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Netflix app becomes slow on Apple TV

I have a 4th generation Apple TV HD. I have no issues except with the Netflix app. I have a rather lengthy "My List" and ever since they deployed their ribbon interface I've had issues. After I've watched a video and return to the list, the longer I scroll, the scrolling begins to slow down. Over time, it slows so much that the app becomes unresponsive.

The only way to get it going again is to restart the Apple TV. I have no issues with other apps, only Netflix.

I contacted Netflix and after going through the usual motions, restart this and restart that, and explaining I'd done all this and that and telling them this app will work fine for now but act up later, their response was to contact Apple. Contact Apple? Netflix is the only app acting up. They asked if the problem is seen on other apps. I said my Mac is the only other place I watch Netflix. They responded, "Ah, the issue is the Apple TV since it works fine on your Mac."

"Seriously?" I said. The technology is different for each device. One is on a browser, the other is a device specific app. But they stuck with their mantra. Obviously, they're clueless and unwilling to expedite such issues to their app development team. Very pitiful customer service.

So I'm asking everyone here, is anyone else experiencing a Netflix app that runs ever more slowly the longer they use it? It acts like the app is sucking up memory until there's no more available, causing the scrolling to eventually stop scrolling, followed by the app becoming unresponsive all together.

Apple TV (4th generation)

Posted on Jun 20, 2019 9:03 PM

Best reply

Andrew White2 Author

Level 1

62 points

Posted on Oct 5, 2019 9:36 PM

I originated this thread. I've had a few discussions with Netflix about this and as others have reported, Netflix insists we contact Apple, which is ludicrous. The problem isn't with anything Apple. My most recent chat session is below.

Jake Netflix

have you tried to unplug your Apple TV and the TV it's connected to from power for at least 2 minutes?

You

yes, same result. TV OS is NOT the problem. go to Apple's community. there are masses of folks experiencing this.

You

if it were, other apps would have issues

Jake Netflix

Alright. Let me reach to our support to help me investigate the issue.

You

you're the first to offer such.

Jake Netflix

Give me a minute.

Jake Netflix

I have reached our support and he'll help me investigate the issue. :)

You

I bet he'll tell you to tell me to call Apple.That's been the mantra.

Jake Netflix

Hold on. Still investigating.

Jake Netflix

Hey there! Thank you for reporting this. Also, can you give us your best email to contact you on? We might reach you out again in case we need further investigation.

This was a few weeks ago. Not surprisingly, I never was contacted afterwards. Netflix is headed down the path to failure by not responding to customer problems, something they cannot afford to do in an increasingly competitive environment. Will Netflix go the way of Blackberry and others? Companies too arrogant by their size to not see the approaching cliff.

View in context

168 replies

Nov 25, 2019 10:22 PM in response to Andrew White2

I have two Apple TV (4th generation) models, and I have this Netflix issue on both for months. One is connected via WiFi, and the other is connected via Ethernet. I even switched the two so I could try them each on Wifi and Ethernet to eliminate my LAN from being the issue. After reading this thread, I signed out of both Netflix accounts and had a friend sign in that doesn't have a playlist or ratings. There was no lag for hours and hours, where as my account stops working properly after 5 minutes of browsing. I didn't even uninstall and reinstall the app through any of my test, so the app is good if your account is basic and has no ratings or list. This leads me to believe it's a profile issue that Netflix needs to fix in the app's code. I think it's the tailored suggestions from Netflix that is slowing down the app because of poor app development. This is not a good time for Netflix to ignore their Apple TV users now that Apple TV+ and Disney+ are available.

amb4514

Level 1

11 points

Nov 29, 2019 11:20 AM in response to Andrew White2

I’ve tried all of these solutions mentioned and the “fix” never lasts more than a day at most. Does anyone know if this issue persists on 5th Gen as well? At this point I may say screw it and move on to Roku.

ry_hart

Level 1

8 points

Dec 4, 2019 8:06 PM in response to Andrew White2

Im having this exact same problem. I bought the newest Apple TV a couple weeks ago. Apple TV+ works, Disney + works, Amazon Prime works...Netflix doesn't work. If Im lucky it will work for one episode (sometimes) and then slows down until it freezes when I start scrolling through My List or searching for something to watch.

Dec 5, 2019 3:32 PM in response to Andrew White2

Same here, its driving me fricken CRAZY!!!! So I totally agree with Andrew, on it should be up to Netflix to fix the app since its only happening with that app. I have 3 apple TVs and it happens on all 3, all the other apps work fine.

Andrew has said it perfectly!

AlStew

Level 1

11 points

Dec 6, 2019 11:46 AM in response to Andrew White2

I have the same problem with ATV4k, but additionally with iOS and iPadOS. Netflix streams fine through Safari on iOS/iPadOS but not through their respective apps. Had a long chat with frontline Netflix support who, after consulting his second line tech team, suggested I contact my ISP. Nice guy, he agreed that this was unlikely to be fruitful. Looks like Netflix have some work to do on their app.

Dec 6, 2019 12:53 PM in response to AlStew

AIStew, Only speaking with level 1 support is a total waste. When I first called them about this, contacting my ISP was one of their suggestions to which I responded that was ludicrous. If it was a streaming issue, all the streaming apps would be affected. Understand that level one support personnel are almost always non-technical and merely read scripted dialog from their computer display. As you're describing your issue, they're typing it in, a data base of possible solutions is popping up and they're just passing on that info. It's important to hold your ground and be persistent and point out the problems with their solutions. Only then will they pass you on to level 2 where you'll be working with someone with perhaps some technical knowledge. At Netflix, that's about as high as you'll go. At some point, if you're persistent, they'll tell you that they're passing on the info to their development team and will take your contact info in case they need more info. I assure you, they won't contact you.

On my last call with them I pointed out Netflix's lack of response was digging them a hole; that major competition was coming fast and they were risking losing a lot of subscribers if they couldn't fix this issue. Their system shows my previous attempt to resolve this so they seem to take it a bit more serious, but the problem persists.

Netflix is suffering the issues of all businesses that grow too large. Their own bureaucracy brings inefficiency and destroys communication. Every company experiences it and is a characteristic taught in business school. Such isn't only found in government. In fact, because a government usually lasts longer than businesses, agencies often recognize their inefficiencies and take measures to reduce them due to citizen feedback. Businesses, on the other hand, are too driven by profit and are more concerned with shareholder feedback. Even Apple suffers such bureaucracy and has lead to increasing issues with their products.

I'm not one to give up easily. When I'm paying money for something, I demand delivery. I'm never nasty with support personnel and acknowledge that they're merely the messenger. I tell them I want what I'm paying for and that I'm there to help. I usually get further with that approach even though their superiors may not not respond at all.

AlStew

Level 1

11 points

Dec 6, 2019 1:33 PM in response to Andrew White2

Andrew, I agree with all you say, particularly about being polite to frontline agents - and being persistent. After 40 mins on a further call just now, and an attempt to take me back to the very beginning of the fault resolution process (‘have you tried rebooting your router?’), it’s clear there are no answers to this. If Netflix can be successfully streamed everywhere but on their apps then it’s not the router at fault and it’s definitely not the ISP.

In reply to my persistent questioning I was eventually told that there is a known problem with the apps that is being worked on. However when I was asked for my email address ‘so that my supervisor can contact you’ I recalled your experience. I challenged the likelihood of contact, at which point the assurance that I would definitely be contacted was downgraded, first to ‘we may contact your and then ‘we may not actually contact you’. I therefore have to question whether anything is being done about the app or whether, like the initially promised email contact, it’s just a device to reassure me and thereby end the call. A bit like agents in other large company call centres all over the world, in fact.

My Netflix problems have only kicked off in the last few days, in fact since the Netflix app was updated on iOS/iPadOS. Too many people are having problems for it to be coincidence.

yapdj

Level 1

4 points

Dec 7, 2019 3:55 PM in response to Andrew White2

Quick update: So 2.5 weeks ago (Nov 20th) I followed some advice I learned about on this thread 1. I closed all the apps on my Apple TV, AND 2. I removed everything in "My List" on Netflix. That seemed to fix the problem for me. Before Netflix was almost unusable because it was sooo slow that I couldn't even browse their content at all. Now the app seems to be working at about 95%. It still gets a little laggy at times, but it's not really a problem.

I had about 20 app sessions open on my Apple TV, and I must have had 50-60 items in "My List" on Netflix.

That being said Netflix really should work without people having to do this kind of housekeeping.

Dec 7, 2019 8:39 PM in response to Andrew White2

Let's clarify something. Deleting all the items in "My List" and closing all the apps on the Apple TV is NOT a "fix." It's a workaround. To not be able to have items in "My List" is completely unacceptable and nor is closing other apps. That's like your car's headlights go out when you turn on your A/C so would you just accept driving around without A/C? Of course not. You'd take it to your dealer for repair and if they couldn't or wouldn't fix it you'd raise ****, right? Or get a different brand car. It's the same with Netflix. They're no longer the only player in streaming but they act like they are. I wouldn't want their stock in my portfolio.

calon310

Level 1

4 points

Dec 8, 2019 1:37 PM in response to Andrew White2

I have this issue too on Apple TV 4th generation. Restarting or closing other apps from the background helps for 30 seconds or so, but then scrolling in the Netflix app slows down to a jerky-crawl very quickly.

It's impossible to browse the content without giving up in frustration within a minute.

Netflix needs to fire their developers (and their ATV project manager) and get some that can code responsibly, without memory leaks, bugs, or whatever other issues are causing this.

No other streaming app I have (iTunes, hulu, Disney+, YouTube TV, YouTube, etc.) has problems like this.

Hopefully the more people who post here and contact Netflix, the more likely they'll fix it, but it really seems like they don't care.

kalanh

Level 1

4 points

Dec 23, 2019 8:52 AM in response to JLM2

Another workaround is to double tap the Home button to show the App Switcher and slide up to kill the Netflix app. Starting it again will refresh the app a little faster than restarting the entire Apple TV box. Again, it's just a workaround and should be fixed by the developer.

It seems to me that the title graphics, program info and trailer clips keep loading concurrently as you scroll through the library. Eventually you have trailer clips loading for dozens of different shows even after you've scrolled past them, and they continue to load until the app grinds to a halt. This effect is made worse by a slow internet connection.

BocaGene

Level 1

4 points

Dec 25, 2019 6:10 PM in response to Andrew White2

I’ve had the same issue, couldn’t find an answer anywhere until I’ve tried turning off an option to match frame rate under video settings.

This seems to have solved my issue, Apple TV is now locked into 60hz FPS and Netflix is scrolling without issues.

artsfols

Level 1

4 points

Dec 27, 2019 7:59 PM in response to Andrew White2

I have the same problem, and I believe it's a universal issue. I culled my list of Netflix shows, and that helped somewhat. It's not easy to delete items though. I think the Netflix app is not cleaning up memory properly as you scroll around looking at options.

What does help is to do a power reset, which fixes the problem for a while. The fact that this helps is indicative of a memory issue. I wouldn't call it a leak, just bad programming.

You know, the big companies are the worst violators of the KISS philosophy. It's a menu, for pete's sake, stop turning it into a major engineering exercise with a bunch of useless features that do not work. If I want a preview, I'll ask for a preview. Stop interrupting my conversations with people in the room ... to cite just one annoyance.

artsfols

Level 1

4 points

Dec 31, 2019 2:19 AM in response to chienlim

Either that or a power reset (a pain on this device requiring frequent power resets for bugs with no switch) will flush the memory hogged by this app.

However, if you have a large 'my list', try browsing around in it, and see if the sluggish behavior comes back.

Jan 4, 2020 2:35 PM in response to Andrew White2

Having same issue — called Netflix, they said it’s a problem with their app because they automatically start streaming previews of anything you highlight. They said they did this because they said their users were upset about having to click on each show to have the option to click preview. I provided feedback that I think everyone would rather go with an option that didn’t slow everything to a crawl, such that you can’t even see the automatic previews. Duh!

Netflix app becomes slow on Apple TV