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Can not rent or purchase movies after 6.0 Apple TV update, what strategies have been used recently to successfuly rectify this problem?

I will provide a brief over view of what happened and what I have thus far tried:

I updated Apply TV software approximately two weeks ago based on a software update prompt. Afterwards, I experienced varying problems: requests to enter my three digit secuty code for my credit card only to be asked to resubmit or an inability to have the unit access the itunes store to proceed to rent or purchase a movie - would be sent back to the original screen to rent or pruchase a specific movie.


The following strategies (with reasons or rationale) were used to reectify the problem:

1. I repeatedly restarted the unit as well as reset the unit (updating software) - to verify software update was not corrupted;

2. I reentered my credit card information in my apple account - to verify apple account;

3. I successfully tested my apple account via my computer to successfully purchase music via iTunes; to verify account was working with iTunes store;

4. I spent two hours with apple tech support (515876498) to go thru 1-3 with no success - to obtain tech apple support;

5. I went to an apple store and had the unit directly connected to a computer to wipe it clean and update the software - a proscribed apple stretegy to address the problem;

6. I tested my apple id on the apple tv box in the store on the apple store network and continued to encounter the problem - to determine if my network at home might be the culprit. Apple store techs submitted the problem to their software support team thinking it was a sogtware glitch in the recent software upate, this was a week ago and still no answer.

7. I reviewed home network configurations - to ensure there were no firewall blocks.. yet if the problem existed in the Apple store, it would appear the problem is something else.

8. I connected the apply TV unit via ethernet to my home network - to test wifi versus direction connection.

9. I connected iTunes store support and they indicate that others are able to rent or pruchase movies after the softweare update.


I am currently stumpted as to what variable I have not tested to rectify this problem. I have to the best of my abilities tested hardware, software, network and account management settings.


The problem still persists.

AppleTV 2

Posted on Oct 14, 2013 9:45 AM

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63 replies

Oct 15, 2013 10:26 AM in response to griffnet

Same problem here but with only one of our accounts. One of our accounts works perfectly fine but the other one has the issue described. Both accounts have same settings; both are for Canadian store; etc...


I can switch accounts on the appletv back and forth and always exact same thing. One works, the other does not. Tested on multiple appletvs at different locations (so different hardward, different network/routers/etc). Always identical results. The only way we can watch the paid content on the "bad" account was to downgrade one of the appletvs back to version 5.x.


So it seems it's not only software bug in Apple TV but also has something to do with certain accounts only...

Oct 15, 2013 11:25 AM in response to griffnet

Same problem here. We click on Play, then the screen changes to "Loading...", and loops back to the "Preview / Play / More" screen. The sad thing is that my little children expect to be able to choose from their countless (purchased) movies and TV shows and watch them immediately. What is the point of purchasing if we are unable to watch?


One would expect "updates" to be equivalent to "improvements", but apparently this is not necessarily the case. It seems unprofesional and not something I would have expected from Apple. From now on, when this is hopefully fixed, I am turning off automatic updates and will only perform an update when Apple TV stops working.


...and I am not in Canada.

Oct 15, 2013 11:47 AM in response to griffnet

I too have the same problem try to watch my purchased movies, tvshows and music everytime a click play it will begin to load before taking me back to previous page. Have tried reseting and rebooting apple tv box many times and still no access to my purchases. Extremely frustrating as a recently spent £100 between music, movies and tv shows and cant access any of it ! Get the finger out apple !

Oct 15, 2013 12:06 PM in response to ghosty89

Having this problem also (Lancashire, UK)! 😟


I unfortunately had a massive issue a few weeks back qwhere my external HDD died and I lost everything (was in the middle of backing it up) so all iTunes purchases are being listented to (music) and watched (TV shows & movies) via the iCloud and my ATV2


All of a sudden (yesterday evening) I'm not able to watch any of it; it takes me to the play screen, I press play, it looks like its loading and then takes me straight back to the play/preview menu etc...


I've reset, restored and to no avail 😟 Getting VERY frustrated with it now so would like an idea s to whats happened and what Apple are/will be doing about it?


I've close to £1k UK Sterling of purchases that I'm unable to access 😟

Oct 15, 2013 12:11 PM in response to Winston Churchill

Winston, I am not from canada, i reside in the states.


In addion, have tested under a variety of conditions wile holdig mos variables constant and changing one arabe (e.g. swape harware tes under dfferenet work envionmnts, tested under different Apple accounts, different credit cards, etc). Unless you can provide empirical results of different senerios, you only provide an inionion which, granted maybe valid but would appear to not have much backing.


I have been told by Apple enginers that these problems have impacted people in different ways and some have not been impacted. While it might not have impacted you this does not imply your situation is the same as others.

Oct 15, 2013 12:25 PM in response to ghosty89

Does apple know that this is a problem for so many people?

Are they actually trying to sovle or come up with some kind of solution to rectify this problem?

Does apple even care that so many of theyre customers are unable to use they apple devices?

I have bein constantly trying to get some sort of statement from apple with no avail !

Oct 15, 2013 12:29 PM in response to griffnet

I'm not disputing that you and others aren't experiencing a problem, I'm just not convinced the problem lies with the Apple TV software. As I say, some only have a problem with one account and not another on the same equipment, others only have it with some content and not all content from the same account, others appear to have resolved it by changing location/region settings.


Of course a problem is still a problem and obviously frustrating, however if it's a software issue it needs an update, but if it isn't it needs something else. When I mentioned I'd only seen the issue reported in Canada! I meant in addition to the US, but I now see reports from elsewhere too.

Can not rent or purchase movies after 6.0 Apple TV update, what strategies have been used recently to successfuly rectify this problem?

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