YouTube has announced it no longer supports older Apple TV devices. Although it works on your latest Apple TV models, sometimes, you may experience YouTube screen freezing and playback issues. For instance, you may encounter a black screen or random audio playing from previous clips.
Generally, such an error arises due to the poor network. However, the software side of things like corrupted cache, outdated app or device firmware can also cause the problem.
How to Fix YouTube Not Working on Apple TV
Check Your Apple TV Version
Your Apple TV device must be 4th generation or later for streaming the YouTube app. Therefore, the first thing you can do is check if your device is the latest version or not. If you know your device generation and it supports YouTube, you can move on to the next fix.
In case you do not know your Apple TV generation, go through the steps to find out.
- From the Home screen, launch Settings.
- Choose General.
- Select About.
- Now, see the Model number lookup on Apple’s official site.
Reboot Apple TV
You can reboot your Apple TV if your YouTube app is not responding. If too many heavy applications are running in the background, your system will start glitching. So rebooting your device should solve the problem. You can restart from the System menu.
- Launch Settings.
- Click on System.
- Choose Restart.
Check Network Status and Reconnect if Needed
A weak internet connection is often the primary cause of YouTube video buffering and stuck screens. For streaming HD videos, your internet must have sustained speed. So, you can check the network signal of your Apple TV.
If the signal is poor, you can try reconnecting to the Wi-Fi again. But before reconnecting, you can relocate your Wi-Fi router near your Apple TV device for an improved connection.
- Firstly Reboot your Wi-Fi router.
- Go to Settings > Network.
- Select Wi-Fi.
- If the router has established a connection fully, it must appear on your Wi-Fi network lists.
- Click on your current Wi-Fi network and choose Forget Network.
- Again, from the Network screen, go to Wi-Fi.
- Select your Wi-Fi to connect to and fill in the Password box.
- To confirm, click on Submit.
Turn off Match Content
Turning on Match Dynamic Range and Match Frame Rate on Apple TV will automatically switch the video formats to match the contents. So when it is changing formats, you will get a blank screen while streaming YouTube. Therefore you can turn off this feature from the device settings to solve the problem. This fix has worked for several users.
- From the Apple TV Home screen, launch Settings.
- Choose Video and Audio.
- Under Video, click on Match Content.
- Highlight Match Dynamic Range and set it Off.
- Again, on Match Content Screen, click on Match Frame Rate and set it Off.
Update YouTube
YouTube app bugs on the new updates might be the reason it stopped working. Users mostly encountered a black screen while playing a video. So if it’s an issue on their side, you can patiently wait for the new software release. The team will most likely release fixes on the latest version. So, you can check for updates on the App Store.
- Navigate to App Store from the main screen
- On the Search bar, type YouTube using your remote
- Click on the Application for more details
- If there’s an Update button, click on it.
Reinstall YouTube App
If your YouTube cache data gets corrupted, the app will start lagging and glitching. You will also encounter more problems, such as a black screen when you do not clear it. On Apple TV, you cannot find the clear cache option. However, you can delete the app to get rid of it. Then, you can install it again and start using it from the beginning.
- Highlight the YouTube application on your Home screen.
- Now, hold down the Touch surface or Clickpad on the remote until the app starts to wiggle.
- For Options menu, press the Play/Pause remote button.
- Pick Delete.
- Again, click on Delete to Confirm.
- Restart your Apple TV.
- Now, look for YouTube on the App Store and install the application.
- Launch YouTube and try using it to see if it works.
Check for Firmware Updates
Sometimes software issues on your device might interfere with streaming YouTube on your Apple TV. This can arise if you are still using an out-of-date software version. Simply downloading and installing the latest software version should fix the issue. Moreover, we recommend you check for updates more often for better performance.
- Launch Settings.
- Choose System > Software Updates.
- Click on Update Software.
- Choose Download and Install. It will start downloading the update and restart when completed.
Factory Reset Apple TV
If performing software updates does not solve the issue, you can reset your Apple TV to factory defaults. Since resetting will erase everything, your device might no longer have software issues. You can set it up from scratch and use it.
- Open Settings.
- Navigate to the System menu.
- Under Maintenance, choose Reset
- Pick Reset or Reset and Update.
Contact Apple TV support
Contacting Apple TV support is the last resort for solving YouTube not working issue. There might be a serious cause that requires technical support. You can report the error to the team and also notify the fixes you have already tried.
