How to Fix YouTube TV App not working on Roku

In this guide, we will show you various methods to fix the issue of the YouTube TV app not working on Roku. When it comes to streaming your favorite video content, Roku has firmly established itself as among the best in this class. However, its relationship with Google is going through a rough patch as of late.

It all started when the streaming giants started sending out emails to users that they (Roku) aren’t ready to accept Google’s ‘unfair practices’ and hence the users might see the last of YouTube on the Roku platform. And it turned out to be somewhat true. Moreover, YouTube recently added a new feature named Go to YouTube TV that allowed users to access YouTube TV right from within the YouTube app itself.

However, this too doesn’t seem to work either. To round it out, poor quality streaming issues coupled with the “Can’t run channel” error message have made the matter worse. Fortunately, there do exist a few workarounds that have been known to fix the YouTube TV app not working on the Roku issue. And this guide shall make you aware of just that. So without further ado, let’s get started.

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How to Fix YouTube TV app not working on Roku

There isn’t any universal fix as such, You would have to try out each of the below-mentioned workarounds until one of them spells out success. In my case, re-installing the YouTube app did the trick. So if you want, you may break the queue and directly jump over to that method, or proceed in the below-mentioned order.

UPDATE 1: July 29th, 2021

Well, it has been close to two months since this issue began, but even to this date, there’s no hint of any positive news. According to the latest tweet from the official TeamYouTube, they are stating that “despite our best efforts, we’ve been unable to reach an agreement with Roku.” So, it’s time to put all the optimism to rest, atleast until further notice. The below-given workarounds are your best bet forward.

Soft Restart Roku

Before moving on with any advance fixes, let’s try out with the simplest one. More often than not, a simple restart is enough to fix most of the underlying issues. So you should consider restarting your Roku device, which could be done as follows:

1. First off, head over to System. Then go to System Restart > Restart.
2. If you are unable to do so, then press the Home button 5 times + up arrow + Rewind + Fast Forward.
3. Once it restarts, check whether the YouTube TV app not working on Roku issue has been fixed or not.

Hard Reboot Roku

If a soft reboot didn’t do the trick, then consider going for a hard reboot. Here’s how it could be done:

1. To begin with, power off your TV
2. Then unplug Roku from your TV.
3. Then unplug your TV from the socket.
4. Keep it in this state for a couple of minutes and then plug them (TV and Roku) back in.
5. Now check if it fixes the YouTube TV app not working on Roku issue.

Update Roku Firmware

it is always recommended that you should be running the latest version of the software. This is because, with each new update, developers fix underlying bugs and bring in system stability. So if you haven’t yet checked for or installed an update in quite a while, then now is the right time to do so.

1. So head over to Settings and go to System > System update.
2. Select Check now. If there is any pending update, download and install it right away.
3. Once done, restart the TV and see if it is able to fix the YouTube TV app not working on Roku issue.

Reset Network Connection

If Roku’s network connection gets disputed, or if the device’s network data gets corrupted, then it wouldn’t be able to establish a successful connection with any online app or service. To fix this issue, you would need to reset the network connection, which could be done as follows:

1.  Go to Settings followed by System.
2. Within that, select Advanced system settings.
3. Then chose Network Connection Reset.
4. The process will now begin and should only take a few seconds.
5. Once done, reconnect Roku with your wireless network.
6. Then verify if the YouTube TV app not working on Roku issue has been fixed or not.

Re-Install YouTube

Uninstalling and then reinstalling the app has been known to spell out success for various users. Upon doing so, the app would be carrying out all its functionalities from scratch and it would also get a fresh environment to work upon. So refer to the below steps to remove YouTube from Roku and then re-install it.

1. Go to your Home screen and select the YouTube app.
2. Then press the * button on your remote.
3. Select the Remove Channel option.
   
4. After that, select Remove in the confirmation box. YouTube will now be removed from Roku.
5. Now go to Settings>System>System restart to restart Roku. Once it boots up, it’s time to re-add the channel.
6. So search for YouTube from the Search Channel section.
   
7. Once you find the app, select it and hit the Add Channel button. It will be re-added to your TV.
8. Launch it and verify if the YouTube TV app not working on Roku issue has been fixed or not.

Factory Reset Roku

If none of the aforementioned methods managed to work out, then you would have to opt for the nuclear route. This involves factory reset the device. Here’s how it could be carried out:

1. Start off by heading to the Settings page.
2. Then go to System > Advanced system settings.
3. Select the Factory Reset option and then wait for the process to complete.
4. Once done, re-install YouTube and check if it was able to fix the YouTube TV app not working on Roku issue.

Cast Roku via Smartphone

Well, in case factory resetting doesn’t spell out success either, then you could consider casting YouTube TV from your phone and access it using your Roku remote. While this is just a workaround, but still a bird in hand is worth two in the bush!

So these were some of the methods to fix the YouTube TV app not working on the Roku issue. At the time of writing, there isn’t any universal fix as such. so you would have to be on the behest of these workarounds. With that said, if you know of any such tweak that has worked for you but isn’t included in this guide, then do let us know in the comments section below.