Roku Finally Fixing Streaming Issues Affecting Many Users Right Now

As television viewers ditch cable to rely on multiple streaming service subscriptions, companies such as Roku are working hard to gain new customers. With competition from Google and Amazon, the last thing Roku can afford is to upset users, but that’s exactly what happened with a software update (H/T BGR.com). The 10.5 Roku operating system update was announced in September and was rolled out to Roku TVs and streaming devices in October. Unfortunately, users began reporting issues with apps like Disney+ and Netflix on Roku’s online forum and Reddit.

“HBO doesn’t work. ESPN doesn’t work. Disney doesn’t work. Xfinity doesn’t work. Netflix is sketchy. Amazon Prime doesn’t work,” someone posted on Reddit. “All started with the OS update a couple days ago. Now I have a worthless box by my tv. And some monthly subscriptions I’m paying for but can’t use.” Roku responded in a community post to its forums, letting frustrated customers know that a fix was in the works. 

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“We are continuing to investigate reported performance and stability issues, although we can confirm that this is only affecting a small subset of users due to specific network configurations,” a Roku community manager said. “Roku is making a software rollback available to provide an immediate work around.” An update to the post then states a ” small portion of users that have certain older Roku TV models or older Roku Ultra players are experiencing issues with the latest firmware update, OS 10.5.”

A list of instructions are then given to resolve the update issue, depending on the model of a person’s Roku player or TV. This isn’t the first time Roku users have encountered problems with apps not working properly. Google and Roku have been feuding over the YouTube TV app, with Roku removing it from its channel list for new users. Roku claims Google is asking for “anti-competitive” terms that include search data and user information that isn’t asked of other platforms. The next stage in the stalemate is the removal of the YouTube app in December. In the past, Roku has had tough negotiations to add streaming apps like HBO Max, though a deal was ultimately agreed upon. 

Have you encountered any problems with your Roku devices? Any of the apps ever stop working for you? If so, let us know all about it down in the comments.