Hello All, I was wondering if anyone is still using a Roku 3 or is it a dead device at this point? It appears it no longer functions with YouTube... So if you are still using a Roku 3, I would love to hear from you... I am being told all my problems are due to the fact that the Roku 3 is at End of Life and should go in the trash at this point. I am glad I did not buy a TV with Roku built in. My Samsung TV is over 10 years old and still working great. Thanks again,

Hello Rey,Thank you for your help. Its good to hear the Roku 3 is still being supported. I am experiencing gray screens, freezes, and lose of audio. Mostly with the YouTube channel. It generally occurs when pushing the up, down, forward or backward buttons. And the buttons are slow to react. Restarting Roku solves the problem for a little while, But it returns when you start using those buttons again. I have a Roku Ultra in the other room and it works perfectly. I have swapped the Roku's and the problem follows the Roku 3.I have cleared the cache, performed several factory resets. I also removed the Micro SD card. I only have 27 apps/channels, so I guess I didn't even need it. Here is a quick video of the problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6tjN9dUsCsSometime the video comes back, but without any video. Several people are having the same issues. Thank you in advance for any help/suggestions you might have.

I experience the exact scenario with youtube. It's gotten so bad that resetting doesn't fix the problems, it just delays the the grey screen / crash problem for a while. It works as long as you don't navigate around too much, so I reset every time I use it then take care not to navigate the video too much, being careful to wait a moment between commands. It's a shame because many other apps still function albeit with lagging and struggles on the menu screens.Regardless, I commend roku for continuing to support this player even as it approaches obsolescence. I just ordered a newer one after reading through this thread, so the third gen will become a backup. I can't stand when manufacturers ditch a young appliance, so I am very satisfied with the many years this device ran.

CableBoy-Roku 3 was a really solid streamer when first released in 2013. Since then later models have received additional capabilities and features, and have greatly expanded installed memory. Roku 3 is still supported by Roku and is capable of running the current version of the Roku operating software. The various channel app developers, though, may not take the Roku 3's limitations in comparison with more up to date models under considerations when they update their apps.On their website YouTube only lists that they support Roku, without listing which models. YouTube TV does list specific models it supports, but there is no indication if this applies to YouTube as well as YouTube TV. At this date (April 2, 2024) Roku 3 (models 4200x and 4230x) is still on the YouTube TV list but there is no indication of when this list was last updated.In addition, YouTube is always frogging around with their code, and problems seem to come and go with great frequency.

As noted, there are two versions of the Roku 3. The 4200 has already been declared legacy by Roku, meaning it is no longer supported. The 4230 is a touch more recent (released Apr 2015) but still nine years old. I expect the 4230 will be declared legacy in the not too distant future, as it's simply been outclassed by newer hardware. Yours has 512MB of operating memory and 256MB of channel storage, both which are now too little for modern applications, and likely at least part of the issue with channels such as YouTube.The "R" at the end of your model number is simply a marker for how it was distributed. The R stands for Retail, while RW was for devices available at Walmart.

When it comes to YouTube, the problem isn't Roku. Google seems to purposely make their app unusable on older devices. I had the same issue with my original Roku 2 XS about 10 years ago. My device was only about four years old, but YouTube became impossible to use on it. Again, it was nothing Roku did, it is all on Google for the way they programmed their app. Considering the newest Roku 3 is now nine years old, I'm amazed it was still working for you this long. Google would prefer you purchase their own streaming device (Chromecast), so my personal opinion is that they intentionally make other older devices work poorly. No hard data to back that up, simply my opinion.

Roku 3 is not working with YouTube

31 Replies

RokuERey
Retired Moderator
2 years ago
Hi CableBoy,

Thanks for keeping the Roku Community posted!

We see that you're having an issue with your Roku 3 streaming device when accessing the YouTube channel.

We'd like to help and see what's going on here. Roku 3 is still being supported. Could you tell us what issue you're running into when accessing the channel? Is this an isolated case, or is this also observed with the rest of the channel on the platform? What are the troubleshooting steps you've taken and what didn't work?

Please tell us more about this so that we can take a deeper look.

Thanks,
Rey
- CableBoy
  Roku Guru
  2 years ago
  Hello Rey,
  Thank you for your help. Its good to hear the Roku 3 is still being supported.
  I am experiencing gray screens, freezes, and lose of audio. Mostly with the YouTube channel. It generally occurs when pushing the up, down, forward or backward buttons. And the buttons are slow to react. Restarting Roku solves the problem for a little while, But it returns when you start using those buttons again. I have a Roku Ultra in the other room and it works perfectly.
  I have swapped the Roku's and the problem follows the Roku 3.
  I have cleared the cache, performed several factory resets. I also removed the Micro SD card. I only have 27 apps/channels, so I guess I didn't even need it.
  Here is a quick video of the problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6tjN9dUsCs
  Sometime the video comes back, but without any video. Several people are having the same issues.
  Thank you in advance for any help/suggestions you might have.
  - pragmatic_gear
    Reel Rookie
    2 years ago
    I experience the exact scenario with youtube. It's gotten so bad that resetting doesn't fix the problems, it just delays the the grey screen / crash problem for a while. It works as long as you don't navigate around too much, so I reset every time I use it then take care not to navigate the video too much, being careful to wait a moment between commands. It's a shame because many other apps still function albeit with lagging and struggles on the menu screens.
    Regardless, I commend roku for continuing to support this player even as it approaches obsolescence. I just ordered a newer one after reading through this thread, so the third gen will become a backup. I can't stand when manufacturers ditch a young appliance, so I am very satisfied with the many years this device ran.
Techguy2024
Newbie
10 months ago
I have a Roku 3(4200R) that's about 10 years old. Recently, one night the light on the front turned off. Next morning, I tried turning on my TV and starting up the Roku. I got to the main page which shows home and all my channels. I tried moving to a channel but noticed I had to hit the home button on the remote before I could move around on the channel icons.
I tried changing the batteries in the remote, but no change or difference.
Now at this point, I am unable to move around the channel icon page at all. I tried powering it down and rebooting. The light on the front would blink a few times and then be on solid. Same thing, stuck on the main page and unable to move around.
Then after a while, the light on the front will turn off. I tried this several times with the same results.
So, is my Roku broken or should I try a hard reset?
- atc98092
  Community Streaming Expert
  10 months ago
  Techguy2024 while it's certainly possible your Roku has finally died, it also could just be the remote. One way to test it is to see if the Roku app on a phone or tablet connected to the same network can control it. If the app works, then it's probably your remote.
  However, I have to point out that a new voice remote is going to be $20-30, and a new Roku Express 4K+ is currently on sale for $30. So for roughly the same cost of a new remote you can get a new player that supports 4K/HDR and is miles newer and better performing than your 4200 (which is now more than 11 years old). My guess (and that's all it is) is that Roku will drop support for the 4200 within the next year, and an upgrade will likely be necessary at that time.
artfo
Newbie
20 days ago
Yes. YouTube works. But I suddenly can't connect to the internet. I think my Roku might have died.
- RokuRhea-V
  Community Moderator
  20 days ago
  Heyartfo,
  
  Thanks for sharing your network issue here!
  
  Could you please provide the following information?
  
  Did we recently make any changes to your network or network provider?
  
  What error message/code are you getting after trying to connect to your network? (after entering the network credentials)
  
  Do you have cellular data so we can try connecting your device to your hotspot?
  
  I await your response!
  
  Thanks,
  Roku Community Team
- smulla
  Reel Rookie
  20 days ago
  Sometimes I had issues like this. When I do it is most likely my router is blinking and not working or the Roku is overheating. Usually I go to settings then system and then system restart usually that helps. Is it hardwired or are you using Wi-Fi. If it is Wi-Fi use your cell phone as a hotspot and see if you can connect that way. The few times I had issues like this and nothing worked I did a factory reset, but first do a soft or hard reset and good luck

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Roku 3 is not working with YouTube

31 Replies

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