9 Instant Fixes for YouTube TV Not Working Error

You may encounter the YouTube TV not working problem while using it. Then, what should you do to fix it? This post offered by MiniTool Solution will provide you with 9 workable solutions. You can try them one by one until your problem is solved. Hope they can be helpful to you.

YouTube TV is a commercial application that allows you to use the Internet to live stream a large number of TV channels. This is a new way to watch TV, not the traditional cable operators. In addition, it includes all the major television channels, such as ESPN, Discovery, Fox, AMC, and so on.

However, you may encounter several cases where YouTube TV apps simply didn’t work: the application is unable to play the video, the playback quality is poor, the particular channel cannot be played, it had issues with mirroring, or an error message is prompted such as the Playback failed.

You may wonder “why is YouTube TV not working?” Here is a list of possible causes of this problem:

Bad internet connection
YouTube TV is down
Update available
TV is not compatible
Specific channel issue
Bad configurations
Long recordings
Checking internet connection
Platform issue

This post will talk about all the possible workarounds available to resolve this issue. If you have a need, just keep reading.

How to Fix YouTube TV Not Working?

Check the Internet Connection
Check YouTube TV Status
Update the YouTube TV App
Power Cycle Your Device – TV/Chromecast/Computer
Relog into Your Account
Check Specific Model of TV/Chromecast/Roku
Wait for Long Recordings to Get Accessible
Use an Alternative If a Specific Channel Is Not Working
Update the YouTube TV Host Device

You may be interested in this topic: Here Are the Best Video Streaming Services for 2020.

Solution 1: Check the Internet Connection

Just as you would expect from any other streaming platform, YouTube TV also needs a good Internet connection that allows you to play still videos on normal YouTube. When you have that level of Internet connection, you can stream without any problems or you won’t have this situation: YouTube TV keeps buffering again and again.

Firstly, you need to check whether your network connection meets the “fast” standard. Next, check if your router is working properly. If not, you need to perform the following steps to reset it.

Wi-Fi

Step 1: Turn off the router and TV/computer.

Step 2: Remove the power cable of each device. Now, hold down the power button on each device for about 4 seconds, so all the energy is drained.

Step 3: Now, wait 2-3 minutes before plugging everything back in. Now restart your computer and start the YouTube TV application. Check to see if the problem has been resolved.

An Ethernet Connection

Step 1: Plug out the Ethernet wire from your TV or computer.

If the Ethernet is connected to a router, reset the router as shown in the earlier solution

Step 2: Now turn off either device and wait for 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Plug everything back and check if the YouTube TV not working issue is resolved.

Solution 2: Check YouTube TV Status

You may encounter several different scenarios, in which YouTube TV has a bad day on the server side. This is a very common scenario and happens all the time (especially on YouTube TV because it’s hard to maintain). The only thing you can do is leave the platform for about 10-25 minutes and then come back to check.

You can also browse other forums to confirm that other users are facing the same problem. If so, it may mean that there are no problems on your side and you just need to wait it out. If it’s just a problem you have, you can wait a day or two to see if the YouTube TV not working issue is resolved. There are also specific geographic issues.

Solution 3: Update the YouTube TV App

If you are using a YouTube TV version of the application that is available for several different platforms, it is recommended that you update it right now. YouTube TV sometimes goes wrong or gets stuck in bugs. YouTube engineers will release an update to fix these issues. The problem you are facing can be global and can be fixed with an update.

Tips:

It usually takes a day for YouTube to release an update when a problem occurs, so be patient.

Here, take the YouTube app not working on Samsung TV as an example. You can update the YouTube app on Samsung TV to fix this issue.

Step 1: Press the Smart hub key and go to Featured.

Step 2: Now, find YouTube TV application. Press and hold the Enter key until a submenu pops up.

Step 3: When the submenu shows up, click Update Apps.

Step 4: Then, click Select All.

Step 5: Click Update all and wait for your TV to update the applications. After you’ve updated all your apps, restart your TV and try starting YouTube TV again. Check to see if the YouTube TV not working problem has been resolved.

Solution 4: Power Cycle Your Device – TV/Chromecast/Computer

You may encounter several situations where the device used for the stream is in an error state. This happens a lot in electronics. There’s nothing to worry about. These platforms create temporary data and use it for their operations. If this data is corrupted, you will have problems making the YouTube application work.

Step 1: In this case, you need to shut the device down properly and then remove all wires.

Step 2: After that, remove the battery properly and detach it.

Step 3: Press the power button for 1 minute and wait 2-3 minutes before you plug everything back in.

When you finish this, all temporary data in the device is removed and new data is created with default values and stored in the new location. This will fix the problem if there are any configuration problems.

Solution 5: Relog into Your Account

Another notable issue you may encounter is account data corruption or poor user configuration in the input to the YouTube TV application. This is a very common problem that you might see in a normal YouTube application.

Step 1: Click your icon of YouTube TV application in the upper right-hand corner.

Step 2: A new drop down will show up. Now, select Sign out.

Step 3: When you have signed out, perform Solution 4 mentioned above.

Step 4: Now go to the YouTube TV application again and a sign-in prompt will appear. Enter your credentials and check if the YouTube TV not working problem is resolved.

Solution 6: Check Specific Model of TV/Chromecast/Roku

Another reason you might experience YouTube TV not working is that your TV or the device you’re trying to stream on is outdated. For devices that support YouTube TV, YouTube TV has several key guidelines.

The application only uses an Internet connection to transmit live TV, so some modules used by Google itself are not compatible with older versions of the devices. If you have an old device/TV, you can consider changing it accordingly.

If you have the latest TV or application available, be sure to update all applications. If your TV is outdated, use Chromecast or Roku as an alternative to YouTube streaming. After you are absolutely sure that there is nothing wrong with your device, continue.

You may be interested in this post: How to Watch YouTube TV on Roku Player – A Useful Way.

Solution 7: Wait for Long Recordings to Get Accessible

Long recordings on YouTube take a while for users to stream or view. This is because YouTube needs to process the recordings and save them so you can access them later. In general, a short recording that is less than 4 hours is fine.

However, longer recordings tend to lead to several different problems: they don’t play at all, or some do, and others simply refuse. To avoid this problem, you can wait for the problem to resolve. Normally, the video will play normally after a day or two days.

Solution 8: Use an Alternative If a Specific Channel Is Not Working

You might have a situation where a particular channel doesn’t stream on your YouTube TV. It’s a very common problem on major channels like ESPN. YouTube TV officially acknowledged the problem through official channels.

According to YouTube, they’re investigating the problem, and they also offer a workaround so you don’t miss your show. You can download the application for a particular channel and then log in to that channel with your YouTube TV credentials. After you finish that, you can watch the show temporarily until it is repaired backstage by YouTube TV engineers.

Solution 9: Update the YouTube TV Host Device

Another situation many users face is that their host devices like Chromecast, Roku, etc. can’t stream YouTube TV. If the problem has not reached the end of YouTube, it will issue an official statement saying that the host device like Roku is aware of the problem and is fixing it.

You should pay attention to updates here. The host device usually issues a small update to fix the bugs. The following part will outline how to update Samsung TV over the Internet. If you have other devices, you can perform these steps based on the architecture there.

Step 1: Click the Settings button, then click Support and choose Software Update.

Step 2: Once a new window appears, choose Auto Update to install all the updates the moment they are released or just click Update Now.

After finishing installing the update, you need to restart your host device and access YouTube TV again. Now, check to see if the problem is solved.

If you are using Roku, now you can follow these steps to update your software.

Step 1: Go to the main menu and choose Settings.

Step 2: Now, go to System and then navigate to System update.

Step 3: Click Check Now. After that, Roku will now communicate with the update servers and help you download all the updates.

After the update is installed, you need to restart your device and access YouTube TV. Then, check if the issue goes away.

You may be interested in this post: How Can I Cancel My YouTube TV Subscription Successfully?

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There are always some issues when you try to watch videos online. Luckily, there is a quite useful suggestion for you – get a YouTube downloader to download the videos you want to see. Then, you can watch these videos anytime and anywhere without any issues.

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Conclusion

After reading the post, I believe that you have known how to fix the YouTube TV not working issue. In addition, it also introduces a great YouTube downloader app – MiniTool Video Converter that can download videos and audios from YouTube.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below or contact us via [email protected].

YouTube TV Not Working FAQ

Does YouTube TV have a program guide?

YouTube TV offers more than 70 live TV channels, but it doesn’t put them in any recognizable order. Luckily, you can customize the guide via YouTube’s website or mobile apps, and display the changes on TV devices like Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

How long is YouTube TV free trial?

Typically, a free trial of YouTube TV lasts seven days. This is more or less standard for free trial live television. But in a new promotion through Jan. 15, new users will get a free two-week trial of YouTube. Read this post: An Extended 3-Week YouTube TV Free Trial for New Subscribers.

How do you refresh YouTube on TV?

Update the current playback area on a mobile device or web browser:
1. Open YouTube TV.
2. Select your profile picture.
3. Select Settings > Area.
4. Beside the Current playback area, select Update.

Can you use YouTube TV at two different locations?

If you share your YouTube TV membership with a family group, the location requirements are the same. The family manager sets the home area, and all family members must live primarily in the same family. All family members need to regularly use YouTube TV in your home location to keep access.

About The Author

Lydia Follow Us

Position: Columnist

Lydia is always interested in new things and has been attracted deeply by writing. Her love for writing makes her become an English editor about multimedia in MiniTool. She’s determined to write articles about photos, audio, video, and other news to offer readers useful suggestions. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, reading, photography, and having fun with friends.