Roku says it’s working to fix issues that users have been reporting following its 10.5 software update. TechCrunch reported the problems earlier on Monday, citing posts on Reddit and Roku forums where users said that apps like HBO Max, ESPN, Disney Plus, and more wouldn’t allow them to watch any video content after updating the OS on their smart TVs.
According to Roku, “certain older Roku TV models or older Roku Ultra players” are affected by the problematic update. In a post on its forum, the company instructs users with Roku Ultra models 4660, 4661, 4662, or 4670, and users with a Roku TV model 7XXX to manually check for a software update, and tells owners of other devices to subscribe to the thread for future details.
System update got you down? We’re aware of a small set of users on older Roku TVs or Roku Ultra who are experiencing issues after the OS 10.5 release and are working quickly to resolve. See our realtime updates here: https://t.co/fZYqfsgNBS
— Roku Support (@RokuSupport) November 22, 2021
TechCrunch says Roku has been having users roll back their OS to a previous version on a case-by-case basis, after the user contacts support with information about their devices. While at least one Reddit user has reported seeing a prompt to “upgrade” from 10.5 to 10.0, Roku doesn’t mention that it’ll be widely offering a downgrade in its posts on Twitter or its forums.
While Roku users have also reported issues with streaming using the YouTube TV app, that particular issue doesn’t appear to be limited to just one platform — Android Police reports that YouTube TV users have been having issues across almost every device, from streaming boxes like Apple TVs, Amazon Fire sticks, and even Google’s own Chromecasts, to consoles and smart TVs (though it notes that iOS and Android users seem unaffected). YouTube’s support team initially said that it was working on a fix for the issue on Roku devices, but later said that the company was looking into the issue on other devices as well.
Sorry to hear about the trouble – we’ve seen similar reports of YouTube TV freezing intermittently, and our team is looking into the issue. Mind sharing what device (model) you’re using, and if this is happening to all programs? Appreciate your patience in the meantime.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) November 22, 2021
While it’s certainly odd that the two issues appear to be happening at the same time, they don’t seem to be related given that YouTube TV users are seeing freezes regardless of device. Thankfully, both companies appear to be working on ironing out the problems. Roku is actively updating its support post with instructions to check for updates, and Android Police notes that YouTube TV is getting fewer outage reports on DownDetector.com.
While the fix for Roku users may solve their problems with Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, their YouTube TV troubles may not be over — Roku and Google are actively feuding over the YouTube TV not being available on the platform’s store, and Google has threatened to stop distributing its regular YouTube app on Rokus as well come December.
