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Apple TV+ Buffering Constantly and only Apple TV+

We recently subscribed to Apple TV+

Other services we have:

Prime, Netflix, Max, Peacock, Paramount Plus, MLB.tv, and Hulu on none of them at anytime do we have a buffering issue. We watch in 4K and do so on multiple devices including: Apple TV, Nvidia Shield 2017 and 2019, and Roku Ultra. We use them at two different homes with internet service at both (separate of 940 down/40 up).

The only service we have had a buffering issue with is Apple TV+.

All of our devices are hard-wired to our router.

The buffering is showing right now even though our system is show full available bandwidth little to no jitter and very low (sub 20ms) latency.

The buffering occurs on all of our devices at various times. I have tried reinstalling the apps on these devices and the buffering will occur again after anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.


SHIELDAndroidTV,

Posted on Jun 27, 2023 2:03 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Aug 22, 2023 12:54 PM

Hello, our app is up to date and our speeds are certainly fast enough. Is there another possible cause?


we are cutting down our streaming services and want to keep appleTV as we think the content is brilliant, but is there any point if we can’t watch it cause the shows buffer every couple of seconds?

Similar questions

38 replies

Feb 3, 2024 11:03 AM in response to ChipDale

We have been having issues with our ATV4K box and the internet connection. Particularly during "peak times" of the evening.


  • One is connected directly to the router with a CAT8 ethernet, the other is WiFi only
  • Router has been replaced
  • ATV4K has been factory reset
  • Network data speed is around 950Mbps DownLoad and UpLoad
  • Wired ATV4K drops to 200Mbps Download but stays at 950Mbps UpLoad
  • Wireless ATV4K drops even lower to around 120Mbps - which sounds like more than enough, but streaming buffers and/or fails to load
  • NO OTHER device anywhere on the network shows similar drops in speed, ONLY the two ATV4K boxes


Is this a bizarre bug to add to the list of Apple bugs of late?

Nov 18, 2023 4:52 PM in response to KobraKai

Unfortunately I have not found a solution. The problem is inconsistent as to when it happens. Meaning that sometimes it is during what I would call peak viewing times of the day and other times it happens at times when I doubt there is high traffic. The only thing that is consistent is that it is limited to the AppleTV+ app on my AppleTV 4k device. All other services on that device stream fine and AppleTV on other devices stream fine with no buffering issues. Very strange and frustrating.

Nov 20, 2023 4:57 PM in response to Ken Esq

If your 'Inside the House wiring' is CoAxial, your Cable Company, or ISP, must connect 'Copper Wire Grounding' to a 'Grounding Stake' or

other Electrical Code Ground, such as the Electrical Power Ground where your Electric Power enters the

home. If such Ground is not correctly

done, or if Copper Wire Ground is

damaged or severed, your BandWith

will be diminished. NEC Code is to

Connect, only, one end of your CoAx

to a Earth Ground. So, that Ground

Wire CAN reduce BandWith if it's

Missing, Damaged, or connected at

more than One End such as: at House Service Network Interface,

plus at Utility Pole or Curb Pedestal. Your Buffering, since it's,

only on AppleTV and NOT other

Streaming apps, narrows possible

Buffering problem to your AppleTV

Service. You should contact Apple

to Submit a Service Complaint.

Good Luck!


Dec 26, 2023 10:40 AM in response to Ken Esq

Add me to the list of Apple TV+ buffering sufferers.


Xfinity broadband service delivering 659 Mbps right now.


AppleTV 4K, streaming from YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime never suffer buffering.


Started a free Apple TV+ trial subscription a few weeks ago, and now it's almost unusable in the evening. Just last night (Christmas '23) we were trying to watch a Ted Lasso episode, and the stream would freeze every few minutes. It would usually restart in a few minutes, but sometimes I had to kill the AppleTV app and start all over. Not a real crowd pleaser in my household. If things don't improve to level comparable to the other streaming services, I will be cancelling the AppleTV+ subscription when the free period ends.

Dec 26, 2023 6:04 PM in response to Ken Esq

Just in case, have you tested your Ethernet Cord connected from your AppleTV Streaming Unit to your Router, and your HDMI Cord from AppleTV to your TV?


As well, Ethernet 5e Cords should work but a 'newer Standard' Cord

may help. The HDMI Cords should be Gold tipped.


Ethernet & HDMI ports also may

Wear Out when 'plugged unplugged'

over time. I recommend Klein Tester

for those Cables & Ports.


I've had these same Streaming problems; replacing Patch Cords and

Testing their Ports helped isolate my

Buffering. As well, my ISP BandWidth

was 50Mbps so I increased to 60Mbps.


Do you own a BandWidth Meter?

Don't trust 'so called' Internet 'Speed Test apps'. I agree; ISP

Service Reps are not adequately informed/trained to verify your

BandWidth to/from their 'in home'

Network Interface Device termination box.

Perhaps a comparison between

BandWidth success when Streaming

UHD 2160p verses Standard 1080p

may inform the buffering occurrence

because UHD does require more

BandWidth. Yeah I know, your BandWidth is 'waaaay above' ANY

Streaming concerns depending on how many users in your home may

be Streaming, Gaming, using WiFi for

CellPhone simultaneously.


Are you familiar with 'Flow Chart'

trouble shooting? It helps isolate

likely faults and simplifies your

'already tried' solution attempts.


Good Luck



Dec 30, 2023 4:17 PM in response to Ken Esq

I agree it would be useful to discuss the buffering issue with Apple Techs

but, our only path to those Techs is via a Trouble Request, first with Apple Support(online or phone) with whom 'we may request' sending it up the Flag Pole' to see if our Concern will Fly.

I did that late Spring 2023 but did

not receive a response even though

the Apple Rep and I had alike training

and experience as Electronics Techs.

Just to be sure, this discussion platform is not monitored by Apple.

Contacting Apple Support may be

your only Path to Resolution.


My buffering experiences were much

like yours, Apple buffered more than

my other Streaming Services, beginning with AppleTV+ Launch in

my AppleTV 4k OS. We Users had

zero control over THAT change to our AppleTV 4k service.


I used 3-steps to resolve buffering on my AppleTV 4k: 1)turned off all

AppleTV features I do not use, especially 'Background App Refresh',

AirPlay and HomeKit, Accessibility,

Auto Update Apps, Auto Install Apps,

Podcasts, Fitness and SIRI.


2) I Klein Tested all my Ethernet Cables and Ports AND bought latest HDMI Cables.


3) Verified my ISP-Throughput with

my ISP Service Rep(a rather subjective test due to, most, Service

Rep ignorance beyond their training

and ISP Reference Subjects.


Buffering Continued. So I added 10Mbps to my ISP Streaming Account - that helped quite a bit but not enough.

I should've known better, but I'd failed to examine my ISP Network

Interface Box on my Outside Wall.

By accident, I noticed that Box was

NOT Bonded to Earth Ground! I called in a 'Emergency Condition'

repair which took 2-Weeks to get a

ISP Tech who knew how to fix that!

That Earth Ground, of course is a

Lightning Protector, but it's also a

Circuit Reference for Signal Input

which, if missing, can lower BandWidth.


Earth Ground was repaired, I had 'less buffering'. So I added another

10Mbps to my ISP Account. Viola!

Now I have zero buffering!


Good Luck! My efforts took only

6-months.

ChipDale

Dec 30, 2023 10:20 PM in response to Ken Esq

Hi Ken! I'm baaack! It occurred to me

that you may use a BandWidth measuring system or app which I could use too. I don't trust my ISP use of the SpeedTest.net app. When

I've used that app, my Download

BandWidth tests around 6-times the

BandWidth I pay for. I believe that

'test app' may be tied to low use Fibre so subscribers believe their

ISP Service is outstanding. Do you

employ a BandWidth Test which you

trust?

Thanks for your discussion here.

ChipDale

Jan 1, 2024 7:41 PM in response to Ken Esq

Same problem here, but it's actually worse than what the others have reported.


Apple TV is unwatchable when we use our Roku Premiere. We tried an Amazon Fire and a Google Chromecast, they were worse. Tried watching on Firefox on a Macbook: we could watch it as long as we didn't go to full screen, if we did that we got a blank gray screen. No other streaming service has this problem. Our internet bandwidth is enormous (as indicated by all the other streaming services working just fine).


It's gotten bad enough that even though all of our favorite shows are on Apple TV, we're planning to cancel the service if we can't get some help making it work for us.

Jan 1, 2024 11:15 PM in response to Ken Esq

Yep, exact same situation. Every other platform works fine. I’m on a gigabyte service. It happens every time I go the Apple+ platform. It sits and cycles and cycles and cycles and then says “please retry”. Apple has really gone downhill the last few years, it’s incredible. A the only reply is to point to non-Apple related sources as the problem. They learned a lot from Microsoft after all.

Jan 6, 2024 7:48 AM in response to sjmarbu

I have been dealing with this buffering problems for months. I have tried everything. I can get the app on my bedroom TV but not on my main TV. If Apple TV wasn’t my favorite app, I would get rid of it.

I called for help a couple of days ago and I was told to call Samsung . The app is buffering so much I can’t sign on to it. Is there any chance that Apple will ever fix this?

Jan 14, 2024 12:48 PM in response to Ken Esq

I've increased my ISP Bandwidth twice, had the ISP CoAx Service Box 'disconnected Earth Ground' fixed, bought Current Generation HDMI 'Gold Tip' Cables and verified All HDMI & Ethernet 'Ports and Cables'

with my Klein Tester, followed ISP

instruction to remove Power from all Equipment in the circuit: ISP-NID, AppleTV 4k unit, Apple Router then

reconnect that equipment in the same sequence.

Buffering is no longer extreme, but still occurs. I execute the AppleTV

ReStart which solves the 'current'

buffering. At least Buffering is now

occasional.

I've used AppleTV since late 2015; AppleTV 4k is the only generation which buffers.

Of course my 2016 UHD purchase

required more ISP BandWidth as I watched 2160p resolution, but my

3-other TV's are 1080p and I use those TV's one TV at a time for, only, 1080p viewing. All four are AppleTV 4k fed.

Shutting Off unused 'AppleTV 4k' settings may have helped too. Eliminating such unused features

at least reduces Operating System

processor load.

After all these attempts to Resolve

Buffering, I've read 100Mbps is the

threshold for Streaming UHD TV.

I can suffer occasional buffering to

avoid another 'hit to my budget'.





Jan 22, 2024 8:01 AM in response to Ken Esq

OK... so out of all the comments, I've figured that the 4K Apple TV hardware are the only ones with the "buffering" issue. I've since started using the stream (Apple TV app) on my TV. Guess I will be updating sooner or later but for now, I am not having any issues with the TV App.

Thanks for the comments, Everyone!

Apple TV+ Buffering Constantly and only Apple TV+

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