Netflix Keeps Crashing on Samsung Smart TV – How To Fix

While they are usually reliable, Samsung TVs can occasionally crash or freeze. This can happen when running any app on your Samsung set, but many users have reported that Netflix is the one that happens to crash most often. If it’s not Netflix’s fault, chances are it’s the TV’s.

To help you fix this issue, we’re going to dig up as many possible causes and solutions as we can.

Internet and Update Issues

The first thing you need to check is if your Samsung TV is connected to the internet. If it is, check your connection speed. Perhaps it’s not fast enough or there are too many devices connected at the moment. You can also try disconnecting and connecting to your network again to see if it will serve as a quick fix.

Your minimum download speed should be at least 0.5 megabits per second (Mbps), but the recommended speed for streaming in Standard Definition (SD) is 3 Mbps. High definition (HD) streaming requires 5 Mbps. Ultra HD streaming requires a whopping 25 Mbps. To check your internet speed, you need to perform a speed test using a service such as Fast.com.

If there’s nothing wrong with your connection, you should check if both your Netflix app and your TV are updated to the latest version, as this might help with bugs and crashes.

You should also visit Downdetector to make sure that Netflix isn’t down, as that might be the reason it’s not working.

Check the Streaming Plan

Netflix has multiple streaming plans. These plans affect the number of devices you can run Netflix on simultaneously. If you’ve opted for the cheapest streaming plan, you can only watch Netflix on a single device at a time. Make sure you’re not attempting to play anything on Netflix while your account is being used on another device.

Sign Out of Netflix

Another possible solution for this problem is signing out of Netflix. Do to this, you should:

1. Go to the Netflix home screen.
2. From there, navigate left to find the menu. If you can’t find the menu by navigating left, go up and select Settings or the gear icon.
3. Choose Settings (if you’ve managed to find the menu).
4. Go for Sign out.
5. Select Yes to confirm. You will be signed out.
6. Wait a few seconds, then sign back in and try playing a video.

Here’s what you should do if you can’t find Settings or the gear icon:

1. While you’re in the Netflix app, enter this sequence using the arrow keys on your remote: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Up, Up, Up
2. You’ll be asked to choose between signing out, deactivating, and starting over. What you’re looking for is the Sign Out option.
3. When signed out, sign back and give it another try. 

Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again?

Sometimes, a reset is the best solution. All you need to do is turn off your TV, unplug it, wait, and then plug it back in and then turn it on. If you keep it unplugged for about a minute or so and then reconnect everything, it should start working again in the majority of cases.

Before unplugging, Netflix recommends discharging your TV. You can do this by pressing and holding the power button on your TV for five seconds. Otherwise, it may be best to keep the TV unplugged for three minutes instead of one.

Reinstall the Netflix App

The previous solutions tend to work in most cases, but there are other ways to solve the problem. For example, you could try reinstalling the Netflix App. This might not be the best solution for a Samsung TV, but it’s worth a try.

To reinstall Netflix, you first need to delete it and then install it again. Here’s how:

1. Press the Home button and find Apps.
2. There should be a gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Select it and it will take you to the options.
3. Find the Netflix app.
4. Choose it, and then choose Delete.
5. After deleting Netflix, go back to the Smart Hub.
6. Choose the magnifying glass to search the hub.
7. Find Netflix and reinstall it.

Disable Samsung’s Instant On

Samsung Smart TVs have an option called Instant On which helps the TV turn on much faster. However, it is reported that Instant On causes issues with some apps, and Netflix is one of those. Therefore, you’re advised to turn it off by going to Settings and then heading to General. You should find an option for disabling Instant On there.

Resetting the Smart Hub

If nothing has worked so far, consider resetting the Smart Hub. The Smart Hub contains all your apps, so resetting it will delete them and require you to install them all over again. Therefore, you should do this only if you have no other choice. Make sure you’ve exited the Smart Hub, and then do the following:

1. Press the Menu button on your remote.
2. Find Smart Hub.
3. Select Smart Hub Reset.
4. Confirm that you want to do this if the device warns you about deleting all your apps.
5. Enter your PIN. It should be 0000 as it’s the default PIN. If that fails, contact Samsung.
6. After resetting, go back to the Smart Hub.
7. Install Netflix again. It may take a while before it’s installed, so be patient.

If this doesn’t help, make sure to consult with your device manufacturer about further courses of action. Maybe the Hard Reset, which involves restoring your Samsung TV to factory settings, is the only possible solution.

Laying Down

Usually, unplugging and plugging back in does the trick, but even if you can’t get your Netflix app to work this way, there are plenty of other methods to try out.

Did you manage to fix the issue on your Samsung TV? If so, which method proved to be the solution in your case? Let us know in the comments below!