Unbearable stuttering when watching Apple TV+

Trying to watch e.g. Ted Lasso I get constant buffering on my Apple TV - unwatchable. I was able to get around this for a time by casting my iPad to the Apple TV. Then that started having a similar problem. Solved that by downloading an episode to iPad and casting to Apple TV. Today that quit working. Cannot dowNload any Apple TV+ content to my iPad.


every other app on my Apple TV works fine - Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, MLB, ETC. Apple TV+ is the problem. My internet connection is fine and all other devices in the house work fine. Any ideas?

Apple TV 4K, tvOS 14

Posted on Aug 16, 2021 9:03 PM

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Posted on Oct 1, 2021 7:20 AM

AppleTV+ app is definitely a problem. In fact I can watch most of Ted Lasso with only occasional buffering but The Morning Show is impossible to watch. Both on AppleTV+

I might need to drop the service

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Aug 21, 2021 7:56 PM in response to Bubbbbba

I have checked my internet connection. The same problem has happened on my Apple TV 4k device - and only with the Apple TV+ content and does not happen with content from NetFlix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Paramount+, etc.


My network connection sustains 600Mbps but usually can burst to 900Mbps and the content needs less than 5Mbps


This seems to be a specific problem with content from Apple TV+

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Aug 21, 2021 9:03 PM in response to Bubbbbba

I have this same issue on my iPad and iPhone. It’s not just in the streaming; I can’t download episodes either. What would take Disney+ Or Amazon Prime Video 2-3 minutes to download will NEVER download with tv+, and streaming is all stuttering and stopping every few seconds. It’s unbearable. Restarting devices doesn’t work. The network is consistently in the 90-110 Mbps download speeds on Speedtest. My WiFi is 802.11 ac. I’m pretty sure this is an apple issue, not a device issue or a network issue.

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Aug 17, 2021 10:41 AM in response to vazandrew

Thanks for your response. The Apple TV device is connected via Ethernet. It’s not other devices that work correctly, it’s other apps working just fine on the same Apple TV device. My only issues are with Apple TV+ via the Apple TV app. Download speed is consistently 90-100 Mbps.

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Aug 17, 2021 9:50 AM in response to Bubbbbba

That indicates an issue with the connection. Other streaming services adapt to the connection and can adjust to a very low rate whereas Apple will require a higher consistent connection. Other devices working does not rule out the network.



Use speedtest app on Apple TV to see the current internet speed being received

Run a diagnostic report on computer using istumbler, netstumbler or similar. Look for signal strength, noise, nearby networks

Try ethernet

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Apr 24, 2022 3:14 PM in response to Bubbbbba

For some reason, 44k will cause stuttered specifically in TV.app when viewing in full screen. Switching to 48k audio fixed the issue for me. As such:


Open "Audio MIDI Setup" in Utilities. (Use spotlight if you can't find it.) Select MacBook Pro Speakers.

From the dropdown menu, selected 48k.





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Aug 21, 2021 9:28 PM in response to MichaelSinz

Other services don’t need as high a rate and will adapt to lower connection rates. Not able to replicate on my system and no indication of any widespread issue occurring for most users.


Internet connection is one factor, and also best to verify the local network and then contact Apple support for further troubleshooting.

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Sep 21, 2021 12:13 PM in response to Bubbbbba

Same issue. Never had this problem before, started in late August 2021. Shuttering only occurs with AppleTV programs, everything else plays fine. Download speed tests consistently at 75 mbps. I'm using an Airport extreme connected to cable providers router via Ethernet cable.

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Oct 1, 2021 8:34 AM in response to Glove12345

I have tried other suggested fixes like updating to OS 15 and rebooting my Airport Extreme router; these fixes were only temporary so they were not the issue. My internet speed is consistently around 75-80mbs and i'm connected ISP's modem to AppleTV box by ethernet cable; it's not network speed.

Something changed in mid-August, I came back from holiday and this started happening. I never had this problem before, used same setup for years including with older AppleTV's. Have been using a 1st gen 4K AppleTV since last December, always worked fine until recently. It's interesting that this only occurs with Apple TV+ programs, no where else with any other app.

I think maybe it's a slow down on the AppleTV server, not the TV box OR the inability of the box to decode the latest AppleTV program compression? Does anyone know if Apple has changed the format or compression of their video format? Does anyone know if this is happening on the latest generation 4K AppleTV ?

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Oct 1, 2021 11:14 AM in response to robtbo

I can now confidently report that Apple TV + service now works flawlessly since upgrading to TVOS 15 on a 2021 AppleTV 4K box. This is odd since the app on my LG tv also showed problems when I tested it. I have not since tested other Apple TV’s in house nor smart TV apps.

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Unbearable stuttering when watching Apple TV+

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