Discovering that YouTube TV doesn’t jive with your Roku can be quite the head-scratcher, especially since YouTube is a regular fixture on many smart TVs.
Fortunately, it’s easy to find out why YouTube TV is not working on your Roku platform and it can be fixed by reinstalling the app or rebooting the device.
With almost all our favorite shows and stars being accessible to watch through YouTube, having the app work properly is essential for our viewing experience. In this article, we are going to list several tips on how to get your Roku device with YouTube TV up and running again.
Why Is YouTube TV Not Working on My Roku Device?
Whenever you try to open the YouTube TV app, you might experience occasional glitches where the app just crashes.
Fortunately, the app crashing isn’t a sign of serious trouble. Instead, it could just be caused by a minor glitch. However, it’s best to know the reasons why this might be happening. The app crashing could be due to the following reasons.
Internet connectivity issues
Your TV might be having trouble connecting to the internet, or your router may have lost its connection with the ISP.
Issues with the Roku firmware
Sometimes, older and outdated software has trouble keeping up with newer apps like YouTube TV. It might also be buggy and incompatible with the app.
YouTube is down
Sometimes, YouTube itself might be having problems with its servers. Unfortunately, this is something beyond our control and something that YouTube would have to resolve on their own, as soon as possible.
How to Perform a Reset on Your Roku TV
Soft reboots are the most common way to fix an issue with an app. Regardless of the actual issue, this reset method generally resolves it in no time.
In this guide, we’ll begin by performing a quick reset and move on to the hard reboot.
- First, navigate to the Settings tab on your Roku device.
- After that, scroll down to System and navigate to System Restart.
- Then, select the Restart command and press the OK button on your remote.
- The device will now perform a quick reset. However, if the screen is frozen or blacked out, you can use the following method to restart your TV.
- Press these buttons in sequence: Home button five times, then the Up arrow, Rewind button, followed by the Fast Forward button. This sequence will prompt your Roku device to perform an immediate restart no matter the situation.
How to Update Your Roku Device
Updating your device regularly is essential in keeping the software updated to the latest version.
This is because outdated software can have incompatibility issues with other apps and are more vulnerable to bugs and viruses. Therefore, in this case, it might also be causing the YouTube TV app to glitch out and stop working altogether.
In this guide, we will show you how to update the firmware. We will be using the manual option that checks for updates and automatically installs when an update is available.
- First, switch on your Roku TV.
- After that, press the Home button on your remote to bring up the home screen.
- Scroll down to find the Settings menu and tap on the right arrow to move to that window.
- After that, scroll down to find the tab called System. Select that menu by pressing the right arrow.
- Then, do the same and select the command called System Update.
- Finally, select the Check Now option and confirm it by pressing OK or the right arrow on your remote.
- The Roku device will now search for an update. If it finds one, it will download the update and install it right away. Make sure not to switch off the TV. On top of that, keep the internet connection stable.
How to Perform a Reset on Your Roku Device’s Internet Connection
Sometimes, your home’s Wi-Fi connection or router may be at fault too. This could be due to the ISP facing difficulties maintaining the network or another device is hogging up all your bandwidth.
One more thing you can try is reconnecting the Roku device to the Wi-Fi. If that doesn’t seem to work, you can follow the steps laid out in the following guide which will help you reset the Wi-Fi router.
- First, unplug the router from the power source.
- Wait for 30 seconds for the network to shut down.
- After that, plug it back in and wait for the Wi-Fi to restart and fire itself up again.
- Log in to the Wi-Fi using your smartphone and do a quick speed test.
- If everything is working, you can retry connecting the Roku device to the Wi-Fi.
- If the Roku device is still unable to access the internet or set up the YouTube TV app, try plugging in the Roku device via Ethernet – only Roku Ultra and Roku Ultra LT have Ethernet ports – or bringing the router closer to the TV.
- Finally, you can also open up the router’s settings using a laptop or PC and check if the MAC address of the Roku device is blocked by the router.
Other Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some other things you can look out for that might help. Although these do not fly under the radar very often, it’s best to check these as well, especially if the previous guides didn’t manage to fix your problem.
Check your YouTube account: Sometimes, when an account is deleted or blocked in an impromptu manner, the app may stop working suddenly. The app can behave erratically when trying to verify the credentials of your account. Try checking your emails for any alerts you might have missed, and also try using your phone to log into the app.
Reinstall the YouTube TV app: This is also worth a shot since the app might have started glitching after running through an unexpected incident. Try reinstalling the app on Roku and check if that solves the problem.
Switch between the YouTube TV app and the base YouTube app: You can also find out if something is wrong with your account by logging in to the normal YouTube app.
Common Questions Relating to YouTube TV Not Working on Roku Device
Why is my Roku device not loading the YouTube app?
There can be several reasons why this might happen. However, the most common issue is a network error in your home’s Wi-Fi connection or the app is buggy.
Why is the sound not working on my YouTube TV app?
It might be due to a glitch in the app or on your TV itself. Try switching everything off and on again to see where the issue lies.
Why can’t I download the YouTube app to my Roku device?
The YouTube app and the YouTube TV app are two different applications. If you are having trouble downloading any of these applications, check your account details and try downloading them again.
The Verdict
If the YouTube TV app is not working on your Roku device, there are several things you can do to resolve it. You can try resetting the Roku device, reinstalling the app, resetting the Wi-Fi, or updating the firmware.
Any of these fixes will help you solve the problem once and for all and discover why YouTube TV is not working on your Roku device.