Streaming services today have begun to turn into a real trend. As more and more users prefer streaming to regular classroom TV. It turns out that streaming services are much more convenient than regular TV because you can turn on any video on demand instead of waiting for it to show on a schedule. However, for fans of regular TV, there are also streaming services. For example, YouTube TV brings together many of the most popular TV channels in the United States. You can access them all and more on-demand content with Internet streaming.
Recently, however, some users have complained about problems with YouTube TV. The main problem with YouTube TV is that it can buffer endlessly. Usually, problems with this arise due to an unstable Internet connection. However, you can try some simple fixes to fix this bug quickly. Problems with your browser or device can also cause errors. Let’s look at the most common causes and their fixes.
What is YouTube TV?
Let’s start by figuring out what YouTube TV is and how it works. This will help you better understand why it can take a long time to buffer and whether you need it. If you’re not interested in detailed information about YouTube TV, you can skip to the next section of this article to find detailed information about how to fix its problems.
YouTube TV is a streaming service from Google. Unlike their video hosting service, it doesn’t focus on video on demand. This streaming service gives users access to Internet television. With it, you can access your favorite channels online and record some shows and movies.
In addition, YouTube TV also gives users access to some videos on demand. It doesn’t seek to create competition for streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. YouTube TV is a competitor to services like Fibo TV. Also, what makes it different is that you can add family access for up to 5 users as a standard package. However, the service requires members of the same family to live in the same house to access the family features.
Why is YouTube TV might constantly buffering?
Let’s start by sorting out why YouTube TV can constantly buffer. As mentioned above, these are usually user-related problems, not YouTube TV problems. It could be a problem with your browser or modem. Also, sometimes there are problems related to your ISP. Let me list the most widespread problems one by one below:
Slow Internet connection
The most common problem with YouTube TV is an Internet problem. You may have a too-slow internet connection, or the signal is constantly interrupted. This can cause YouTube to buffer for a long time before it downloads the necessary data from the server to run your desired TV channel or video. So you’ll need fast Internet for YouTube TV to work.
Too many devices connected to your network
The same problem can be if you live in a house with many neighbors, all at the same time connected to the router and using the Internet. In this case, the connection speed drops drastically, and your YouTube TV may work with delays for buffering.
Problems with your browser or application.
You can stream YouTube TV using a Windows or Mac browser or the YouTube TV app for mobile devices or Smart TV. Sometimes problems can occur with the browser or app. They may not update properly or glitch due to errors in your system.
Problems with your Internet Service Provider
Sometimes your ISP may have problems providing access to some services or websites. In this case, you may also have problems with YouTube TV. Then you will find YouTube TV videos freezing or taking forever to load, upload, etc.
Problems with the YouTube TV server
Also, YouTube TV servers or servers that provide content for channels can have technical problems, and then all users or users in a particular region have problems. This does not happen often; usually, Google quickly fixes problems in its services, but this can also be a reason.
How to fix YouTube TV buffering?
Let’s examine what you can do to fix your YouTube TV download problems. I’ll give you a few fixes that you should try one by one to find one that helps you. To fix YouTube TV buffering, you need to:
Test the Internet
The first thing you should do is try to test your internet connection. As I mentioned, you’ll need a fast internet connection to download YouTube TV and use it comfortably. Google reports the following internet requirements when using YouTube TV:
- Up to 3 Mbps – Load and buffer can take a very long time.
- Over 3 Mbps – Enough for standard video quality.
- Over 7 Mbps – Enough to stream a single HD video. If many devices are on your network, video can start to buffer.
- Over 13 Mbps – Multiple devices can stream HD video.
- Over 25 Mbps – 4K video.
You should check your Internet with a speed test to see if you qualify. If your Internet is too weak, you need to contact your ISP to increase the speed.
Check to see if your ISP is throttling YouTube TV
As mentioned above, your ISP may be throttling your YouTube TV data connection. You can check this with services like fast.com, Google Video Quality Report, or the like. If you notice that the problem is on your ISP’s side, contact them to fix it.
Restart your router and limit the number of devices
You should also try restarting your router. This will help you reset your router’s errors. Just unplug it for a few minutes and then plug it back in.
Also, in the router settings, I advise you to limit the number of devices in the network to 3-5 to avoid Internet saturation due to too many devices.
Restart your device
Whether you have a PC, a mobile device, or even a Smart TV, you can encounter errors and conflicts within the application. In that case, you should turn them off and wait a few minutes before turning them back on. This is called Cold Reset and will help solve many system problems.
Use a different browser
Your browser can also cause errors. You may have a conflicting extension installed, or your browser doesn’t work well with YouTube TV. I recommend you use Google Chrome. It should work with YouTube TV without any problems or errors.
