Spinning Wheel on Disney Plus? Here’s The Fix

Just seeing a spinning wheel on Disney Plus when watching a movie or TV show? 

If you love watching Disney and Marvel shows, you probably have a Disney Plus subscription. It is an on-demand streaming platform developed by The Walt Disney Company to make its shows accessible on the go. 

For the most part, the platform functions smoothly on any device, but unexpected problems can happen at any time. One of the most common problems on Disney Plus is the blue spinning wheel issue. 

Users have reported this problem on several subreddit pages, where they keep seeing a spinning wheel icon on their screens when trying to play a movie or TV show. 

Most of the time, the spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus is caused by faulty servers or a slow internet connection. Random bugs and glitches that occur on the app or your device could also be the culprit. 

If you experience the same issue on Disney Plus, keep reading. 

Today, we’ll show you a few methods that we’ve found effective in fixing the spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus. 

Let’s get started!

1. Check Disney Plus Servers. 

Whenever you experience playback issues on Disney Plus, the first thing you should always do is check its servers. Given that the app is an online streaming service, it relies on its servers to deliver its contents. 

You can use third-party sites like Downdetector to view Disney Plus servers’ current status and the past issues they encountered. 

Disney Plus Server Status

If the servers are down, the best option you have for now is to wait. Check-in from time to time so that you’ll be updated once the servers are back and running. 

2. Lower the Stream Quality. 

Playing high-quality videos on the go may require a lot of internet bandwidth. However, if you are using cellular data or have a slow internet connection, Disney Plus shows may not load, which explains the spinning wheel problem. 

To fix this, try to change your playback settings to reduce the load on your network. 

Check out the guide below to lower the playback quality on Disney Plus: 

  1. First, open the Disney Plus app on your device. 
  2. Now, tap on your Avatar on the bottom navigation bar and open the App Settings
  3. After that, tap on Wi-Fi Data Usage and change it to Save Data. Do the same for Cellular Data Usage
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus
  1. Finally, go back to App Settings and open the Video Quality tab under Downloads. Change the quality to Standard or Medium afterwards. 
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

Once done, go back to the show you are trying to watch and check if the problem is solved. 

3. Re-Login to Your Account. 

Random bugs and glitches can occur on Disney Plus, which can corrupt your user data. If this happens, unexpected errors may surface in your current session. 

To fix this, sign out of your Disney Plus account and log back in after several minutes to reload your user data. 

On Android and iOS, you can log out of your Disney Plus account by doing the following steps: 

  1. On your device, go to the app drawer and launch Disney Plus
  2. Now, tap on your Avatar from the bottom navigation bar. 
  3. Lastly, tap on Log Out
Log Out Disney on Mobile

For browsers, check out the steps below to sign out your Disney Plus account: 

  1. First, access your Disney Plus account using your preferred browser. 
  2. After that, hover the cursor to your Avatar to open the drop-down menu. 
  3. Finally, click on Log Out to sign out of your account. 
Log Out Disney on Browser

If you are using other devices, proceed to the steps below to log out of your account: 

  1. On your browser, open Disney Plus and point the mouse cursor on your Avatar
  2. Next, click on the Account tab. 
  3. Lastly, click on Log Out of All Devices and follow the on-screen prompts to confirm the action. 
Log Out All Devices

Once done, allow 2 to 3 minutes to pass before logging back into your account. Play another show on the platform to check if the spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus is solved. 

4. Check and Reset Your Internet. 

A slow or unstable network connection could also be the reason for the spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus. To check your network’s status, run a speed test using Fast.com to measure its current upload and download bandwidth. 

Speed Test

Do note that Disney Plus requires a minimum internet speed of 5 Mbps to stream HD movies without problems. 

If the result shows that your network connection is slow, restart your router to re-establish the link with your ISP’s servers. 

Restart Router

Once done, run another test on your network to check if the restart worked. On the other hand, contact your ISP to upgrade your current subscription or ask them to fix their service if your plan goes beyond the minimum speed requirement. 

5. Turn Off VPN. 

Having a stable internet connection is vital on any platform when streaming videos online. If you have VPN services running on your device, turn them off before using Disney Plus. 

Some VPNs don’t work that well and could cause interruptions and delays over your network. This will make it difficult for your device to communicate with Disney Plus’ servers and won’t load the show you are trying to watch. 

Turn Off VPN

On the other hand, you can also use other services like PureVPN if you are not comfortable going online without protection. PureVPN works well with most applications and keeps your internet connection stable. 

6. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies. 

Temporary data called caches and cookies are stored on your device locally to help browsers load up websites and their contents faster. However, these data can quickly accumulate over time and get corrupted. 

If this happens, expect multiple problems to occur on your browser and the sites you visit. 

To fix this, clear your browsing data to eliminate any corrupted files. Check out the steps below to delete your browser’s caches and cookies: 

  1. First, open your preferred browser and press the CTRL + H keys on your keyboard to open the History tab. 
  2. Now, click on the Clear Browsing Data button on the side menu. This will take you to a separate page. 
  3. After that, click on the Time Range tab and select All Time from the drop-down menu. 
  4. Lastly, ensure that caches and cookies are included in the process and hit the Clear Data button.
Clear Browsing Data

After clearing your browsing data, re-access your Disney Plus account and play another show to check if the problem is resolved. 

7. Try Another Browser. 

Your current browser could be experiencing temporary issues and could not load any movies or TV shows at the moment. In this case, we suggest using another browser and see if the problem persists. 

Ideally, try using search browsers with many users like Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. These browsers use render engines that are highly optimized for most websites and rarely encounter problems. 

If you still see a spinning wheel on Disney Plus when playing a movie or TV show, proceed to the following method below to address the problem. 

8. Run Malwarebytes. 

Do you experience other problems on your device besides the spinning wheel on Disney Plus? Your system could be suffering from a malware or virus attack. 

To confirm this, download Malwarebytes on your device and use its full system scan feature. This will search your entire storage for infected files and remove them automatically without the need of lifting a single finger. 

It is available for most systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. 

9. Clear Disney Plus App Data (Android). 

Android devices have more control over their application data compared to other operating systems.  If you experience Disney Plus problems, some of its app data may have gotten corrupted while in use. 

In this case, follow the steps below to clear its app data and eliminate any corrupted files: 

  1. On your device, open the Settings app from your app drawer. 
  2. Now, scroll down and access the Apps tab. 
  3. After that, tap on Disney Plus and open the Storage tab. 
  4. Lastly, tap the Clear Data button inside Disney Plus’ storage tab. 
Clear Data Disney Plus

Once done, restart Disney+ and play another show on the platform to check if the problem is fixed. 

10. Update Disney Plus. 

Disney releases timely updates on their application to ensure that errors are getting patched and the platform is compatible with most devices. However, if you haven’t updated Disney Plus for a long time, now is the time to do so. 

On Android, follow the guide below to update Disney Plus: 

  1. First, open the Google Play Store on your device and tap on the Menu button inside the search bar. 
  2. After that, prompt your device to check for updates by tapping My Apps & Games
  3. If there’s an available update for Disney Plus, tap the Update button to install the latest version. 
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

For iOS devices, you can update Disney Plus by doing the following:

  1. On your home screen, find the App Store and launch it. 
  2. Now, tap on your Profile on the top right corner of your display. 
  3. Lastly, locate Disney Plus from the list of applications with available updates and tap the Update button. 
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

If you are using a PS4, check out the steps below to update Disney Plus: 

  1. First, access your PS4’s main screen and select Disney Plus from the list. 
  2. After that, press the Options button on your controller and select Check for Updates
  3. Finally, press the O or X button on your controller to confirm the action and follow the on-screen prompts to install the update. 
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

For other devices, visit Disney Plus’ Help Center and look for your system’s specific guide. 

After updating the app, go back to your account and check if the problem is fixed. 

11. Reinstall Disney Plus. 

If the update did not work, some of Disney Plus’ installation files might have gotten corrupted severely and no longer fixable. In this case, we recommend removing the app from your device and reinstall a working copy afterwards. 

On Android, you can remove Disney Plus by doing the following: 

  1. First, open your device and find Disney Plus from the app drawer. 
  2. After that, press and hold its application icon to access the options screen. 
  3. Lastly, tap on Uninstall to delete Disney Plus
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

For iOS users, follow the steps below to delete Disney Plus: 

  1. On your device, locate the Disney Plus app on your home screen. 
  2. Now, tap and hold its app icon to open the selection menu. 
  3. Finally, tap on Remove App to uninstall Disney Plus
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

If you are using a PS4, check out the steps below to uninstall Disney Plus: 

  1. First, find Disney Plus from your main screen and highlight it using your controller. 
  2. After that, press the Options button on your controller to access the side menu. 
  3. Finally, select Delete and press the O or X button to confirm. 
spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

For other devices, check the guides below to delete Disney Plus on your system: 

Once done, reinstall Disney Plus on your device and check if the spinning wheel issue is solved. 

12. Report the Problem to Disney Plus. 

If you still see a spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus after doing the methods above, you may be dealing with a much severe problem. 

Contact Disney Plus from their Help Center and report the problem you’ve been experiencing on their platform. Provide all necessary information, including your account details, the movie you are trying to watch, and the device you use to speed up the resolution process. 

spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus

You can also browse the guides from there and hope that you can find something useful. 

This brings us to the end of our guide in fixing the spinning wheel issue on Disney Plus. If you have any questions in mind, please leave a comment below, and we’ll do our best to accommodate them. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • John Sixto

    John is a staff writer at Saint and comes from a SAP ABAP development background. He has a Bachelors in IT and has been writing since 2018, with over 500 posts published. He loves to build PCs and has a deep curiosity in understanding how different components and configurations work. John spends hundreds of hours at a time, researching and testing the software and apps, before he proceeds to write about it. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

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