Amazon Fire Tablet: "Waiting for Connection" Error

[bkelly13]

We purchased an Amazon Fire tablet, 8 inch, and use it only for music.  It worked well for over two years then we moved.  The WiFi connection was changed, and we have internet access.  For example, cnn.com shows the news just fine.  When we try to start pandora, it displays the pulsating P for a while then opens a small dialog with the text:

Waiting for connection. Try again? 

It has two buttons, CANCEL and RETRY.

While writing this, Pandora is playing over my laptop so a connection is possible.

There is no information at all as to the problem.  We don't use tablets much at all so please be patient and explicit with your replies.

Thank you for your time.

mod edit: changed title for clarity

[Cmgooley]

The easiest way is to uninstall the app and redownload and reinstall it.

[Mudwing1998]

I've been having the exact same problem as DavidQ; I uninstall then reinstall, uninstall then reinstall, uninstall then reinstall, uninstall then reinstall, uninstall then reinstall. I've been doing this for a month and I still get the "Waiting for a Connection" message. I like using Pandora, but I have no desire to uninstall then reinstall again. Can somebody please tell me why is this happening and how do I stop this from occurring again, short of uninstalling then reinstalling. FYI: This problem has only started recently and it was working fine for the past two years. So what's going on?

[AdamPandora]

@Mudwing1998 Could you tell me a bit more about what is happening?

1. Are you listening to Pandora on an Amazon Fire Tablet?
   • If you are on a different device, what is the make and model (and carrier, if applicable)?
2. Can you provide me with a screenshot of the error message you're seeing?

Thanks for working with me on this.

[rorschandt]

I've had the same issue. Then, there was a change in what happened when I re-downloaded, the appearance of the Amazon app store changed. I downloaded Pandora again, and it seem to stall while installing. I let the kindle sit there doing its thing (because I have other things to do with my life) and then it worked. I shutdown the Kindle, then restarted before downloading Pandora, so it may have updated and rebooted the appstore. Now it works. I did the process so many times, I don't recall what I changed. I remember accessing the Amazon apps via Firefox web browser at some point. Perhaps try Amazon via Silk.

Moderator Edit: Format

[AlyssaPandora]

Thanks for sharing your experience, @rorschandt. Sorry to hear that the error message was persistent. If you run into any other issues, please let us know. 🎧

[robsmith2124]

Thank you for the suggestion above. I bought my son a Amazon Fire 10.1 HD for Christmas and he uses Pandora pretty much daily. All was working well for the last 10 weeks till 2 days ago. We started to get the same message that's talked about from others. A simple uninstall and then reinstall of the app, followed up to sign in again and all is well. 1 minute of work was the fix. Thanks again for the write up. I'm sure other people will run into the same situation also.

[Elroy0451]

Have had this issue for multiple years, on multiple Kindle Fire devices.  The only fix I have ever found is a complete uninstall and re-install.  I've tried everything else.  The real problem is that I use my Kindle devices for traveling in areas without internet connection (i.e. camping, etc.) and I have to download ALL my music every time I re-install.  Since there is no Download All Collected Music, nor all Playlist music, it is a tedious and time consuming process to re-download everything.  Since I have had to delete and re-install probably over a dozen times on my Kindle devices I am beyond fed up.  I have to do it again today as I am getting the exact same error: 'Waiting for connection.  Try again?'  on a device I can get on the internet with multiple other apps right now.  I give up-will be going back to Spot-ify.

[Cmgooley]

I found an easier solution. Go to settings => apps => Pandora and clear out
the cache and data. You will need to log in again.

[Elroy0451]

As I said-I've tried everything.  Clearing the cache, does nothing to fix for me and clearing all data means I have to download all my previously downloaded music-hundreds of albums and songs in my case.  Just like deleting and reinstalling the app.  It's a huge inconvenience, and one that I should not have had to do over and over and over. 

I cranked up my Spotify account again and am switching back over.  I have had this happen over several years.  Pandora has a problem with their app on Kindle Fire tablets.  And, I still get the 'That Playlist Is Unavailable ' error message too-for several years, and Pandora's Tech support's advice was-you guessed it-delete and reinstall the app.  Which I have done probably a dozen times.  And again, this has been over several Kindle Fire devices-not just one.  It is a systemic problem they can't or won't fix.

[WarshakCat]

I am having the same issue. I really like Pandora, but I am not going to continue deleting the app and redownloading my playlists and songs and stations every other day because the app decides it does not want to connect. The subscription service is not worth the money if the app is never ready when I need it. I will give you a little more time, but if you cannot fix the problem I am going to cancel and find another service.

This is the second day in a row this week that I am having to reinstall the app. 

This is so frustrating! I need to be able to leave now, not wait until the app downloads again! Then download a playlist, again! I would have 3 months ago had I not invested so much time collecting songs on Pandora.

Moderator Edit: Format

[rorschandt]

I understand your frustration. I primarily use my Kindle as a Pandora Player to help with insomnia. I wake in the early hours (1AM to 5AM) and if I listen to soft ambient music (not the %$#&*@ shuffle station it defaults to) I can get back to sleep sometimes.I use earbuds so as not to disturb my wife. This all depends on how much messing around I have to do to get Pandora to function. I don't want to wake myself up by staring at a screen, go get my glasses so I can read what is going on, uninstall, reinstall, sign in to Pandora again, select station... Amazon's music player is far too complicated to navigate with low vision acuity and the focus on selling me pop music I don't care about...at 2:32am.This has been happening for over a year. I usually give up. I keep a portable CD player as back up...but it isn't the same. The batteries are often low. I just want a quick way to get back to sleep. I have a big old CD player that holds 100 CDs, it may be time to figure out an easy way to hook it up to some earphones and start it playing with one easy switch.

A side issue: if the font size in the Pandora app wasn't so tiny, it might make the issue easier to deal with...and before any one mentions it, yes, I have the Kindle font size cranked up to max. White on blue isn't the best for contrast either.

Moderator Edit: Format

[WarshakCat]

I have insomnia too. I am naturally a night owl. I haven't tried ambient, that is a good idea. I have tried classical, but I would probably be better with making my own playlist with Moonlight sonata, or Strauss, lest risk having a heart attack when some cymbals crash or something. I usually don't have a problem with it on any other device, BUT the fire or a phone when I am mobile. I have since given up on the phone. I have the paid subscription, and it seems every time I go to leave the app fails and really puts me in a bind, because I loathe public radio so much. Redownloading the app and any genre playlist is time consuming. I am kind of caught in between apps. I don't really want to invest procuring a musical library AGAIN on an app that keeps failing. It is almost like I am suffering from lost cost fallacy, but I am almost ready to cut loose. Regardless, You have a good idea there with the skin choice. Customization, even if preloads, would be sweet. Also, good luck with sleeping. I hope you find a remedy. 

[rorschandt]

Some broadly categorize ambient to include rave type stuff. Fortunately for me, Pandora's algorithm is good in that regard.  I have a friend that is an ambient musician in New Zealand. His name is Rudy Adrian. I find about 95% of his music is very conducive to relaxation, sleep, or introspection. Try his Moonwater track on Pandora. Another good thing for me is bird sounds. Locally, we used to  have a wonderful classical public radio station. About 5 years ago it was hijacked by news,talk, & jazz. Ugh. Hopefully, I won't have to reload the Pandora app again.

[rorschandt]

After I last posted, I've had to uninstall and reinstall Pandora 3 times, to "fix" the connection problem.