Hey everyone! There have been reports about the YouTube TV app, which is not showing background play. Status update 10/15: This is expected behavior according to YouTube TV. For more details or help, we recommend reaching out to YouTube TV support directly. Note: Many apps on Roku are made and managed by their providers. For more details or help, we recommend reaching out to YouTube TV support directly. Thank you,Roku Community Team

Hey everyone! Status Update 10/15: This is expected behavior according to YouTube TV. For more details or help, we recommend reaching out to YouTube TV support directly. Note: We’ll be marking this thread as solved and closing it. Since many Roku apps are developed and managed by their providers, contacting YouTube TV support is your best bet for assistance. Thank you!Roku Community Team

[Waiting on Partner] Background play no longer showing on YouTube TV

72 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion

tigerhawk83
Binge Watcher
12 days ago
This may be related to the Oct 2025 update I read some other postings about, but it seems to be a different issue. On only 1 device - my ONN Roku TV - YouTube TV autoplay is not working and I've lost the bar at the top showing what channel is playing. This was working fine in September but when I came home from a 2 week trip on Oct 8, this feature was no longer working. It IS working on my Hisense Roku TV, and on my Roku Streambar. I have tried once to remove the app and reload it, that didn't help. I've tried restarting the Roku app, that didn't work. I've tried turning the whole system off at the plug - no change. I ran the Software update link last week and did get 2-3 updates but I don't know what updated, but it didn't help YouTube TV.

Any other ideas? Should I try deleting and reloading the YouTube app again? It's odd that it's only wonky on the one device, none of my others.
- RokuEmmanuel-D
  Community Moderator
  12 days ago
  Greetings! tigerhawk83
  
  We'd like to clarify the exact behavior of the app so we can take a look and investigate.
  
  Could you share a video or photo of it, if possible? If you have tried deleting/reinstalling the app, did it resolve the issue?
  
  Let us know when you can!
  
  Roku Community Team
  - tigerhawk83
    Binge Watcher
    10 days ago
    I have tried to uninstall and reinstall the YouTube app twice, it has not helped. I am only having the problem on 1 device, the ONN Roku TV. This is what I see on the Home Screen on the TV that is having problems. You can see that nothing is Autoplaying in the background despite Autoplay being turned on.
    
    This is what I see on my Hisense TV where the app IS working properly. You can see something is playing in the background, and the Autoplay program title is showing at the top of the screen. This is how YouTube TV is supposed to look with Autoplay on.
JeremyD
Reel Rookie
21 days ago
Please see this screenshot (I guess I can't post a screenshot). Because I have apparently a Roku stick with 512MB my YouTube TV and YouTube background play stopped working. Can you please just tell me which Roku stick/Express to buy so I can fix the YouTube TV and YouTube background play issues?

You guys already know about this issue. It's been broken now for a full month. Can you please help with it instead of just nuking the thread.
- Strega2
  Roku Guru
  20 days ago
  Here are some handy sites for device info:
  Wikipedia
  Roku Developer docs
  When I google this background play thing, it seems most threads are from people wanting to turn it off and being told they can't. So your old Roku might become one of those "special" Rokus that end of selling for more than their original prices on ebay. I know it sounds odd, but you do sometimes see outdated Roku's selling for much more than new ones because of some feature that was later dropped.
- RokuSuzyL
  Community Moderator
  20 days ago
  Hi there, JeremyD
  
  We noticed that you are dealing with an issue with the YouTube and YouTube TV app where the background is not playing. And sorry for the inconvenience.
  
  Quick note: Many apps that are available on Roku are being managed by their provider. To take a closer look at this issue, it would be best to contact YouTube TV support.
  
  Hope this helps! Let us know if you need more info.
  
  Roku Community Team
JeremyD
Reel Rookie
24 days ago
I see this has been talked about already. I'm so frustrated with Roku for not trying to fix this. It definitely seems they don't care. I've already cleared cache and storage, uninstalled and reinstalled both apps and unplugged and plugged in my Roku. I mean, what was Roku thinking releasing a low memory stick that can't handle an update run by YouTube? Now what happens when other streaming service apps update? We're going to keep losing features? So disappointing.
And then you guys locked the other thread. Why? It's not resolved!
- RokuHaz-M
  Community Moderator
  23 days ago
  Hi there, JeremyD
  
  We understand you're experiencing issues with YouTube TV and background playback on your Roku Stick. YouTube has confirmed this is expected behavior for 2K devices with 512MB of memory. A recent update to the YouTube TV web app disabled background play and audio features on all 512MB devices. This change affects not only Roku but also devices from other streaming hardware manufacturers.
  
  If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to reach out.
  
  Thanks!
  Roku Community Team
  - JeremyD
    Reel Rookie
    23 days ago
    Ok so the question I want to ask...if I go buy a different Roku stick how do I know for sure I'm buying one that will bring those features back on both the YouTube TV and YouTube apps? Do you know? It's worth spending $30-$40 to resolve this I just don't want to buy another Roku stick and have the same thing happen.
RokuArcelyn
Community Moderator
24 days ago
Hey everyone!

Status Update 10/15: This is expected behavior according to YouTube TV.

For more details or help, we recommend reaching out to YouTube TV support directly.

Note: We’ll be marking this thread as solved and closing it. Since many Roku apps are developed and managed by their providers, contacting YouTube TV support is your best bet for assistance.

Thank you!
Roku Community Team
Krever
Newbie
25 days ago
I am also having this issue. After being advised to buy new hardware I swapped my 2019 model with the 2025 streaming stick HD sku 3840R but it makes no difference - still no background play on YouTube TV.

Should this device be compatible with the YTTB update ram requirements?
- LindaD1953
  Binge Watcher
  25 days ago
  Roku Streaming Stick 4K - HDR & Dolby Vision Roku Streaming Device for TV with Voice Remote & Long-Range Wi-Fi - Free & Live TV
  and it resolved my issues. Amazon had it for 40% off last week so I got it for 29.99. Mine didn’t come with a small box, it had just a streaming stick that is more powerful.
falcon_406
Newbie
27 days ago
I have this same issue also.
- RokuEmmanuel-D
  Community Moderator
  27 days ago
  Hi there! falcon_406
  
  We noticed you are experiencing similar behavior with YouTube TV. Could you please provide the following info requested in this thread so we can have it forwarded to the engineering team?
  
  We'll wait for your response!
  
  Roku Community Team
Batroku
Channel Surfer
29 days ago
I have 2 Roku streaming sticks, one for the living room TV and one for the basement den. On one, the audio from the program I'm watching will continue as I look through other menus, but on the other it drops out entirely to silent. I can't figure out which setting to change to allow the audio to continue as I browse menus.
- RokuSuzyL
  Community Moderator
  28 days ago
  Welcome Batroku
  
  It looks like you're having an issue with the audio—it keeps playing even when you're navigating through the menu.
  
  Could you share what troubleshooting steps have you taken so far? Also, could you provide the model of the affected Roku Streaming Stick?
  
  In the meantime, please restart the Roku device by following these steps: Press Home > Select Settings > Select System > Power (if that option is not there, skip to the next step) > System restart. Once you're done, check if the issue still persists.
  
  For more tips, you can visit his link.
  
  Hope this helps! Let us know if you need more info.
  
  Roku Community Team
  - Batroku
    Channel Surfer
    26 days ago
    The "issue" is exactly the opposite.
    I don't want silence.
    As I said, "I can't figure out which setting to change to ALLOW the audio to continue as I browse menus."
KentHefley
Reel Rookie
31 days ago
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the problem is not with Roku. The issue is YoutubeTV has stopped fully supporting the Roku Express players. Background play and auto play have been disabled to reduce ram usage. You will also notice a flatter design interface with no transparency on the elements. The Roku Express 4K has 1 GB of memory and the regular Express models have less.

I resolved this situation by purchasing the Roku Ultra. If YoutubeTV does this again, I will simply cancel my subscription and use one of their competitors.

I'm not sure why this is still under investigation. I'm pretty sure everyone behind the scenes knows what the problem is.

https://support.google.com/youtubetv/thread/377616160/youtube-tv-app-on-roku-no-longer-playing-last-channel-while-changing-channels?hl=en
- Stevemacm
  Reel Rookie
  31 days ago
  I believe this is also a roku issue. Doesn't seem to be effecting any other entry level tv. Only roku. Like someone else mentioned, they should be putting a label on thier products stating this. If I have to buy another tv. It won't be a roku.
- LindaD1953
  Binge Watcher
  31 days ago
  When you are forced to purchase a new, more expensive Roku to continue watching the same streaming service as before, then yes the problem is with Roku (as I said all along).
  Roku is the one who benefits from this with forcing us to buy another device, not YouTube tv. They simply updated their app.
  Roku is the one who needs to make it right for customers, and put out a warning to new customers that their device won’t work with some streaming services.
  I said from the beginning the issue was with Roku Express not being powerful enough after YouTube updated their app.
  - KentHefley
    Reel Rookie
    31 days ago
    I cannot argue with that. Roku does need to do a better job future proofing their equipment. It does raise the question of whether this was done on purpose.
Hinave123
Binge Watcher
2 months ago
Thanks for the detailed info! Many users are seeing similar background play issues with YouTube TV on Roku, especially older models. While the team investigates, trying a full restart (using the Home 5 times + Back 5 times trick), updating the app, and checking for Roku software updates often helps. Hang tight—hopefully a fix is coming soon! Your patience is appreciated.
Dion13
Newbie
2 months ago
I am also having the same issue and look forward to a resolution.
- RokuEmmanuel-D
  Community Moderator
  2 months ago
  Greetings, Dion13!
  
  We understand you're experiencing issues with YouTube TV. Could you also provide the requested info above to help us investigate?
  
  Let us know when you can!
  
  Roku Community Team
  - Anit
    Channel Surfer
    2 months ago
    Same issue here, with a Roku express. When viewing the guide there is a black screen no audio in the background. There used to be the channel you were viewing in the background with audio. When hitting the back button, a black screen and the word "loading". When hitting the last channel, a black screen no audio, there used to be an arrow in a circle. When switching channels a black screen the word "loading'" no audio, there used to be an arrow in a circle. I uninstalled and reinstalled the app, restarted roku, and updated roku and youtubetv.