How to Fix Black Screen Issue in YouTube TV App?

The YouTube TV black screen issue occurs when the app fails to load, resulting in either no image or a black screen. Occasionally, the audio may continue playing without video, or the app may buffer endlessly.

The issue could be related to your internet connection, the app itself, or even your device settings, cache, etc. Finding out what’s wrong is a bit time-consuming, but the fixes are simple.

Before proceeding, try resolving the issue temporarily by closing and reopening the YouTube TV app, and pausing then resuming the video you’re watching.

For permanent solutions, proceed to the following methods.

1. Power Cycle Your TV: The YouTube TV black screen might result from accumulated cache on your TV or streaming device. Restarting your device will resolve this issue.
2. Reset Your TV’s Network Settings: The black screen problem may be due to device configuration or technical issues related to network settings. Resetting these settings can likely fix the issue.
3. Clear YouTube TV’s Cache: Corrupted cache files in the YouTube TV app can cause a black screen and subsequent playback errors. Clearing the app cache on your smartphone or smart TV can resolve this problem.
4. Update Your TV’s Software: Outdated software can cause YouTube TV issues, including the black screen of death. Updated software ensures compatibility with latest app updates. Therefore, regularly updating your TV software is advised.
5. Reinstall the YouTube TV App: Often, app malfunctions can occur due to corrupt data, malicious activity, or cache issues. Reinstalling the app can resolve these problems.
6. Set SDR as Default Video Format on Apple TV: YouTube TV commonly experiences black screens between ads due to the 4K HDR feature on Gen 2 and 3 Apple TVs. Since all ads are presented in SDR format, Apple TV toggles between modes, causing these black screens. To address this issue, switch the HDR to “4K SDR” format.
7. Set Chroma to 4:4:4 (Apple TV): The black screen on YouTube TV may be due to chroma subsampling, a process that compresses color information in a signal to reduce bandwidth without compromising picture quality. However, it can cause a black screen on YouTube TV. To fix this, adjust the Chroma setting on your Apple TV to 4:4:4, which involves no compression and prevents a black screen.

1. Power Cycle Your TV

1. Unplug the TV or streaming device and wait for a minimum of one minute.
2. After one minute, leave the streaming device unplugged and press and hold the power button on the device, not the remote, for 30 seconds.
3. Reconnect and switch on the streaming device.

Note: This method won’t work if you rush the steps, so proceed carefully.

2. Reset the Network Settings on Your TV

1. Open Settings > All Settings.

2. Go to Connection > Network.

3. Click on Reset Network and confirm the decision.

4. Connect to your WiFi again.
5. After that, open YouTube TV again and confirm if your issue has been resolved.

Note: These steps are specific to Samsung smart TVs and may vary for other models. If using an Apple TV, simply forget your WiFi network and reconnect.

3. Clear YouTube TV App’s Cache

Below are the steps to clear YouTube TV cache on Android TV models, Apple TV models, Android smartphones, and iPhones.

For Android TV Models:

1. Go to Apps and then YouTube TV.
2. Press the OK or Enter button on your remote.
3. Select Info.

4. Scroll down and select Clear Cache.

5. Select OK.
6. Open the app again.

For Apple TV:

Here, you will have to delete the app and install it again since there’s no separate option to clear an app’s cache.

1. Go to the Tiles screen by pressing the back button on your remote.

2. Select the YouTube TV app, and then press and hold the Select (large circle) button on your remote.
3. Press the play/pause button when the app tile starts shaking.
4. Select Delete, and select it again for confirmation.

5. Once the app uninstalls, its cache will clear.
6. Install the app again.

4. Update your TV’s Software

The steps to update the software vary for every TV, so you must check how to proceed with the process on your particular model.

As an example, here are the steps to update Samsung TV’s software:

1. Go to the menu through your remote.
2. Select Settings > Support.
3. Select Software Update.

4. Now select Update Now.

5. Wait for the update to complete, and don’t close your TV in the meantime.
6. Once done, it will restart, and then you should check your YouTube TV app again.

5. Reinstall the YouTube TV App

1. Click Settings > Apps, or directly click on Apps.
2. Select YouTube TV app and press the OK button on your remote.
3. Click Delete/Uninstall.

4. Now, go to App Installer or Google Play Store and search for YouTube TV App
5. Simply reinstall the app and open it again.

6. Set SDR as the Default Video Format (Apple TV)

1. Go to Settings > Video and Audio.

2. Select Format.

3. Choose 4K SDR.

4. Next, select Match Content.

5. Turn on Match Dynamic Range.
6. Turn on the Match Frame Rate.

7. Set Chroma to 4:4:4 (Apple TV)

1. Open Apple TV and go to Settings > Video and Audio.

2. Select Chroma.

3. Select 4:4:4.

If none of the suggested methods resolve the YouTube TV black screen issue, consider contacting YouTube TV support for a solution. They will respond as soon as possible.