Forum Discussion

RokuMaryEF's avatar
RokuMaryEF
Community Moderator
5 months ago

[Under investigation] Can't Update Software - Error 004

Hey everyone,

We’re aware some of you are getting the "Can't update software. Please try again later" message with error 004.

Status Update 4.07: Our team is working on it, and we expect it to be resolved soon. We don’t have an exact timeline yet, but we’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime, if you need immediate access, a factory reset will fix the issue. Please note, it may take up to 20 minutes per device to complete.

Thanks again for your understanding!
Roku Community Team

153 Replies

  • I was having this issue, couldn’t update. Now my Roku is stuck on the purple screen/bouncing logo. Have tried unplugging, using a different HDMI port, using a different tv, and factory reset. 
    please help- feeling super frustrated that I’m paying for premium channels that I’m not able to watch for several weeks now 

    even after factory reset I get bouncing logo, no joy. 

    • Portalogem's avatar
      Portalogem
      Roku Guru

      I left this reply for LHernandez33, but in the event you didn't see it due to this new thread format, here's the link, and if this works for you, you or anyone else can re-post this link to others having this issue
      https://community.roku.com/discussions/Known-issues/under-investigation-cant-update-software---error-004/1057216/replies/1078157

  • I did a factory reset as I had tried everything else including going to the secret menu and cycling the server. Nothing worked.

    did a factory reset. Connected to my network correctly and it immediately said update available. Now your TV will get the latest software. Once the update is installed it will immediately restart. 
    the only option is to select ok. It starts to do the update and gets to 1% and says can’t update software. Please try again later. Error code 004. Now I can’t do anything with the TV. I can’t connect to the network to watch tv, nothing. 

    • Portalogem's avatar
      Portalogem
      Roku Guru

      Let me know if this works for you as I may create a new post to show how I resolved this since my solution replies just get lost or truncated in this new thread format:

      A) Clear the Cache which will restart your Roku TV/device
      With your remote at the home screen:
      1) Press "Home" button 5x
      2) Press "Up" button 1x ("^")
      3) Press "Rewind" button twice "<<"
      4) Press "Fast Forward" button twice ">>"
      5) Wait and Roku will restart

      B) Manually update Roku (if the Roku TV/device doesn't show the update popup)
      1) Go to Settings/System/Software update and either tap okay or scroll right
      2) Select "Check Now"
      Try to perform the OS update. If it fails then repeat steps A) and B) again

      Still fails? 
      C) Go to the secret menu:
      With your remote at the home screen:
      1) press the home button 5x
      2) press the fast forward button 3x ">>"
      3) press the rewind button 2x "<<"
      4) Once in the secret menu, scroll down to "Update software"
      5) The Roku will appear to update and then the "Update software" button will gray out
      6) Scroll down to "Cancel" -- everything may go blank. Just be patient as the OS should then restart. (This happened to me, but it might not happen to you.)
      7) If you see the update screen then proceed. If, instead, you're back at the home screen, then repeat B) and proceed to update that way. If you're still not able to update, then try again because it might work the second time. 

      Here is the link to this post, so if this works for you, just copy the link and share it with anyone else who needs to resolve this:
      https://community.roku.com/discussions/Known-issues/under-investigation-cant-update-software---error-004/1057216/replies/1078157

      • Linfreud's avatar
        Linfreud
        Binge Watcher

        Thanks for these suggestions. Unfortunately none worked despite trying each one multiple times. I was super careful about following your instructions and was hopeful but still no luck. Thanks for sharing though, glad it worked for you. 

  • I just wanted to share a link to a reply I just made in this thread, which explains how I resolved this issue with my Roku devices since unfortunately with this new thread format, all my prior replies have been truncated and the solutions contained in them aren't showing up. If this resolves your issue, then copy the link and share it with anyone still having this problem. Perhaps I'll create a separate post on how I resolved this issue since people keep having it, but before I do that, I have to know if this solution works on various Roku devices and TVs when a factory reset fails. There is no need for a factory reset anyhow if this solution resolves this:
    You can click here to go directly to my reply post, or copy the link here:
    https://community.roku.com/discussions/Known-issues/under-investigation-cant-update-software---error-004/1057216/replies/1078157 

  • Absolutely useless, no matter how many times on different methods provided by Roku or victims on this forum, couldn't completed a software update.

    Roku is a scam?

    • Portalogem's avatar
      Portalogem
      Roku Guru

      This is an unfortunate problem with any electric device you purchase, but that doesn't make the company a scam if others who purchased their products aren't being scammed. My Roku devices are currently working just fine after I paid a one-time, purchasing fee, and I was able to resolve this update issue with them.

      Assuming your issue is with a Roku smart TV since others on this thread are still having this OS update error with these devices, the only thing I could think of to recommend if it's not your network, is to remove anything attached to your TV including the sound bar, unplug the TV for a few minutes, and after letting the Roku OS reload, try to update it. Sometimes it can take several attempts to perform these workarounds to finally get the Roku to update.

      Hopefully, Roku will soon resolve this issue with its smart TVs if no workarounds including a factory reset works for these TV models.

      However, since the OS on your smart TV is not functioning, and if you can't do anything to get it to work, then see if you can return it for a full refund unless you're past the time frame to do this. If your TV is under warranty, you should see if you have the option to exchange it for a different model. You can always purchase a Roku device and attach it to your non-Roku Smart TV if you like the Roku OS versus the OS that comes with that smart TV. If your TV is passed the warranty date, then unfortunately it's like any other device that buggers out after the warranty expires. But keep trying the workarounds that worked for me and others and, hopefully, you can get this resolved. But continuing to ask the community if you were scammed doesn't solve anything. 

  • I have 4 TV's that are subscribed to Roku TV.  Only one is a Roku-branded TV (it does not have Roku premium or the regular USB hookup) and it is the only one that can not process the update.  I may stay with Roku but i am not buying another Roku-branded TV.

    • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
      RokuEmmanuel-D
      Community Moderator

      Thanks for reporting, cbullock14​!

      We noticed that you're also experiencing trouble updating your Roku TV.

      Have you tried doing the workaround suggested in this thread? Also, can you share a photo of the specific error code that you're seeing on the screen?

      We'll wait for your response!

      Roku Community Team

    • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
      RokuEmmanuel-D
      Community Moderator

      Hey, TRY-18665588617​.

      We'd like to know if you're also experiencing the same issues so we can help out!

      Can you share more about your concern so we can look into it?

      We'll wait for your response!

      Roku 

  • Jerzeyguy's avatar
    Jerzeyguy
    Channel Surfer

    I have a 55 " TCL ROKU smart tv (manufactured 2021). couple years ago, I woke up and the start up was all screwy, I fixed it so the basic menu came up, but my APPS were all gone.  I had checked the WIFI, I had to reconnect, then it said it needed to check for updates.. then came back and said it could not dowload, and to try again later.. Over the next 1-2 years, I would try, and always had to reconnect to WIFI, and it would try the download, and same response every time.  I moved two months ago to new state, the tv was unplugged for over a month, and I have a new Internet service company, started it up, connected to new WIFI, and same response, try again, could not download updates.  I have tried the Remote control reset as well.

    Any ideas?? thank you.

    • RokuJohnB's avatar
      RokuJohnB
      Community Moderator

      Hey there, Jerzeyguy​!

      We want to gather more details regarding this problem that you had with your Roku TV. Can you please tell us what error messages or codes you are getting?

      Check out this support article here.

      Looking forward to your response.

      Roku Community Team

      • Jerzeyguy's avatar
        Jerzeyguy
        Channel Surfer

        Oh, And I received the email notification today (8/30/25) that someone replied to my question/problem. and you replied 2 months ago? why did it take so long to get a notification?

    • ThisishT's avatar
      ThisishT
      Streaming Star

      Roku on all level of devices are becoming more and more problematic!

    • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
      RokuEmmanuel-D
      Community Moderator

      Hey, jamesallen8330​!

      Are you also experiencing the issue? If so, can you please share the exact behavior you have so we can look further?

      We hope to hear from you soon!

      Roku Community Team

    • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
      RokuEmmanuel-D
      Community Moderator

      Greetings, Jerzeyguy​!

      It seems like you're also experiencing the issue. Can you please try connecting your Roku device to a mobile hotspot and see if that helps? 

      If the issue persists, we may need your device details so we can further investigate.

      • Roku device model, Device ID, Serial Number, and Software version (It can be found in Settings > System > About)
      • Tracker ID (Press Home five times, then press Back button five times when the issue occurs)


      Let us know when you can!

      Roku Community Team

      • Jerzeyguy's avatar
        Jerzeyguy
        Channel Surfer

        Why do you need all this info, I see that numerous ppl are having this issue, what did you do to solve it?