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mrdctaylor's avatar
mrdctaylor
Streaming Star
6 months ago

Getting a “Loading…” screen on some apps for a couple of seconds each time when launching on Ultras

Is anyone else seeing this behavior? It only happens with some apps.  I’m seeing this on my Roku Ultras. I have 3 Ultras and I am seeing it on all of them. This particular Roku is a 4660X.   I just started noticing this in the last couple of days. It just updated to 14.1.4.7709 and it is still doing it.  Essentially, on certain apps it shows "Loading...." for 2-3 seconds before actually launching the app.  It isn't downloading the app and the app doesn't need an update. 

In short, I think it is because it is loading some apps from the MicroSD Card.  I know it uses those cards to offload apps/increase storage.  But on this Roku I use YouTube TV daily and it is doing it every time.  I would think that Rokus would be smart enough to put commonly used apps on the internal memory.  Has this changed?  Or has loading apps from the memory card just gotten slower in a recent update causing this screen to pop up?   I have tested my theory by popping out the memory card.  At that point, it had to actually download YouTube TV.  Then it started loading immediately even when I put the MicroSD card back in.  But sometime over the past week it has started showing the loading screen again (which I assume means it offloaded the app onto the memory card). 

Anyway, these are all just (somewhat educated) guesses on my part.   I'm hoping Roku engineers will see this and fix it.  Thanks!

app playback

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  • JWS9518's avatar
    JWS9518
    Roku Guru
    6 months ago

    If your device has an external SD card, it is possible that the memory card is going bad.  Depending on the brand of card and wear and tear they get form use, they tend to last about 5 years before getting corrupt and failing.  It might be time to replace the card.

    • mrdctaylor's avatar
      mrdctaylor
      Streaming Star
      6 months ago

      Thanks for the comment.  I guess it is possible.  But I don't think it likely for this reason: One of my Ultras (a 4670X) and its memory card were purchased a year or two after the others, and they all started displaying this symptom at the same time sometime within the last month or two.  So it seems like an update caused this.  Also worth noting, different apps are affected.  For example, in my living room I get it on YouTubeTV, but in the bedroom I get it on Prime Video.

      • JWS9518's avatar
        JWS9518
        Roku Guru
        6 months ago

        It is possible that there is something quirky going on with the OS and an update, but if you have a spare card that hasn't been used, you could always try that and see if it works.

        If you haven't yet, try a system restart or unplug the Roku's for 30 to 60 seconds to clear out the cache completely and see if that helps as well.