Over the last week, dozens of Roku users have complained that the YouTube TV app keeps freezing on their streaming stick or smart TV. But this problem seems unrelated to Roku and Google’s ongoing dispute—instead, a recent software update or server-side bug may be to blame.
Update, 11/23/21: New reports suggest that YouTube TV is having trouble on all platforms, including the web. It seems that this is Google’s problem, not Roku’s. That said, Roku is pushing an update to fix broken apps on its devices, and this update could improve YouTube TV performance (although I kinda doubt it).
Roku recently removed YouTube TV from its app store. Existing users who downloaded the app before April 30th can continue using it, but new Roku customers must access YouTube TV from a dedicated tab in the basic YouTube app. (By the way, the regular YouTube app is leaving Roku on December 9th.)
Sorry to hear about this – just to clarify, are you having this issue on Roku? If yes, we're already aware of this issue, and our team is currently working on a fix. We'll let you know as soon as we receive an update. Let us know if it's something different.
— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) November 20, 2021
Most Roku customers blame this freezing problem on a recent OS update. But Google may be responsible here, as both the YouTube TV app and the basic YouTube app’s live TV tab are affected by this bug.
Of course, we’re just speculating. Roku hasn’t commented on this problem, and while Google says it’s working on a fix, it hasn’t explained what’s going on.
If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber with a Roku, you’ll just have to wait for someone to fix this problem. Please don’t uninstall the YouTube TV app from your Roku device (if you still have it), as you can no longer re-install it from the Roku app store.
Source: Roku Community via 9to5Google
