Roku is aware of its OS 10.5 update breaking your streaming apps

By Phil Nickinson November 22, 2021

If you’re struggling to stream video after the Roku OS 10.5 update, you’re not alone, apparently. The leading streaming platform’s user forums have been busy in the days following the major update, with all sorts of complaints of things being broken.

The complaints range from channel-specific — things like YouTube TV not working — to overall network connectivity problems to general malaise. It’s not easy to troubleshoot from afar when you’re dealing with multiple devices over multiple generations, but the general consensus over 20 pages of posts so far (as well as in the Roku subreddit) is that something is wrong.

Roku OS 10.5. — Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

There’s a fine line between actual systemic issues and just the expected number of headaches when it comes to software updates, as there are innumerable variables at work here. For what it’s worth, my not-brand-new TCL 6-Series updated to 10.5 just fine, and everything works. But Roku seems to have acknowledged that something’s up, and it’s on the case.

Of particular concern to some is that YouTube TV doesn’t seem to work after the update — though, again and anecdotally, it works just fine for me — which is additionally problematic due to the spat between Roku and Google that could come to a head on December 9. You can’t just uninstall and reinstall the YouTube TV channel anymore, because the channel listing no longer appears in the Roku Store. YouTube TV remains accessible through the YouTube (proper) app, however. But that’s still not really the way things should work and is a reminder that neither company is serving its customers particularly well in that regard.

Inside the Roku-YouTube TV dispute

It’s also worth mentioning that, if the YouTube TV channel still appears in your “recent searches” history, you’re good to go and can reinstall it that way. Huzzah for workarounds.

In any event, Roku’s aware of the issues. So, too, are its customers, who may well find themselves looking elsewhere if the headaches on the low-cost hardware continue.

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