I love my Sony TV and watch Netflix on it all the time. But, recently I had an issue where it wouldn’t open, and then sometimes it would open, but the show wouldn’t play. So, I thoroughly researched what’s causing it and how to fix these issues and here’s what I found.
When this occurs it’s because of a fault with the internet connection or the app itself. Firstly, you should verify that you have an internet connection by trying to play another title, or use another video app like Hulu or Youtube. Next, you should turn your TV on and off.
In most cases this can fix the issue, but if it doesn’t, below I’ll describe how to perform each of the subsequent steps to get Netflix to work on your Sony TV.
Sony TV Won’t Play Netflix
I’ve had a few different smart TVs but each of them had issues with various apps from time to time. I found most are quite similar to fix, but for Netflix on a Sony TV here’s how what to do when it won’t play.
When Netflix isn’t working on a Sony TV:
- Check the internet connection
- Try to play another title
- Force stop, clear cache, clear temp app data
- Sign out of Netflix
- Restart your Sony TV
- Update the app
- Contact the manufacturer
Read on, to see how to do each of the steps. All of the steps are very easy, and even if you’re brand new to using your Sony TV you’ll be able to get Netflix working properly.
1. Check the internet connection
If you’re a bit techy you might know immediately how to check that the Wi-Fi your Sony TV is connected to is working so go ahead and do that. Otherwise, simply take out your smartphone, or use a computer and connect it to the same Wi-Fi that your Sony TV is connected to.
The name of the Wi-Fi network that your Sony TV is connected to is displayed in the following menu on your Sony TV. Home > Settings > Network Setup. Select that option, or the name of the Wi-Fi network will be displayed there.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on August 9, 2021.
Also, it can be a good idea to perform a speed test. You can do that by going to speedtest.net from your smartphone or computer. Ensure that your smartphone or computer is on the same Wi-Fi network when you perform the test.
Someone else in your household may be downloading a large file, or using a high amount of bandwidth to stream videos. If you’re at all unsure about your internet connection, give a call to your internet service provider such as Verizon, or AT&T.
2. Try to play another title
It can happen that one particular episode or movie has an error. To see if it’s that, simply try a different TV or movie and see if it plays normally. When it is just one particular title, send feedback to Netflix to fix the file.
When you do that, they will be aware of the issue and will fix it.
3. Force stop, clear cache, clear temp app data
Move the cursor over the Netflix app, and hold the select button. After that a menu will pop up, and there are additional options such as force stop, clear cache, and clear data. Do each of these one after another and then open Netflix again.
4. Sign out of Netflix
On the Netflix app scroll all the way to the left and then scroll all the way to the top. The top will list the accounts that you are signed into. Select the top option and it will show you icons with each of the users. Select the user account you’re using and then select sign out.
Certain Sony TVs don’t have this option and instead you should go to the home screen of Netflix, and then select Settings – the cog wheel icon. From the settings menu there will be an option to sign out.
Sign back in using the same options you used to sign out, and then attempt to watch a show or movie on Netflix again.
5. Restart your Sony TV
Unplug your Sony TV at the wall, wait for around 30 seconds. Then plug it back in, and turn it back on. Some TVs will power up and return to the home screen automatically. Whereas, others you’ll need to turn it on using the remote.
Once you turn it back on and it loads and it goes back to the home screen, open up Netflix again and see if it’s working now.
6. Update the Netflix app
From the home screen of your Sony TV move the cursor over the Netflix app. Hold the select button until an additional menu pops up. From that menu there will be an option to update.
Certain Sony TV operating systems may be different. If yours doesn’t have the above then go to Apps > Google Play Store > Settings > Turn Auto Update on. That will begin downloading and updating all of your apps.
It’s important to note that your Sony TV will now begin downloading updates for all of the apps on your TV. And because of that it can take some time before Netflix is updated. From the Google Play Store you can see
7. Contact the manufacturer
It’s possible there may be an update to Sony TV’s or a known issue with the latest version of Netflix. Get in touch with Sony via their official website and enquire about the issue you’re having with Netflix on your Sony TV.
Netflix Keeps Freezing/Crashing on Sony TV
I find that Netflix won’t load, but sometimes halfway through watching something Netflix will crash and sometimes freeze. I wanted to know why that is and found out what to do to fix this issue. Here’s the steps you should take.
Generally, this is related to an error with the Netflix app. Start by ‘force stopping’ the Netflix app. Then reopen Netflix and see if the issue recurs. If it does then, unplug your TV from the wall, and plug it back in again after 30 seconds.
I have outlined exactly how to perform each of these steps above. Scroll towards the top of this article where there are numbered steps, and start from step number 3.
Sony TV Netflix Not Loading/Opening
I go to the Netflix app from the home screen on my Sony TV. I started to get an issue where Netflix won’t open, or I get a black screen and nothing loads. I noticed it happens quite rarely but I know how to fix it now. So, I thought I’d share how to fix Netflix on a Sony TV when it doesn’t open or load.
The first step is to restart your TV by unplugging it at the wall. Wait for 30 seconds and plug it back in. Reopen Netflix to verify if the issue is now solved. If not, the internet connection may not be connected or is running slowly. Otherwise, Netflix needs to be ‘force stopped’.
For your convenience, I have outlined the exact steps you should take at the top of this article. Beginning with how to check your internet connection is working properly. You can start by restarting your TV first by unplugging it at the wall.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on August 9, 2021.
Since, you can’t know ahead of time what the issue is, feel free to skip around the steps and do the ones you find easiest first.
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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on August 9, 2021.