Roku will fix freezing issues from latest update, YouTube TV having issues on other platforms [U]

Ben Schoon | Nov 23 2021 - 7:15 am PT

YouTube TV has been in a weird spot on Roku for the past few months, with the app being removed from the store and only functional for current users. Now, we might be seeing some side effects of that as the latest Roku update seems to have broken YouTube TV, causing the service to freeze.

This article has been updated to reflect Roku’s response and more information.

Users on Roku’s forums say that the latest Roku update has caused problems on the YouTube TV app, causing playback to regularly freeze every few minutes or even more often. The issue appears to affect both Roku players and Roku TVs from manufacturers such as TCL and Hisense.

The exact cause for this problem is unclear, but a common thread throughout appears to be a recent Roku OS update that hit devices in the past week or so. It was only on Friday, November 19 that users started reporting this behavior en masse. However, it could easily be a problem on Google’s end as well.

Google says on Twitter that it is working on a fix for this problem (h/t Review Geek).

Sorry to hear about this – just to clarify, are you having this issue on Roku? If yes, we're already aware of this issue, and our team is currently working on a fix. We'll let you know as soon as we receive an update. Let us know if it's something different.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) November 20, 2021

Update 11/23: Roku has confirmed issues with Roku OS 10.5 causing freezing issues, with the company claiming these issues are mainly affecting older streaming boxes and TVs.

A small portion of users that have certain older Roku TV models or older Roku Ultra players are experiencing issues with the latest firmware update, OS 10.5.

Roku recommends that affected users check for a system update on their device.

Meanwhile, the YouTube TV freezing issues appear to be affecting more than just Roku. Some intermittent user reports claim the issue is affecting other smart TV platforms including Apple TV, Fire TV, consoles, even Android TV. In a tweet, YouTube confirms it is aware of these issues.

Update 11/24: In a statement sent to 9to5Google, Roku adds.

We are aware of the YouTube TV issue occurring on Roku devices as well as other streaming platforms and all teams are working diligently to resolve the issue

A common troubleshooting step for issues such as this would be to remove the YouTube TV channel from the Roku device and then reinstall it, but that’s not available as it stands today. Roku and YouTube are still feuding, which has left the YouTube TV app unavailable on the Roku Channel Store for months, with Google inserting a clever workaround in the standard YouTube app to keep the service available to new and old users. However, the standard YouTube app is due to be removed from Roku as of next month.

It’s unclear if the fix for this YouTube TV freeze issue needs to come from Google or from Roku. If the former, it may prove difficult if the fix requires a full app update, since the app is no longer in the Channel Store. In any case, we hope to see this issue patched up soon.