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Rickster22's avatar
Rickster22
Reel Rookie
11 months ago
Solved

[SOLVED] YouTube app constant buffering

Great thread! I just started experiencing this buffering problem out of the blue today. I tried all of the suggestions, including removing the YouTube app and rebooting the Roku, but it had no effect. I spent the whole day pissing around on this. I finally got to the part of the thread where someone notes that they are YouTube premium users, and that the buffering issue goes away when they log in as guest. I am seeing exactly the same thing.

To add another piece of info, if I go to a live stream content rather than an uploaded content, it seems to work fine with no buffering. My theory is that the difference is that there are not any commercials Inserted into live streams.

I am now almost sure that the issue is that Google has a problem at the point where it would insert a commercial.  if the user is a premium account,  so it should not show any adds, it is getting mixed up. And hanging.

Using the YouTube nerd tool, you can see the buffer holding steady, and then all of a sudden it starts going down. After 30 seconds or a minute, the buffer gets to the empty point, and then it just hangs.

The weird thing is that it started out of the blue. As far as I can see neither YouTube or Roku have been updated in the last few days...so I don't understand why this just started.

App playback
  • RokuTakashi's avatar
    RokuTakashi
    11 months ago

    Hi, Community users.

    Thanks for reporting the issue you have encountered with the YouTube app.

    We believe that Google has fixed the buffering, lagging, and freezing issues with the YouTube app. We encourage you to try accessing and streaming the app again.

    If you are still experiencing the same problem, please inform us, and we will continue to assist you.

    Best wishes,
    Kash

  • LadyshipErin's avatar
    LadyshipErin
    Reel Rookie
    11 months ago

    For the past two days when I try and watch YouTube on my Roku device only, the videos are buffering so bad they are unwatchable. I have done all the steps, deleted app, restarted Roku, reinstall app, and it is still a problem. 

    • mdmbrad's avatar
      mdmbrad
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      I am having the exact same issue for the last two days. Only on my tree Roku's  no problem on PC's or tablets connected to the same WIFI network. Prior to this I have never had any issues for over five years.

      • Maxters's avatar
        Maxters
        Reel Rookie
        11 months ago

        Yup same problem on RokuTV, watching the stats it seems to stop pulling the video then the buffer runs out..  

        I've had it both continue with sound but pause the video with circle buffering and,

        most commonly it just stops, sound and video.  Started a 6/14/24 for me.. 

        I've changed every setting.  Playback quality and more..

    • Moonfox01's avatar
      Moonfox01
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      Mine is the same 😞 my videos will play and the YouTube app will load like normal for maybe a few minutes and then begins buffering endlessly. I have checked for updates. Uninstalled and reinstalled, the YouTube app and turned off, unplugged, and redid my tv, and nothing fixes it. It’s been going on a full 24 hours now. I am getting tired of it. Nothing I am doing is working and the app is still up to date. Connection is fine, and everything else on my Roku even Hulu and Disney are working just fine. Need help. 😞

      • SANDPOINT's avatar
        SANDPOINT
        Newbie
        11 months ago

        Same here.  I can watch on phone and computer,  but not ROku.  But all other programs are fine

    • Dogfacemarc's avatar
      Dogfacemarc
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      I have the same issue, but only one youtube account, it works fine on guest account or other accounts.  I have deleted, restarted, totally reset the Roku, nothing worked.  I have deleted all history and info from the YouTube and Google account.  I also have a second Roku, and that account has issue on it as well.  Does your Roku work on the guest account?

  • Lisagreyes's avatar
    Lisagreyes
    Binge Watcher
    11 months ago

    Suddenly youtube is lagging every few seconds and freezes.  Sometimes it starts to play again if I advance a frame or two using the remote but not often.

    I have tried uninstaĺling the youtube app, restarting my roku device, and re-installing youtube app.  No success.

    I turned off 1-touch in settings but it did not help.

     

    My internet connection is excellent and i restarted my router.

    Please assist me.

    Thanks

    support1  support 

    • bax's avatar
      bax
      Newbie
      11 months ago

      I’ve got the same problem. I guess it’s because of the recent update or something.

      • c0ff33g33k's avatar
        c0ff33g33k
        Reel Rookie
        11 months ago

        YouTube only plays when I bump the resolution down below 720p… definitely something on their end. Videos freeze but the voice keeps playing… buffers until the picture freezes

    • Condottiero0079's avatar
      Condottiero0079
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      Mine is set to auto and shouldn't have problems viewing 720p and up, but have been experiencing the same problem since yesterday. Lowering quality to 480p or lower seemed to help at first, but encountered the same issue. Have uninstalled and reinstalled the app and restarted each time, but nothing works.

      • Lisagreyes's avatar
        Lisagreyes
        Binge Watcher
        11 months ago

        Please send feedback to YT.  I hope they receive everyone's complaints or support tickets.  Please let me know if you find a way to resolve it.

  • ebbflo's avatar
    ebbflo
    Reel Rookie
    11 months ago

    I am experiencing this same issue as described. Live streams work fine and signed in as guest work well.

    I have tried all standard remedies with no luck too. Hopefully it is fixed soon.

    I'm glad it is at least a reported problem.

    • Mpiatt's avatar
      Mpiatt
      Channel Surfer
      11 months ago

      Caution. As near as I can tell, the last time this was reported (and resolved) was December 2023.

      I think this is a new problem, with newer apps. I haven’t had any issues since December. You may not want to consider this reported until a Roku representative weighs in.

      • Albezzy's avatar
        Albezzy
        Newbie
        11 months ago

        I also am Experiencing the same situation on the free version. It works fine. I can't stand the commercials, so I have a premium account when I log into my account. It starts to buffer even when I stream from my phone. Android?

        Been at it

        For a few hours this morning and realize that it's  When you sign in I master reset tv and  app and stream from my phone still buffering 

    • Scramblicon's avatar
      Scramblicon
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      Me too.  Same buffering on Youtube premium.  I did the uninstall / reinstall Youtube.  Reset everything and re-logged in with everything and it still does it.  I even put my router next to the Roku, no changes and my PC and phone work with no problems.

  • Rickster22's avatar
    Rickster22
    Reel Rookie
    11 months ago

    Actually, I just looked at the YouTube app, and it doesn't tell me when it was updated, but the version number is web_20240612_12_RC00, which implies it was either built or distributed on June 12, which is only 2 days ago...so it may well have been updated just before this problem started. Hopefully they fix it quickly. It is ironic that being a paid user is what is destroying the user experience!  I certainly am not going to continue paying for a broken app, especially if the only way to fix it is to stop paying!

  • ChristineA's avatar
    ChristineA
    Newbie
    11 months ago

    It was literally working fine half the day yesterday and then out of nowhere, every video I play will buffer until I exit the app. Yes I checked my network connection,  yes I did a hard reset, yes I Uninstalled and reinstalled the app and checked for updates. I've done literally everything and it still does this. I even connected my phone to the TV and tried youtube that way and....nothing. Every roku tv in my home has some kind of issue and it's ridiculous. I just want this fixed. I am wasting money on these awful tvs. Help please. 

    • Scramblicon's avatar
      Scramblicon
      Reel Rookie
      11 months ago

      Yep - Amazon prime working flawlessly.  Maybe Youtube problem except Youtube premium is working fine on my PC.

  • Azucena's avatar
    Azucena
    Newbie
    2 years ago

    Hey there, it's been smooth sailing with YouTube on my TV until yesterday when I wanted to use it. Oddly, I got a message saying I didn't have an internet connection, even though everything seemed fine. I tried reinstalling the app, but now I can't seem to get it back. Any help with fixing this issue would be greatly appreciated!

    • RokuElmer-H's avatar
      RokuElmer-H
      Community Moderator
      2 years ago

      Hi, Azucena!

      Welcome to the Roku Community!

      We appreciate you reaching out to us about the trouble you've been experiencing accessing your YouTube channel. We are fully aware of the issue and have been active since yesterday.

      We are glad to inform you that the issue you reported has been resolved successfully. We kindly invite you to attempt the task again by following these troubleshooting steps: Press the Home button, go to Settings, select System, choose System restart, and then hit Restart.

      Kindly let us know if these troubleshooting steps have made any difference to your concern.

      Sincerely,
      Elmer

      • mrstucker's avatar
        mrstucker
        Reel Rookie
        11 months ago

        Hello,

        I have a ONN. Roku TV from Walmart and for the past couple days I have been trying to use YouTube but it will play for like 30 seconds to a minute and the glitch and then a spinning circle will appear and the video will stop loading. I have called my Internet provider and run all the test and that's fine. Even other apps work on the TV and YouTube even works on my phone. I am trying to do what you said here but I don't have that settings on my tv. I'm am super frustrated and so it my family. Any help would help.

  • wright8947's avatar
    wright8947
    Newbie
    12 months ago

    Having issues with the Youtube app specifically the live cams on youtube, they play fine on LG tv but have started freezing and won't play on my roku. I have done a reset, cleared cached, turned tv off and back on, reset internet, nothing. Any suggestions?

  • JoelM's avatar
    JoelM
    Newbie
    11 months ago

    Hi I’m having trouble with YouTube on my Hisense Roku TY. It keeps buffering. I restarted my internet. I removed the app and restarted the TV then reinstalled the app back same problem. I tried everything and it’s still buffering. Can you please help