Features, settings & updates

[twchristian]

We have a Roku Ultra model 4802X that has recently fallen prey to the slow app loading malady that so many others have experienced. Actually, slow doesn't quite capture it: the Roku device hangs forever showing that the app is "loading"; it just never finishes, at least in the length of time that we've been willing to wait.

SW Version: 125.5.5, Build 4174C2

Device ID: 50DA227LHP2M

So far, disconnecting power and restarting the Roku device seems to fix the problem temporarily. After restarting the device, the selected app loads quickly. Problem solved. So far. Is there any hope for a permanent fix?

[RokuCarly]

We're grateful to have you here in the Roku Community, @twchristian!

Thank you for raising your concern here with us and we'd be more than happy to find you the best resolution regarding the playback issues you've been experiencing on your Roku Ultra. 

Before we proceed, may we know on which specific apps this usually happens? If so, please specify so we can offer some troubleshooting methods.

We can also suggest trying to check for software updates on your Roku Ultra by navigating to your Home screen. Scroll and select Settings > System > Software update > Check Now. If there is an available update, please do so and let us see if this will make any difference.

Please let us know how it goes and we'll continue assisting you from there. 

Best regards,
Carly

[twchristian]

Carly,

Thank you for your response.

My Roku Ultra last checked for updates on 1/25/2024 (yesterday). It last performed an update on 1/11/2024. I checked manually for updates today; all software was reported to be up-to-date.

We have seen loading failures most frequently -- possibly exclusively, but I'm not certain about that -- with the SiriusXM app.

Over to you!

[RokuJanadeeK]

Thanks for the response, @twchristian.

We're happy to continue assisting.

When accessing these channels, are you experiencing a kickback to your home screen? How about an error message? Could you try the following steps to resolve the issue?

• Remove the channel >> Restart the device >> Add channel.
• Restart router
• Connect your device to a mobile hotspot just to check for differences in the streaming experience.

Additionally, you can reach out to the channel provider just to inquire if there's an ongoing issue with the abovementioned channels.

Please let us know what you find out.

Regards,
Janadee

[twchristian]

Janadee,

Thank you for your response.

There's no kickback to the home screen and no error messages. There's nothing, just an interminable attempt to load the app.

I just did try removing and re-installing the channel. Since re-installing there has been no failure to load (it doesn't happen every time), but I did lose my favorites and library with SiriusXM. I'm working to recover those now. It's too soon to say if re-installing has had any positive effect.

Please note that when the channel works, it works perfectly; it just sometimes fails to load. That's also true for everything else that we stream. I just ran a speed test and we have 181 Mbps down and 31 Mbps up. We have fiber to our neighborhood, and our Roku is hard-wired to our internal Gigabit Ethernet. We've never had a speed-related problem with anything. Restarting our router really wouldn't help.

[twchristian]

I have an UPDATE:

Re-loading the SiriusXM app may or may not have solved the non-loading problem. I suspect not because of what happened afterwards.

SiriusXM is still not able to load my favorites or library, responding with the following error message: "We're experiencing some technical difficulties. Settings, Recent and Favorites, Artist radio are currently unavailable." 

This begs a question: When an app is loaded via Roku --  hypothetically, let's say the SiriusXM app -- is it downloaded from a Roku server or a SiriusXM server?

Obviously, I'm going to ping SiriusXM with all of the preceding information. I'll let you know what I find out.

[jontalk]

@twchristianOut of curiosity, can I assume you're on WiFi since you haven't stated the connection type? And if so, have you tried using a network review app like WiFi Analyzer for Android or something similar if you have an iPhone? Band congestion can cause throughput issues if there are lots nearby neighbors using the same channel, so switching to one that's lest congested might help 🙂

[twchristian]

Jonathan,

My connection type was mentioned... Oh, back about a thousand characters or so.  😉

My Roku Ultra is hardwired to our internal Gigabit Ethernet. We have fiber to our neighborhood, with copper for about the last 200 meters. Performance has never been an issue. When SiriusXM decides to load, it's almost instantaneous; it's just that it doesn't always decide to load.

As promised in a previous post, I did contact SiriusXM support. After getting past their chatbot, a human suggested all the things that were previously suggested here. I was told to contact their tech support via telephone during the week. 

I didn't start seeing error messages from SiriusXM until I removed and re-installed the app. Now, I have to login every time I start it, and my favorites and library won't load. It's looking increasingly likely that the problem is on their end. I'm still waiting to find out whose server is used to load the app, but I know where my money would be.

[renojim]

@twchristian, it depends on what you mean by "whose server is used to load the app".  The code for all apps is hosted on Roku's servers, but once it's downloaded to your device it stays there (unless it's removed to make room for another app) and Roku is pretty much out of the picture.  Once you launch the app, it's all Sirius except possibly for communication with the Channel Store for things like subscription/purchase status if they used "Roku Pay".

[twchristian]

Thank you! That's the information that I needed.

This might be a Roku problem after all.  Something is happening to disrupt the loading process so that it never completes. I have no knowledge of how Roku has implemented the loading process but if the server is waiting for a packet acknowledgment that it's not getting, I would expect it to time out eventually and re-send the packet.

Cycling power to the Roku box clearly restarts the loading process from the beginning. So far, I haven't found a way to abort and restart the loading process without cycling power, though that would be interesting to try.