Netflix is not working on Apple TV

We have had the same problem with Netflix not working. The steps we have taken are as follows: (Note, purchased this Apple TV HD from Costco.

1. Deleted Netflix and then reinstalled the app and it "FAILED" to launch
2. Restarted the apple tv and then removed Netflix and reinstalled the app and it "FAILED" to launch
3. Tried to update the software for the Apple TV from the menu. - Selected "download update", allowed the process to complete the download, watched the 1st and 2nd step parts of the install and..... it "FAILED" to update to any new software. Then I repeated the process just incase I made an error which produced the same result. Software update "FAILED" to install.
4. As a final measure, I reset the Apple TV HD to it's factory settings and erased everything. I also discovered that the Apple TV would not sync to my phone under standard setup as instructed so I selected manual setup. I entered my Apple ID and Password, connected to our network, allowed the Apple TV HD to perform the standard setup as if it was new out of the box and ..... surprise, surprise.... Netflix still "FAILED" to launch.

In review, I have attempted every step including contacting Netflix who says this is an APPLE problem. So short of learning C++ and doing a full blown hack of the little black HD demon, I am out of answers or solutions.

The problem (at least on my case) was that my Apple TV was stuck in a 13.x release

Neither the automatic update or the manual one detects the new version

I had to fully restore the device to make it install the 14.x version

Now it’s working, but Apple... please...

If you are using an Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K then please uninstall the Netflix app and then re-install it and re-login in. If the issue is only with the Netflix app and no other apps that is the easiest and fastest method to fix the issue. Otherwise, please reach out to Netflix for support on their app.

We had the same problem, we tried restarting the Apple TV, deleting and reinstalling Netflix and none of them worked. however we found out we had a Apple TV software update and haven’t updated in a while. Once we updated the Apple TV itself the Netflix app worked again. Hope that helps.

Arcadius1974,

By your description that sounds like you have a Wi-Fi bandwidth issue where you Apple TV is located. I would begin by following the steps in Get help with Wi-Fi networks on your Apple TV

Did not call AppleCare, I called Netflix to due to the thread posts, however.....

I tried a last ditch effort before returning the device to Costco and, there is a secret sauce solution that is a last ditch solution that "should" work for anyone having this problem.

Last Ditch solutions step by step.

Start your Apple TV HD and go to the menu to reset your device.

1. Select "Download update and reset"
2. Follow the prompt to do a full download and reset and "wait". The system (depending on connection speeds) should take about 15 minutes to do a full wipe from Apple and restore the base operating system. With 1 gbs speeds that I have, the download was pretty fast (5 minutes)
3. Once completed, the Apple TV HD should bring you to the menu for the original startup. So select your language and country first, then you will see the menu to use your iPhone (should you have one) to sync your device.
4. (iPhone Setup for Apple TG HD) Unlock your phone, make sure you have a wifi connection and hold your phone super close to the Apple TV HD. Your iPhone screen "should" show the Apple TV HD and prompt you to "connect" to the Apple TV HD.
5. Once selected, it should automatically download everything you had on your previous setup but it just takes a while depending on your connection speed.

I did this last setup (which by the way was not posted in anywhere in the form that I found) and though it took a while using just the Wifi in the house (20 minutes), once it got to the setup, it finally worked. Netflix is running once more along with my other services like Apple TV+, Disney, Hulu, Crunchyroll and so on but I made sure to check Netflix first to make sure.

So there you have it, a solution that does work but is a pain to do since you must sign back in to "all" of your services that you subscribe to.

All the best

Please try the following in this order:

• Reset your modem .
• Reset your router.
• Unplug the Apple TV from power for 2-3 minutes and then plug in to ensure it boots.
• Open the Settings App and check to see if they Apple TV has the most current version of TV OS, if Auto updates is on turn it off and do a manual update
• Then check to see if Netflix if working.

• Please unplug your Apple TV from power for 2-3 minutes.
• Re-plug in the Apple TV
• Update TV OS if updates are available to your Apple TV
• Then launch Netflix.
• If Netflix will not launch, uninstall the app and then re-install it from the App Store.

There is nothing wrong with Apple TV OS, Netflix changed their method of operation so that it will only work if the Apple TV has an up-to-date version of TV OS installed.

Yesterday 1/21, I tried using Netflix on my Apple TV 4K. I also noticed the blue dot like a recent update has gone out. All day as soon as I would launch the app it would show the Netflix splash screen and then immediately close. I have tried starting the Apple TV and re-installing the Apple and still no luck same issue every time I try to launch Netflix and only Netflix. Worked just fine the night before.

As of now the issue is still happening, I’m assuming a faulty update for now.

Same here. I chatted with a tech and they said they’re aware of the issue and working on it. That was yesterday afternoon.

I tried mirroring my app from my phone to my Apple TV and I can’t even do that. I get an error telling me to use the app on the Apple TV... no help... hope they fix it soon.

Thanks for the link. It helped to see the flow for that.

We had Automatically Updated turned On in Apple TV so didn't think this would be the cause of the problem. But it turned out the Apple TV software was not doing Automatic Updates even though we had that On. Now will will turn it Off and use the prompt from Apple whenever there is an update to make sure they are truly done in a timely fashion.

Have you tried manually updating your Apple TV? Cause that seems to be the only solution to fix the problem that worked for me and many others. And for some reason even with auto updates turned on this specific one has to be manually updated.

Yes, sorry I wasn't clear in my response. That is what we did, and it worked. But to avoid having this problem in the future we also disabled Automatically Update of the Apple TV software because turning that Off means we will instead be notified when there is an update. We will be prompted to manually install the update. When it is turned On, Apple TV attempts to automatically update, but if any criterion for doing the update prevents it from happening, it apparently doesn't keep trying. And we don't get notified that we missed that update. That's how we ended up with an incompatible version of Netflix that wouldn't launch until we manually updated the Apple TV software.

I’ve tried uninstalling, reinstalling several times. Rebooted AppleTV a few times. Just did a hard power cycle, and reinstalled.

Still nothing. Netflix screen pops up and then immediately closes.

Device is up to date.

I saw you said you’re on version 13.4.8 however the most current tvOS is on 14.3. You need to manually update your Apple TV to the most recent software patch manually. For some reason auto updates hasn’t been updating the most reason one like it’s supposed to. So far that seems to be the only solution that has worked for everyone for the most part, myself included. Hope that helps.