Apple TV 4K stuck in restart loop

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Level 1

8 points

Apple TV 4K stuck in restart loop

I have an Apple TV 4K 64GB.

recently it has become sluggish to respond to remote inputs, and when launching an app I get a grey screen with nothing else inside. Often I cannot back out of it, or the screen shows a small circular progress indicator and then I’m kicked back to the choose account screen.

I’ve tried restarting, to no avail. I am trying to reset it now, but it is stuck in some kind of loop and the light continues to blink without ever completing.

Apple TV 4K, tvOS 26

Posted on Jan 16, 2026 6:15 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Urquhart1244

Level 10

146,316 points

Jan 18, 2026 4:17 AM in response to mika171

mika171 wrote:

Apple TV 4K (no USB port) stuck in blinking LED boot loop — no user recovery possible. Is this a known failure mode?

If you see a continuously flashing status light on Apple TV 4K, then should contact Apple directly about it. It likely needs servicing using tools that others wouldn’t have. Get service - Apple Support. (Don’t ask for repair, ask for servicing, as that's quite different.)

From: If you see a warning symbol on Apple TV - Apple Support

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Answer 2

vazandrew

Level 8

40,840 points

Jan 17, 2026 5:22 PM in response to alto_1

They have the tools to run a restore in the event that it is unresponsive, if it is deemed to then be a hardware issue they would replace if under warranty or provide a fee if it is outside of that.

Unlikely to be the software itself otherwise a big portion of users would be experiencing it. What does tend to happen is that there is an interruption during the update which causes it to display these sort of symptoms.

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Answer 3

alto_1 Author

Level 1

8 points

Jan 17, 2026 4:13 PM in response to vazandrew

I tried all of that. I went to the Apple Store today and they told me they can’t fix it either.

I’m kind of ticked that Apple’s own software update probably caused this problem and I now have to replace it.

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Answer 4

vazandrew

Level 8

40,840 points

Jan 17, 2026 10:54 AM in response to alto_1

You can try disconnecting power and HDMI and then reconnect to see if that helps. Otherwise, you may need to take it to Apple as they have tools to do a restore when issues arise.

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Answer 5

mika171

Level 1

4 points

Jan 18, 2026 1:05 AM in response to alto_1

Apple TV 4K (no USB port) stuck in blinking LED boot loop — no user recovery possible. Is this a known failure mode? Same happened to me. Assuming automated sw update bricked the device.

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