A Roku is a great way to stream TV shows, movies, and online videos such as Youtube and Netflix to a non-smart TV. But, when some of the apps aren’t working you’ll need to do a few steps to get it working again.
One reason why none of your apps are working on your Roku TV could be due to a software glitch. To fix this issue, try restarting your Roku TV by unplugging it from the power source for a few seconds and then plugging it back in. This should resolve the issue. If the problem persists, you may need to reset your Roku TV to its factory settings. Remember to back up any important data before doing so.
In this article I’m going to look at exactly how to get your Roku working again when the apps sign out, freeze, and won’t open.
Roku Apps Not Working
All of a sudden a Roku app may stop working. It will get stuck on buffering, will display only a black screen, or nothing will happen when you select it. Here’s how to fix it.
In total there are two things you want to do. First restart your Roku device by unplugging it for 5 minutes. Then check if it’s working again. If it’s not, then test to see whether it’s only one channel or all the channels that aren’t working. Then remove and re-add a channel in the settings.
Here are the steps to remove and re-add a channel:
For Roku, a channel is the name they use for an app.
- First mouse over the channel with your remote.
- Then press the * button on your remote. That will bring up an option where you can select ‘Remove’.
- It will then prompt you to put your pin number in.
- After that it will remove the channel.
- To add the channel again from home screen select ‘Streaming Channels’ and that will bring up the list of all the streaming channels.
- Find the channel you deleted and select it to reinstall it.
An update may be stuck and is causing the error and a new install can install a clean new version of the app and can fix the previous issue. If neither of these steps fixed the problem then you should contact Roku customer support and have them help you to get it working again.
Roku Apps Keeps Closing/Signing Out
One issue you might run into with your Roku is the apps keep closing, or it signs you out of your channels all the time, sometimes as often as daily. Here’s how to fix that:
As a whole you want to restart your Roku, and remove and reinstall the channels again. If neither of those work you should contact the company that made the app. For example, if it’s Netflix you should talk to Netflix about the issue.
To restart your Roku you can select restart from the settings menu or you can unplug all the cables. You will have a cable that goes into your TV, and you will have another cable for power. This cable can either be plugged into your TV in a USB port, or plugged into a power adapter and plugged into the wall. Either way remove all of them and wait 5 minutes.
Then plug all the cables back in and turn it back on. Now try to access the apps again. Some people have said that this is because of a software update. Each time there is a software update it will ask you to sign in to the app again.
Sometimes this becomes so annoying that you may want to delete the channel and just watch your other channels. However, this issue can be fixed and if restarting your Roku the next step is to remove the channel and add it again.
To do that you move the cursor over the app, and press the * button on your Roku remote. This will bring up a list of options. Select the one that says remove this app. Then install it again from the ‘Streaming Channels’ option from the home screen.
If that still doesn’t work then it’s best to track down the company who owns the app and contact their support team. Roku doesn’t provide any support for app specific issues, and has advised to do the above steps to fix the issue. Other than that the app itself might be experiencing problems, and is being fixed.
To contact the company that made the app to ask them how to fix it, you can do a Google search for ‘company name support’. And it will bring up their contact details. For example, you can search on Google for ‘NBC support’.
Roku Apps Keeps Freezing
Some of your Roku apps may freeze from time to time and won’t open. Although Roku apps generally work fine, here’s how to fix your Roku when you get this problem:
There are two steps you want to get your Roku apps working again. Start by restarting your Roku. You can do that in the Settings from the Roku home screen. Or you can unplug your Roku. Leave it off for 5 minutes, then plug it back in again and turn it on.
After that test your apps to see if they work now. If they don’t you’ll want to remove the apps and install them again. You need to remove and re add them one by one. So, before doing that it can be a good idea to double check your internet connection is working.
If your internet is disconnected the app will be stuck trying to download the files it needs. To check your Wi-Fi is working, open a web browser like Safari or Google Chrome on another device. Such as, your smartphone or a laptop. The device should be connected to the same Wi-Fi connection that your Roku is.
If you can access the internet just fine on another device, then you’ll want to remove the apps that keep freezing.
To do that go your list of apps and move the cursor over the app. Then press the * button on your Roku remote and select ‘Remove’. That will delete the app. Then download the app again from the main menu. Under the option ‘Streaming Channels’.
That should fix all the issues. But, if it’s still not working you should contact Roku support, and the customer support team for the company that makes the app.
Roku Apps Keeps Disconnecting From TV
You Roku needs to be connected to the internet and the TV to work. A problem can come up with your internet or the cables that can cause this issue. Here’s how to fix it.
As a general rule you should restart both your Roku, and your wireless router. After that you should verify that your internet connection is working 100%. To do that you should contact your internet provider. If neither of these fix the issues there are a few more things to try.
You can see the strength of your Wireless connection in the Roku setting. To access it go to Settings and then select ‘Network’. That will bring up an information screen that shows whether your signal is Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.
If your connection is poor it means there’s something obstructing your Wi-Fi or your Wi-Fi modem is having an issue. When a modem needs to be replaced it’s common that the Wi-Fi connection will disconnect itself often. Like every 30 minutes, or every 5 minutes.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on April 16, 2021.
When that happens you’re best to replace it under warranty, or buy a brand new one. Before getting a new one, it’s a good idea to talk to your internet provider so they can identify if your modem is faulty over the phone.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on April 16, 2021.