YouTube TV Lagging: Fix it!
YouTube is a popular and widely used video streaming platform worldwide. Using this app is easy and fun as it keeps being updated with thousands of videos daily. What has made using YouTube even more fun is its availability to be used as a television and to view exclusive content from various channels.
Smart TVs nowadays provide users the experience of using YouTube on their big screens through an internet connection. You can view all sorts of YouTube videos you like through this feature on your TVs. But what about when the videos start to lag?
If you are unaware of how to fix YouTube TV lags/buffers, keep reading this article to find out.
Also similar: YouTube You’re Offline Check Your Connection: Solved
Quick Summary
To fix YouTube TV lags, make sure to check your internet connection. You can also try restarting the app, source or your device to solve the problem, decreasing your video quality or, clearing the YouTube TV cache. If none of these work, try contacting YouTube support.
Table of Contents
Why Does My YouTube TV Keeps Lagging?
It is common that whenever you are playing videos on YouTube, they may start buffering now and then. But, when it keeps buffering and does not let you finish the video, it can cause a big mood spoiler. Below, we will discuss some reasons why your YouTube TV keeps lagging:
1. Slow Internet Speed
One of the major causes why your YouTube TV keep buffering is that your internet speed is not up to the limit required to play the video. If your WiFi connection speed is slow, the videos keep lagging.
To solve this problem, you can connect a direct Ethernet cable to your devices so that the videos can play fluently. You can also ensure that many devices in the same network are not connected to the internet simultaneously.
2. Browser or App Issues
Another reason YouTube TV keeps buffering may be browser or app issues when browsing your MAC, PC, or app on mobile. The apps can cause this lagging when there is no storage space, too much cache, or poor internet. The browser can result in such problems due to an overloaded cache, history, or numerous unnecessary extensions.
3. Technical Issues
Some technical issues, such as bugs in the platform or the system being down, may cause your YouTube TV lagging problem. In addition, technical issues in your ISP (Internet Service Providers) may also cause the app to malfunction. Make sure about the problem and inform them.
These are some of the major issues why your YouTube TV lagging problem may occur.
YouTube TV Lagging: Fix it!
Now that you know why these lags may occur on your YouTube TV, let’s discuss how you can fix them. There is no one simple and 100% accurate solution to the problem you face. However, there are many methods you can apply to fix YouTube TV lags. They include:
1. Restart your device and app
One of the methods you can try to fix YouTube TV lags is restarting your device or the app or both of them. If the entire system is lagging, turn off your PC or mobile by switching them off and back on.
Or, if you think that only YouTube TV is the problem, close the app on mobile and relaunch it. If you are on a browser, try using a different browser.
2. Check your internet connection
As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest reasons your YouTube TV buffering issue can be caused is if you have a poor internet connection. Try turning off your router and on again. Make sure that not many devices are connected to the same network. If they are, disconnect them and try turning your YouTube back on. You can also test your internet speed using sites like Fast or Speed Test. To do so, open any of these and click ‘Go‘.
You will be shown the range of your internet speed.
Here are the approximate internet speed required to play each video format with no interruptions on YouTube TV:
- SD 360p: 0.7 Mbps
- SD 480p: 1.1 Mbps
- HD 720p: 2.5 Mbps
- HD 1080p: 5 Mbps
- 4K: 20 Mbps
If the connection is too slow, contact your ISP and tell them the problem or upgrade your internet package.
3. Change your video quality
Different video resolutions of YouTube requires various amount of internet speed. So, if your YouTube TV is lagging continuously and you still want to view it without interruptions, your best bet is to decrease the video resolution. To do so, follow the given steps:
- Open YouTube and go to the video lagging.
- Click on the ‘Settings‘ icon on the video screen. (Tap on the video to generate the icons)
- Click on the ‘Quality‘ option you see.
- Select the low resolution that will help you prevent buffering.
The same steps can also be applied to the YouTube web version on your browsers.
4. Clear YouTube TV Cache
Clearing the cache collected can also help prevent YouTube TV buffering issues. Cache stores bits of data you have searched for and used on the app that can later be referenced for future use. Even though it is very useful, it can cause buffering. To clear the cache for YouTube TV, follow the given steps:
On your Smart TV
For Smart TVs, just turning the TV on and off can help clear a lot of unnecessary storage. However, it does not apply to all smart TVs. So, another way to clear the cache is:
- Open your Smart Tv and go to the ‘App‘ menu.
- Select the ‘Settings‘ option you see.
- Locate the ‘YouTube TV‘ option.
- Select ‘Clear Cache‘.
On Phones
- Go to ‘Settings‘ on your phone and click ‘Apps‘ or ‘Apps Management‘.
- Scroll down and click on ‘YouTube‘.
- Click on ‘Storage‘.
- Tap on ‘Clear Cache‘. The cache gets cleared.
In this way, you can clear your YouTube cache using settings.
On Desktop/PC
- Open Chrome and click on the ‘Three dots’ icon.
- Click on ‘History‘.
- Select ‘History‘ again.
- Tap on the ‘Clear Browsing data option‘.
- Click on the ‘Dropdown menu‘ and select the time amount of data you want to clear.
- Click on ‘Clear Data‘.
In this way, you can clear your YouTube cache using Chrome.
5. Update the YouTube TV app
Sometimes, these problems can also be caused by using an outdated app version. So, from time to time, you need to update it. Go to the App Store or Play Store and update the YouTube TV app if any are available.
6. Disable any VPN or Ad-Blockers
VPNs limit the internet speed of a device which can cause YouTube TV to keep lagging. Due to this, your device will be unable to utilize the full internet speed provided by your ISP, causing videos to buffer.
Ad blockers can disrupt the connection between browsers and ad servers. When the ad servers cannot handle the requests, they can cause the entire video to lag and buffer.
7. Contact YouTube TV support
If you still find YouTube TV lagging even after trying the various methods mentioned above, contact YouTube TV customer support.
Open their site and enter your problem. If there are solutions available, they will show it to you.
If not, click on the ‘Contact Us’ section.
Enter your problems, answer the questions they ask, and then contact them accordingly.
Conclusion
Hence, by following the methods mentioned above in the article, you can now easily fix YouTube TV’s lagging problem. Ensure you prioritize your internet connection and ensure limited devices are only connected to the network. This will solve your problem hugely and cause you little effort.
Hope this article was helpful and cleared your doubts. Feel free to leave comments in case of any queries.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can running multiple programs on my device cause YouTube TV lags?
Yes, it can. When you run multiple programs simultaneously on a device, YouTube TV may not get the internet bandwidth required to play your videos without a buffer.
Why does YouTube TV lag more during peak hours?
YouTube TV lags more during peak hours due to network congestion caused by high traffic. To avoid it, try playing the videos during off hours.
Are there any third-party apps to find YouTube TV lagging?
No, as of now, there are no legitimate third-party apps to solve this problem of yours. You can, however, research extensions and websites that may help you.
