Apple TV 4K freezes while streaming

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Apple TV 4K freezes while streaming

I’m seeing a few posts from users going back a couple of years but no good answers or help from Apple that I have seen. I have owned every model of Apple TV and have not had the freezing spinning wheel until Apple TV 4K. Ironically my internet speed is the highest it’s ever been. My first thought was to get all my other devices offline and free up some broadband but at this point I’m certain that’s not the issue. This ‘hanging’ happens with several streaming apps like Netflix and HBOgo but also occurs with streaming from my home computer and DVR. So, now I don’t waste too much time, when it starts to hang I go to Settings /System/Restart. The restart does not take all that long and it fixes the streaming but the issue comes back every few days. Some people on this post have the problem with more frequency and one guy has a download speed of 500 Mbps! I’m assuming that Apple has built so many tricks and features into 4K that it gets overwhelmed in some way. I’ve checked and my unit updates automatically unless there is something else I need to update with firmware or whatever. If anybody especially Apple has any ideas about how to fix this I’d love to hear them. Otherwise I’m assuming that by this time Apple knows about the problem and hasn’t solved it yet either by fixing bugs or scaling back what ATV 4K does.

Apple TV 4K, tvOS 13

Posted on Apr 30, 2020 11:09 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Urquhart1244

Community+ 2024

Level 10

140,224 points

May 1, 2020 9:10 AM in response to GeraTho

I’m assuming that Apple has built so many tricks and features into 4K that it gets overwhelmed in some way.

No, that’s not it. The device has the power to perform as intended.

I’ve checked and my unit updates automatically unless there is something else I need to update with firmware or whatever.

Automatic updates should get you on tvOS 13.4 since about a month ago. Do verify that.

If anybody especially Apple has any ideas about how to fix this I’d love to hear them.

Apple does not participate on this forum. It is just fellow users here.

Otherwise I’m assuming …

That is not how it works. It works fine for most users. Whatever is plaguing you, the cause is local to your setup or environment. I suggest further investigating the network connection. Get help with Wi-Fi networks on your Apple TV - Apple Support.

Ironically my internet speed is the highest it’s ever been.

There is a difference between your plan with your ISP, and the actual connection that is available to the Apple TV box. E.g. try Speedtest to get numbers on the device itself, both before and after a restart when you notice these freezes.

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Answer 2

QuickPost

Level 10

103,323 points

May 1, 2020 8:55 AM in response to GeraTho

Hello,

Download the application Speedtest from the App Store and share its results after you have run the test. It is also worth mentioning that most of the world is stuck at home watching these services which can overload their systems. In that case there is nothing you could do to resolve it.

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Answer 3

GeraTho Author

Level 1

8 points

May 1, 2020 11:12 AM in response to QuickPost

I have Speedtest and I didn’t know that I could target it to a specific device like Apple TV. How I use it so far is to test the speed of the signal coming to my modem in general. If it can get me some data just for Apple TV that could be useful.

I followed the link for Apple advice about wi-fi and Apple TV and it’s very basic stuff. I’m not a new user and my home wi-fi network has worked better in some ways at lower Mbps download speeds but, aha, I have a lot more neighbors now. So I do get a crowded channel that I have to clear at least twice a month. The Apple TV 4K hang issue is far more frequent and, two things: the freezing started with my update to ATV 4K from ATV 3 and I never had this issue with ATV 3. I’m not imagining that. This connection has always been over wi-fi - an Ethernet connection is not convenient. Second I’ve had ATV 4K for almost a year and this hang issue was happening well before the Pandemic lockdown although I don’t doubt that that may have something to do with it now. That said, I salute all the forces out there who are keeping the streaming services working as well as they are.

Thanks for the help in the reply but I still don’t have anything actionable to address what’s going on.

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Apple TV 4K freezes while streaming

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