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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Posted on May 12, 2024 5:56 PM

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66 replies

Nov 11, 2023 6:58 AM in response to Ken Esq

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I’ve done all of what you say. Works great until prime time “7 to 7:30pm” and then Apple TV is simply rubbish. Check my internet speed and it’s 200 Mb/s. 


Apple is failing to provide the service customers are paying for. It is time for a class action suit and the FTC needs to be notified. 

Nov 12, 2023 7:39 PM in response to Ken Esq

Same issue here. My internet speed is good. Every other app on my Roku TV works seemlessly. No issues with buffering at all. But when I try to watch anything on Apple TV it buffers every few seconds. This only started happening recently within the last month or so. Before that no issues. Don't know what happened but they need to figure it out and fix it or I will be canceling my subscription. Why pay for something you can't use?

Nov 15, 2023 5:54 PM in response to Insomniac2

I am having the same issue. I have an Apple TV hard wired into a router with a 1GB fiber connection. All other services (Netflix, Prime, Max, etc.) stream with no buffering issues. Anything I try to watch on Apple TV + will freeze and buffer about every 45 seconds. It is VERY frustrating. I’ve tried rebooting the AppleTV and the router but that did not solve the issue.

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 21, 2023 5:43 AM in response to Ken Esq

Apple support is absolutely useless with a buffering issue which happens only during evening hours with internet bandwidth around 200 Mbs.


They are unable to admit that their livestream delivery service is unable to adequately deliver to their customers during peak viewing times which Netflix and Prime do quite well.


Apple TV customers are not getting the full value for the service for which they are paying.


In short they are getting scammed by Apple’s promise to deliver the service they are selling.



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 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?

Mar 28, 2024 1:35 PM in response to Ken Esq

Same here!!! There are some good shows I’d like to watch but every 4 out of 5 times I have to uninstall/ reinstall, unplug the tv, unplug the router, reset the apple app.. it’s ridiculous. It will give me a reason that I don’t have an Internet connection then I go on in and check my connection and it’s fine and everything else is working except Apple. I just canceled recently and then I wanted to watch something so I started a new trial and a trial is about to end and I’m not sure that I wanna pay.


[Edited by Moderator]

May 16, 2024 6:50 AM in response to quarkpt

That does not help any for people who do not have anything except for a streaming player or a smart TV. I’m glad it works for you though. I have tried all the shows on my list for Apple TV and it freezes and lags like it’s a slideshow from the minute. The TV show comes up, but all of my other streaming services are working fine. The other responses it doesn’t seem like Apple once to figure it out and make their stuff work, right. Maybe it takes enough people to drop the service and then start losing money before they start paying attention to technical issues.

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Apple TV+ Buffering Constantly and only Apple TV+

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