > Settings > My Fire TV > About > Check for Updates
Install any available patches. Updates also refresh other features.
Reset Your Firestick to Factory Settings
If other options fail, this “nuclear option” erases any deeper issues causing text box persistence – along with all your data and customizations.
Home > Settings > My Fire TV > Reset to Factory Defaults
Set up device like brand new after resetting. Reinstall apps and reconfigure settings.
If your Firestick freezes, gets stuck loading, has no signal, is running slow, or has other performance issues like Hulu/YouTube TV not working, try restarting as described above.
For Firestick remote issues like blinking orange light or volume not working, you may need a replacement remote.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it – multiple methods to demolish that disturbing giant white field ruining your viewing experience.
First try quick remote button presses to toggle the Text Banner off. For more customization power, dive into Accessibility options.
For trickier cases, fall back on rebooting, software updating, or even factory resetting the device.
Soon you’ll be back to smoothly streaming all your favorite movies and shows, minus the formidable text banner blockade. Just mind those fast forward/rewind triggers to avoid future white-outs!
Now relax…and enjoy your barrier-free entertainment.
Key Takeaways:
- The white box is Amazon’s Text Banner accessibility feature
- It aids visually impaired users with on-screen descriptions
- Accidentally triggering maximize size leads to screen blockages
- Resolve issue by toggling off, adjusting settings, updating device
- Press remote’s rewind + fast forward buttons to turn off
- Hold play/pause to temporarily hide box
- Access Text Banner in Home > Settings > Accessibility
