THE BREAKDOWN: A recent YouTube TV update has disabled background playback on older smart TVs and streaming sticks, particularly targeting Roku hardware. Support experts state the move was made to prevent app crashes, though affected users are expressing frustration over losing a feature that previously worked.
A new software update for YouTube TV has officially disabled the platform’s background playback feature on older smart TVs and media streaming sticks. The change means affected subscribers can no longer keep video playing in the background when navigating to other parts of the app’s interface, such as the Live Guide.
Reports of the missing feature first emerged on the YouTube TV Help forum, where a surge of user complaints was recently highlighted by 9to5Google. The issues appear to have a significant impact on owners of Roku hardware, though other aging smart TV models are experiencing the same shift.
A YouTube TV “Diamond Product Expert” addressed the growing forum threads, confirming that a deliberate backend modification is responsible. According to the expert, an update was made that affects “older and less powerful devices and smart TVs,” and that on these specific products, “background play is no longer supported.”
Addressing why the feature was removed, the representative stated the update was implemented to “prevent crashing and create a more seamless experience for those devices.”
Rather than offering a software patch to restore the function, the support team advised users that upgrading their physical hardware is the only way to regain it.
“It’s strongly suggested you pick up an updated standalone streaming device to have an ideal playback experience, and to ensure that future features are included for your device,” the product expert wrote.
Customer feedback on the help pages has been negative, as users noted the background playback function had worked reliably on their current setups up until the rollout of this update.
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