Why is YouTube TV Audio Out of Sync? (and How to FIX it?)

YouTube TV (YTTV) will have out-of-sync audio if the sound settings of the device are not as per the requirements of the YTTV or if there is a resolution mismatch between your device and the display unit.

The issue is reported on all platforms supported by YTTV including streaming, Android, iOS, consoles, TVs, Windows, Mac, browsers, etc. Sometimes the audio is ahead of the video and at other times, behind the video. In some cases, the issue worsens with time. For some people, only local channels are affected.

Before beginning the troubleshooting:

• Make sure your Internet speed meets the YouTube TV requirements. For example, you will need 20 Mbps speed for 4K UHD. You may have a better connection than the required one but the actual speed may be less, so, taking a speed test will confirm the case.
• Check if the audio issue is occurring on a supported device.  For example, HomePod is not a supported device.
• If the issue is occurring on a browser, check if the TV works properly in another browser.
• Open settings, forward, rewind, or switch the channel on YouTube TV and check if the issue is temporarily cleared.

1. Force Close the YouTube TV App or Browser

The audio on YouTube TV will be out of sync if the app’s audio modules are failing to utilize the device’s audio resources in real time. Here, relaunching the YTTV app after force closing it will do the trick as the communications will be reestablished.

On an iOS device, open the App Switcher and swipe up the YouTube TV app.

On an Android device:

1. Open the App Switcher and tap on the cross icon for the YouTube TV app. 
2. Launch the device’s Settings and go to Applications > YouTube TV.

   

3. Tap on Force Close and confirm to close the app.
4. Launch YouTube TV and see if the audio problem is solved.

If the problem is occurring on a browser, relaunch the browser and check if the issue is cleared.

2. Restart the Device

YTTV audio might be out of sync if the output modules of your device or system are not in a state required by YouTube TV. Here, restarting the device or system will resolve the audio issue.

Restart Through the Device Menu

For a Roku:

1. Launch the Roku Settings and go to System.
2. Select System Restart > Restart and then check if the audio issue is resolved.

   

3. If not, restart your TV (if applicable) from its menu and check if the problem is solved.

In the case, the issue is occurring on a Windows PC, disable its Fast Startup (Control Panel > Power Options > Choose What the Power Buttons Do > Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable > uncheck Turn on Fast Startup) and then restart the system. Check if the problem is solved.

Cold Restart Your Devices

1. Power off your streaming device (or phone/PC) and unplug its power cable.
2. Switch off your TV and unplug its power cable.
3. Power off your router and unplug its power cable.

   

4. Wait for a minute and plug back everything.
5. Power on your router and then the TV/steaming device. Verify if the YouTube TV is operating correctly.

3. Clear the Cache of the YouTube TV App (Android Only)

YTTV audio will be out of sync if its cache is no more valid and as a result, the app is failing to properly utilize it. To fix this, clear the cache of the YouTube TV app.

1. Launch Settings of your Android device and go to Applications > YouTube TV.
2. Open Storage and tap on Clear Cache.

   

3. Restart your device and check if the YouTube TV app is clear of the audio issue. In the case of a streaming stick such as a Firestick, remember to restart the device through its menu.

4. Update the YouTube TV App and the Device’s OS

You will get out-of-sync audio on the YTTV app if the app or your device’s OS is outdated. This can cause several issues as the outdated OS will fail to comply with the latest communication protocols.

This can be solved by updating the YouTube TV app and the device’s OS to the latest releases.

Update the YT TV App

On an iOS device, use the Apple App Store to update the YouTube TV app.

For Android:

1. Launch Play Store and search for YouTube TV.

   

2. Update the YT TV app (if available) and restart the device. Check if the audio problem is solved.

Update the Device’s OS

For an iOS device, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update. Install the update and see if the problem is solved.

For an Android device:

1. Go to Settings > Software Update.

   

2. If an update is available, install it and restart the device. Verify if the audio sync problem is solved.

5. Reinstall the YouTube TV App

If the latest update to the YouTube TV app failed to be properly applied to the audio modules of the current installation, the audio sync issue may arise. This can be solved by reinstalling the YouTube TV app.

To do so on an Android device:

1. Go to Settings > Applications > YouTube TV.
2. Uninstall the app and power off the device.

   

3. Unplug its power cable and wait for a minute.
4. Plug back the power cable and power on the device.
5. Reinstall the YouTube TV app and launch it.
6. Log into the app and determine if the audio is no more out of sync.

6. Change the Device’s Resolution

If your device’s resolution does not match the display resolution, the video may be parsed more quickly or more slowly than the audio and thus cause the out-of-sync audio. To solve this, change the device’s resolution.

To change the display resolution on a Fire TV:

1. Go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Display > Video Resolution.

   

2. Set it to Auto and see if the audio is syncing properly on YouTube TV.
3. If not, change the screen resolution to 720p and check if that clears the problem. You can also try other resolutions one by one. 

For an Apple TV, change the picture quality to 4K HDR and verify if the audio issue is resolved.

7. Disable Hardware-Accelerated Video Decode Flag (Chrome Only)

If the Hardware-accelerated video decode is enabled in the Chrome settings, it can speed up the video decoding and as a result, the audio may lag. In such a case, disabling the Hardware-Accelerated Video Decode Flag will solve the problem.

1. Launch Chrome and enter the following in the Address Bar:

   Chrome://flags/#disable-accelerated-video-decode

2. Expand the dropdown of the feature and select Disabled.

   

3. Relaunch the browser and check if the YouTube TV is operating correctly.

Remember, this flag may also work for other browsers based on Chromium (such as Brave).

8. Reinstall the System’s Audio Driver (Windows Only)

YouTube TV audio will be out of sync if the core modules of your system’s audio driver are no more valid or compatible with the YTTV. Reinstalling the system’s audio driver will do the trick here.

Before starting, download the latest audio driver from the OEM website.

1. Right-click on Windows and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Sound, Video, and Game Controllers and right-click on your audio device.
3. Select Uninstall Device and tick the option of Attempt to Remove the Driver of This Device.

   

4. Click on Uninstall and once done, restart the system.
5. If Windows tries to install a generic driver, let it complete and check if the audio sync issue is resolved.
6. If not, uninstall the audio driver again and restart the system.
7. Install the downloaded audio driver as an administrator and restart the system. Check if the YouTube TV audio sync problem is solved.

9. Edit the Sound Settings of the YTTV App and Device

If the sound settings of the YT TV app are not optimal for your setup or the device’s audio settings are not as per the requirements of the YouTube TV app, you will get out-of-sync audio on the app. Editing the sound settings of the YouTube TV app and your device will solve the problem.

Change Audio to Secondary in the YT TV App Settings

1. Launch the Settings of the YouTube TV app and in the Audio Options, change Audio to Secondary from Primary.

   

2. See if the audio sync problem is solved.
3. If not, toggle back the audio to Primary and verify if the issue is resolved.

Disable 5.1 in the YTTV App Settings

1. Launch the YTTV app and go to your profile.
2. Open Settings and disable 5.1 Audio. See if the issue is resolved.

   

Disable Audio Delay

To do so on a Samsung TV:

1. Go to Settings > Sound > Expert Settings.

   

2. Set Audio Delay to Zero and check if the issue is resolved.

Change Audio to Stereo

On a Fire TV:

1. Go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio > Surround Sound.
2. Set it to Stereo and hit the back button.

   

3. Open Advanced Audio and disable all the options shown.
4. Clear the cache of the YouTube app (as discussed earlier).
5. Go to Settings > System and select System Restart.
6. Launch the YouTube TV and see if its audio syncing issue is resolved.

Disable Volume Leveling

To do so on a Roku:

1. Launch the YouTube TV app and start playing a stream.
2. Press the * (asterisk) button on the Roku remote and select Sound Settings.
3. Disable the Volume Leveling option and check if the problem is solved.

   

Disable Dialogue Enhancement

To do so on a Roku device:

1. Launch the YouTube TV app and press the * button to open Options.
2. Select Sound Settings and disable Dialogue Enhancement. Check if the audio is syncing properly.

   

Disable Game Mode

On a Samsung TV:

1. Navigate to Settings > General > Game Mode.

   

2. Disable it and see if the problem is solved.
3. If the Game Mode was already disabled at Step 1, enable it and check if that clears the audio issue.

Change the Audio Format to PCM or Bitstream

On a Samsung TV:

1. Go to Settings > More > Sound > Expert Settings > HDMI Audio Format.

   

2. Set the format to PCM and see if the audio syncing is normal.
3. If not, change the audio format to Bitstream and see if the issue is resolved.
4. If this does not work and you have an external audio output device (such as a soundbar), set the HDMI Audio Format to Pass Through and check if that clears the problem.

Change Sound Mode to Clear Voice

1. Go to Settings > Sound.
2. Open Sound Mode and select Clear Voice. Check if the audio is in sync with the video.

   

3. If not, change the Sound Mode to Normal or Speech and see if the problem is solved.

Disable Surround Sound in the Device Settings

On a Roku device:

1. Navigate to Settings > Display & Sounds > Audio.

   

2. Disable Surround Sound and check if the problem is cleared.
3. If Surround Sound is already disabled at step 2, enable it and see if the issue is resolved.
4. If not, repeat step 1 and set Streaming Audio to Auto.
5. Change Digital Output Format to Stereo and verify if the audio is syncing correctly.

If the issue is occurring with a Bluetooth device (such as a Samsung Soundbar), change its audio settings from Adaptive Surround to Surround and see if that clears the problem.

Enable Lip Sync

On your Firestick:

1. Navigate to Settings > Display & Sounds > Home Theater System .
2. Enable Lip Sync Tuning and adjust the setting as per your requirements. Flash must be in sync with the dot.
3. Press OK and check if the issue is resolved. You may have to adjust several times to get the setting right.
4. If Lip Sync was already enabled at step 2, disable it and see if the problem is cleared.

Disable Dolby Digital Plus

On a Roku:

1. Launch the YouTube TV app and press the * button on the remote.
2. Open Sound Settings and disable Dolby Digital Plus. Check if the YTTV audio is in sync.

   

In some cases, you may also disable Clear Audio (such as on a Sony TV) along with the Digital Dolby Plus.

Disable Home Theater Mode

To do so on a Roku device:

1. Navigate to Settings > Display & Sounds > Home Theater System.
2. Enable Gaming Audio Mode and check if that solves the problem.

   

3. If not, disable Home Theater System and see if the audio syncing issue is resolved.

10. Reset the Device to the Factory Defaults

If none of the above methods work, you can move forward and reset your TV completely. This will reset all the modules and fix issues stemming from them. 

To reset a Fire TV:

1. Launch the TV Settings and go to My Fire TV.
2. Select Reset to Factory Defaults and confirm to initiate the action.

   

3. Wait until the process completes, then set up the TV as per your requirements.
4. Install the YTTV app and hopefully, its audio will be properly synced with the video.

If none of the above works, contact YouTube TV support.