Google, in the United States, has combined all the local and regional cable networks into one platform through YouTube TV. Being a cheaper option, this has completely changed the way Americans consume television.
Unquestionably, YouTube TV is one of the most innovative ways to enjoy watching local American television stuff on the go. However, recently every second subscriber has been facing a YouTube TV playback error that causes severe inconvenience and a bad watching experience.
If you don’t know what to do if YouTube TV is not working, this post is for you. Read this post to get the best resolution for fixing playback errors on YouTube TV.
What is YouTube TV?
If you are a random visitor to this web page, FYI, here is a short introduction to YouTube TV. YouTube needs no introduction but only a few of us know about YouTube TV. YouTube TV, as you can guess, is YouTube’s subscription-based streaming service where you can watch live TV, sports, news, and much more entertaining stuff from more than 70+ local cable networks and regional channels in America. Using a trusted VPN, even people outside America may access YouTube TV.
From local news to sports and entertainment, everything is available for live streaming 24×7 on YouTube TV which is currently operational only in the U.S. It covers popular TV channels like FOX, ESPN, and NBC and will let you stream from anywhere anytime you go. Basically, it is a digital replacement of the local cable operator network. And do you know what the best part is? It is cheaper than a conventional cable operator subscription.
Easiest Ways To Fix YouTube TV Playback Error
Besides critical technical errors, some types of errors can be resolved quickly by doing just a few simple things. YouTube TV playback error is one such error that you may get rid of even without having much technical expertise. Here I am suggesting all the possible ways using which you can try to get out of the trouble of playback error on YouTube TV.
Reinstall YouTube TV Application
The first and foremost thing you should do is uninstall your YouTube TV application on your device. Before you reinstall the App on your device, check your internet connection. Turn on the flight mode and turn it off again after a minute. Also, clear all the cache files stored in the YouTube TV folder. Now, reinstall the application. And then open the YouTube TV app to check if the error still persists. Congratulations, if the YouTube TV playback error is gone. If not, no problem, read the next fix.
Check Your Device Internet Connection Speed
Do you know the minimum internet speed needed to watch YouTube TV seamlessly? It’s 5 Mbps. If your device’s internet speed is lesser than 5 to 7 Mbps, you should upgrade your internet network provider to ensure the supply of minimum speed. Upgrading to a speedy network package will let you enjoy all the internet-connected services seamlessly. So, it is a win-win! For your ease, I am giving here the details of the internet connection speed for different programs on YouTube TV. This data is tabulated after confirmation from the official YouTube TV help.
| Download Speed | What You Can Enjoy Watching And Downloading on YouTube TV |
| 25 Mbps+ | Enjoy watching all the stuff in 4K quality. |
| 13 Mbps+ | Enable to stream all the videos in HD quality on multiple devices on a single network connection. |
| 7 Mbps+ | Able to stream only one HD video at a time. Buffering issues may arise if multiple devices are connected to the same network or more than one video is played at a time. |
| 3 Mbps+ | Would be able to stream only standard-definition video. |
| Below 3 Mbps+ | YouTube TV may run slow and often throw buffering issues. |
Check If Your Device is Compatible
There is no point if you are trying hard to get YouTube TV to run on an incompatible device. So, I would personally recommend checking if your device is compatible with the YouTube TV application. If it is not, either upgrade your device or switch back to the local cable service provider. The choice is yours!
Give Access to Your Location
Since YouTube TV is accessible from a certain location only, it requires access to your current location for smooth functioning and to ensure that you will get the right network in your location. Don’t worry, it is no harm if you allow access of your location to YouTube TV. After all, Google is known for its security and privacy adherence. As per the policy of YouTube TV, you may watch and record only programs aired on affiliate networks available in your location. You won’t be able to record anything outside your home area.
Wipe Out All The Cache And Cookies
I think those who are tech-savvy must be doing this every now and then to keep their phone always running fast. And that’s quite intelligent yeah! You should clean and clear all the cache files from a web browser and from your device also. If there is any duplicate files and junk data, clean them as well.
Problem May Lie In The YouTube TV Itself
If nothing above works, there is a high chance that the problem lies in the YouTube TV Application itself. If this is true, all you can do is contact the help desk of YouTube TV online. You will surely get a resolution. Besides that, you can do nothing but wait.
When You Change The Device or Password
YouTube TV playback error may also occur when you change the password of your account or change the device. However, this is not always happening, but there is a possibility that this could be a possible reason behind the playback error on YouTube TV. In this case, you may log out of the application and log in again with the new password for verification. You should also log out from other devices if you are logging in through multiple devices.
Update Your Web Browser at the Earliest
If you are browsing YouTube TV through a web browser either from a computer or mobile phone, you should have updated the web browser to the latest version. Doing this will not only help you to get rid of YouTube TV playback error but updating the latest version of the web browser will smoothen all your online activity, if you prefer surfing the internet through the web browser. As per the official YouTube TV Help page, users should prefer Google’s Chrome web browser for the best YouTube TV experience.
Fix YouTube TV Playback Error When You Are Using Smart TV, Media Player, or Any Game Console
If everything is fine, internet connection, device compatibility, app update, and everything else, then it may be an issue from the manufacturer’s side. Open other applications on your smart TV, media player, or gaming console, and compare the functioning of applications. If the same issue occurs, it is evident that the problem is with the device or console rather than the YouTube TV. To resolve this, get connected with the manufacturer of your device.
How To Confirm Home Area on YouTube TV?
In case, if YouTube TV’s current playback area is showing unknown, you should check the area settings on your YouTube TV account.
Here is how you can do this:
- Open the YouTube TV app.
- Click on your profile photo.
- Then go to the ‘Location’ option.
- There you may check and update your home area.
Remember, you may only update your home area location twice in one year. Also, you must be physically present in the area which you are updating on the YouTube TV app. It is worth noting here that YouTube TV will discontinue and start throwing home area errors if you would not use YouTube TV once in 3 months in your home area.
Conclusion
In this post, I have taken into account all the possible solutions that may 100% work to get rid of YouTube TV playback error. So, now you know very well what to do if YouTube TV is not working.
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