YouTube TV Down? Here’s the Fix

Are you planning to watch live TV, but YouTube TV servers are down at the moment? 

YouTube TV is one of the latest offerings of Google, which allows users to stream premium TV channels online for a lower price. After its release in 2017, YouTube TV has gained over 2 million subscribers in Q4 of 2019. 

With the number of users steadily growing, Google is doing everything it can to prepare its servers for more users in the future. However, occasional downtimes and errors still occur on the platform, which is inevitable for most websites and applications. 

Most of the time, problems on YouTube TV’s servers are only fixable on their end, but there are known remedies to do on your side that can alleviate issues on the platform. 

Today, we’re going to show you a few tips and tricks that you can do if YouTube TV servers are down. 

Let’s begin!

1. Check YouTube TV’s Servers. 

The first thing you should do if YouTube TV is not working is to check their servers’ status. You can use third-party websites like Downdetector to view the current status of YouTube TV and the issues it has encountered for the last 24 hours. 

You can also visit YouTube’s official Twitter page, where they post updates and news regarding the platform.  

After confirming that YouTube TV’s servers are down, proceed to the listed methods below to address the issue. 

2. Turn Off VPN. 

VPNs or virtual private networks are services that provide security on your local network. It masks your IP address and filters the data going out of your device to prevent hackers and other entities from using it. 

However, this process can disrupt your network connection and cause delays. If YouTube TV is not working, try to disable your VPN first and see if the problem goes away. 

You can also check our guide in fixing YouTube TV videos that keep on buffering if you cannot stream live TV on your device. 

3. Restart Your Device. 

If the YouTube TV app is not working correctly, the problem could be on your device. There are times when errors occur on your operating system, and it needs to restart to refresh its resources. 

On Android, you can restart your device by doing the following: 

  1. First, press and hold the Power button of your device to access the Options screen. 
  2. Now, tap on Restart to reboot your Android device. 
  3. Wait for the process to finish, which can take a couple of seconds, depending on your device. 
YouTube TV servers down

For iOS users, see the steps below to restart your device.

  1. On your device, locate the Power button and hold it down until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ screen shows up. 
  2. Now, drag the slider until your screen turns off. 
  3. Lastly, tap the Power button once to restart your iOS device. 
YouTube TV servers down

If you are on a Smart TV, check out the guide below to restart it. 

  1. First, get your TV’s remote and press the Power button to turn it off. 
  2. Now, unplug your TV’s power cable from the outlet and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before plugging it back in. 
  3. Lastly, press the Power button again on your remote to restart it. 

Once done, go back to YouTube TV and check if the problem is solved. 

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5. Power Cycle Your TV, Chromecast, and Other Streaming Devices. 

If you suddenly experience YouTube TV issues, a temporary error could’ve happened on your device during run time. To fix this, try to power cycle your device.  

Power cycling helps reset any data that may have gotten corrupted on your device.

  1. First, make sure that your device is completely turned off. 
  2. Now, unplug its power cable and remove the battery if possible. 
  3. Wait for about 2-3 minutes before putting back the battery or plugging back in the power cable. 
  4. Once done, turn on your device again. 

After the power cycle, go back to YouTube TV and try using it normally to check if any errors would still occur. 

6. Check for Updates. 

YouTube releases updates on their app from time to time to address issues that could’ve occurred and to keep the application optimized for most devices. 

If you haven’t updated the YouTube TV app for a long time, try to check for an update now. 

On Android, you can update the YouTube TV app by doing the following: 

  1. First, open Google Play Store on your Android device and tap the Menu button inside the search bar. 
  2. Now, tap on My Apps & Games to check for possible updates. 
  3. Lastly, tap the Update button if there’s an available update for YouTube TV

For iOS users, see the steps below to update YouTube TV. 

  1. On your device, open the App Store from your home screen. 
  2. Now, tap on your Profile icon. This should prompt the App Store to check for possible updates on all the applications installed on your device. 
  3. If available, tap the Update button next to YouTube TV to install it. 

If you are using an Android TV, follow the guide below to update YouTube TV. 

  1. First, open the Play Store on your Android TV
  2. Now, search for YouTube TV
  3. Lastly, click on the Update button if there’s an available update. 

For Smart TVs, updating the YouTube TV app may vary depending on the model of your device. Check your user manual to know the exact steps to update applications on your TV.

7. Check and Reset Your Internet. 

Problems on YouTube TV can also be due to a slow internet connection. Since YouTube TV is an online platform, a stable internet connection is needed for YouTube TV to function normally. 

To check your network’s status, try to run a speed test using Fast.com to measure its current upload and download speed. 

YouTube TV servers down

If the result shows that your connection is running slow, try to restart your router to refresh the link with your service provider’s servers. 

YouTube TV servers down

Once done, re-run the test to see if the restart solved the problem. Contact your ISP immediately if you continue to encounter issues with your network. 

8. Delete YouTube TV and Reinstall It. 

The installation files of YouTube TV may have encountered a severe error that an update can no longer fix. If this is the case, the only option you have is to delete the app and reinstall a fresh copy of YouTube TV. 

On Android, follow the steps below to reinstall YouTube TV. 

  1. First, go to your home screen and locate the YouTube TV app. 
  2. Now, tap and hold its app icon until you see the selection screen. 
  3. Lastly, tap on Uninstall to delete the YouTube TV app. 
YouTube TV servers down

If you are on an iOS device, check out the guide below to reinstall YouTube TV. 

  1. On your home screen, find the YouTube TV app. 
  2. Now, hold down its app icon until the options screen appears. 
  3. Finally, tap on Remove App to delete it. 
YouTube TV servers down

For Smart TVs, follow the guide below to reinstall YouTube TV. 

  1. On your TV, navigate to the home screen and find the YouTube TV app. 
  2. After that, highlight the app and press the Options/More button on your remote. 
  3. Lastly, select Uninstall and press Ok to continue. 

After deleting the YouTube TV app, visit the App Store or Play Store and reinstall the app from there. 

9. Check for Compatibility or Use An Alternative. 

The YouTube TV app is only available on a particular version or model of Smart TVs and streaming devices. If the app is not working on your device, try to verify if your model is included on the list of devices supported by YouTube TV

If your device is not supported by YouTube TV, you can also use streaming devices like Roku or Chromecast to play your favorite live channels on YouTube TV. 

10. Update Your Device. 

Your manufacturer may have released a new version of its operating system to support the YouTube TV app. If you have an old unit, try to check for software updates and hope that your manufacturer released a new version compatible with YouTube Tv. 

  1. First, open your Smart TV and navigate to its Settings page. 
  2. Now, go to About and open the Software Version tab. 
  3. Finally, click on Check for Updates and follow the on-screen prompts to install the latest version if available. 

Keep in mind that the steps mentioned above may vary depending on the model and brand of Smart TV you are using. 

This ends our guide on what to do if YouTube TV servers are down. If you know other ways to fix this issue, please share them in the comment section below. We’d be glad to give you credit for the solution once we update this article. 

 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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