Wondering why youtube is not working on tv? YouTube TV is one of the best streaming services, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have problems from time to time that you’ll have to fix. As a frequent user of YouTube TV, I almost never have problems, but I have seen the dreaded “playback error” message a few times.
Here are the most common problems you might have with YouTube TV while streaming:
Most of the time, “playback error” is the problem with YouTube TV.
Most of the problems you have with YouTube TV will be caused by a picture that says “Playback error” and has a small picture above it. Something like what’s in the picture:
It should say why the error is happening under “Playback error.” In the example above, my YouTube TV account was playing on more than three devices at the same time. You’ll also see a set of numbers and letters below that tell you there was an error.
Possible reasons why YouTube TV errors happen and how to fix them
There are many things that can cause the playback error, but these are the most common ones:
1. Bad internet connection:
For YouTube TV to work well, you need at least 5 Mbps. You might get a playback error message if your internet is down or just too slow. Before you start streaming, make sure your internet is working.
Too many users:
YouTube TV can handle up to three streams at once. If you try to play more than three streams at once, you’ll get an error message. This means you can’t stream at the same time on your TV, phone, laptop, and tablet. You can watch three streams at once on three different devices. If you give your login information to too many people, this error will show up often.
TV is not compatible:
YouTube TV works with the newest smart TVs and most devices that stream media. Make sure that your device works here.
Login verification: If you just changed your account’s password and haven’t put it into the device you’re using to stream, you’ll get an error message telling you to put in the new password.
Channel issue:
In some cases, certain channels will be out of service. This is not a mistake on your part; it’s a problem with the channel. You can’t do much but wait for the channel to come back online.
User Location:
When you travel, you might not be able to access your usual local channels. For instance, when I went to California recently, I couldn’t get my Utah channels.
YouTube TV may not be working. You can’t do much about it except wait for it to go back up.
Other possible problems
Users have reported a number of other problems with YouTube TV in the past few weeks and months. The good news is that most of these problems can be fixed, which is great since we really like this service. In fact, we’ve found that many of the first problems were caused by the fact that YouTube TV itself didn’t work when it first came out. Recent problems have been caused by incompatibility.
If you’re having trouble with YouTube TV, one of the first things you should do is check the compatibility site. For example, if you want to use YouTube TV on an older Apple TV, the compatibility site makes it clear that you do need the fourth-generation version that supports 4K.
You should also check to see if the problem could be with your Internet connection, router, or smart TV. This means that the problem could be with your own devices, settings, or connection.
What if you want to access the service with a VPN? Well, the real answer is that it depends on the VPN. We recommend using a VPN that stays up-to-date and works reliably, and you should stay away from VPNs that aren’t as good and could cause problems.
Other recommended streaming services
You’re not happy with YouTube TV? There are a lot of other streaming services that you can use to watch as much as you want.
If you like to watch cable or satellite TV, our list of the best TV service providers can help you figure out which one is right for you.
Here are some of our favorite services for streaming.
Get a different internet provider
It’s possible that your internet connection is the cause of the problem with your YouTube TV stream. After all, the speed of your Internet data is what makes your streaming go.
Most places only have a few Internet Service Providers (ISPs), so it won’t take you long to compare what you’re paying to what other ISPs in your area offer. You could save money and improve your internet connection at the same time. Viasat and AT&T, for example, have large data caps that are great for streaming.
What YouTube TV issues are you experiencing?
Most likely, you’re having trouble with YouTube TV because of your internet connection, because you have too many people signed in at once, or because you don’t have a device that works with YouTube TV. If you do all of those things, you should be able to stream on YouTube TV without any problems.
