Being able to use YouTube through Roku allows users to access this app and its content from a screen much bigger than that of their smartphones, tablets, or even computers. This offers an ease for use with YouTube, but when it will not play or open, what can you do?
If Roku YouTube is not playing or opening, reset your network, disconnect any unused devices from your network, see if YouTube servers are down, update YouTube, uninstall and reinstall the app, delete any unused application within Roku, or update Roku.
Roku gives users the ability to not only access hundreds of free apps within the digital media player, but it also allows people to download a wide variety of other applications to customize their TV experience and tailor it exactly to their individual wants. One of these applications is YouTube, and with its expansive content list, users may be rather peeved when they find it will not play or open on Roku. Read below to find how to get YouTube working again.
Roku Won’t Play YouTube
Through the interface of Roku, users are able to find and download YouTube to this device when their TVs either do not support the application, or they want all of their download apps in one, easily accessed spot. YouTube is able to play any video or music with a simple search and the press of a play button, but if you get to a video and notice that it refuses to play, what could be causing the problem? Take a look below to find the fix.
If Roku won’t play YouTube, this could actually be a problem with your network rather than the app or Roku. To see if your network is the cause of the problem, test your network strength online and see if other devices are running fine on it. If they are not, a reset should be done.
To reset your network, unplug your modem or router directly from the power source and allow it to sit for at least 60 seconds. Once the 60 seconds have passed, you will plug either back into the power source and allow it to reboot without any interference. Once it has rebooted, turn your TV back on, go to YouTube through Roku, and see if you are able to play a video without issue. If the video plays, your network issue has been resolved.
If this does not work, try disconnecting any devices from your network that are not in use. If you have any phones, computers, tablets, gaming systems, or other devices running on the same network, it can cause your network channels to become bogged down with too much traffic, which will result in a slowed internet speed. When this happens, it can affect YouTube by keeping the app from playing.
Roku YouTube Not Loading
When opening YouTube within Roku, there is usually a very short time period in which the app takes a moment to connect to the network, which will cause it to have a period of loading. This typically takes only a few seconds, maybe a bit longer if you have a network that is being heavily used, however, if you notice that YouTube is not loading and will buffer endlessly, there is certainly a need for a solution,
If Roku YouTube is not loading, check to see if something is not working properly on YouTube’s end. YouTube is an online platform, therefore, if their servers are down or are experiencing a problem, the app may have trouble loading and will need time for a resolution to kick in.
To check YouTubes servers, you can visit websites such as Downdetector, which will immediately tell you if anything is going awry within their platform and will display YouTubes current status. You can also visit YouTube’s Twitter page to see if any new alerts have come out that may notify you quicker than a website. If you notice there is a problem, wait a few hours before moving forward with other troubleshooting methods.
If you notice that there are no server issues with YouTube, the problem may be coming from your network. It was previously discussed how to reset your network in “Roku Won’t Play YouTube,” therefore, visit this section to see just what you need to do to reset your network and have an internet speed that will allow for quick and complete loading.
Roku YouTube Not Opening
If you are able to download and install YouTube without issue, you should then be able to go straight to the app, click on its icon, and open it with ease. However, some Roku users have reported that even though YouTube is available for them on Roku, they are not able to open it, leaving them restricted to the content within this application. If you are able to find YouTube within Roku, but are not able to open it, read below to find a few different solutions.
If Roku YouTube is not opening, it may be that the application needs to be updated. To update YouTube within Roku, press the ‘Home’ button on your remote and click on ‘Settings’ > ‘System’ > ‘System Update’ > ‘Check Now’ > then commence with the update if available.
If you notice that the app is already updated, try installing and reinstalling YouTube. To do this, click on ‘YouTube’ from your home screen, press the (*) button on your remote, then select ‘Remove Channel.’ To reinstall YouTube, press ‘Home’ > ‘Streaming Channels’ > ‘Search Channels’ and put in ‘YouTube’ > then select ‘Go to Channel’ to download and install the application.
Roku YouTube Black/Blank Screen
There are plenty of videos on YouTube that simply require the sense of hearing to be able to enjoy, but if you are looking to watch a video within this application, it is rather important to be able to see the content. If you open YouTube from within Roku and are suddenly met with a black or blank screen, you are left frazzled trying to find what would cause the content to be completely inaccessible. What is causing this and how can you fix it?
If Roku YouTube is displaying a black or blank screen, it may be that system resources are being too heavily used, which may cause the screen to go out. To free up space within your Roku device, delete any applications that are not being used to help improve overall performance.
If you delete unused content from your Roku device and are still met with a black or blank screen, try deleting the application from Roku and downloading it again (see the previous section: “Roku YouTube Not Opening”). If this does not work, update Roku by pressing ‘Home’ on your remote control, select ‘Settings’ > ‘System’ > ‘System Update’ > then check manually for any updates that may be installed for Roku.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on June 11, 2021.