With more than 310 million subscribers, Netflix remains the king of streaming. You can find movies, series, documentaries, and even anime on this platform. So much variety is why it has become such a popular streaming service.
However, even the smoothest services aren’t flawless. And Netflix is also no exception when it comes to issues. It’s common for users to run into problems like endless buffering, a black screen, no sound, and so on.
So in this guide, we will look at the 6 most common Netflix issues. We will also show you step-by-step how to fix these Netflix issues. So if you are facing an issue with streaming, stay tuned, as we will show you how to fix them all.
How to Fix Common Problems Watching Netflix
Regardless of which device you are using, you are likely to fall into some common Netflix issues & errors. So, let’s go through each of these Netflix problems along with their respective solutions:
1. Your Netflix subscription has expired
Did you receive this message: “Your account is on hold because of a problem with your last payment”? Some users also get this error: “Your account is inactive. Please restart your membership”.
This happens when your Netflix subscription has expired or your last payment failed. You can solve it by following these steps:
- Log in to your Netflix account from app or web.
- Update your billing details.
- Restart the plan.
Another good solution is to just get cheap Netflix accounts from https://www.u7buy.com/netflix/netflix-accounts. You can get Premium Netflix accounts for 1 month/3month/1 year at very affordable rates.
Once you get a Netflix account from U7BUY, just log out from the Netflix app and then log in with the new account.
2. Netflix App Freezes or won’t load
Does the app freeze or just keep loading in an infinite loop? This can leave you staring at the logo or a spinning wheel. In other cases, the app opens but then stops responding.
It feels frustrating as you can’t reach your favorite shows and movies on Netflix. But the good news is that you can easily fix this particular Netflix issue.
You can fix it by closing & reopening the Netflix app. The problem still persists? Restart the mobile/TV and then try launching the application.
3. Black screen without sound
Another common Netflix issue is a black screen with sound. In this issue, the screen goes dark, but the audio keeps playing. In other cases, both the video and the sound disappear completely.
This issue makes it impossible to watch anything… And the user is left thinking there’s something wrong with the account.
The black screen issue mostly happens because of your device. If you get this on mobile, then clear the app’s cache and try again. And if you still get the black screen, then restart the device.
If you are a computer, then update your graphics card driver or browser. And if you get this issue on a TV, then restart the TV or disconnect the internet connection and then connect again.
4. Buffering or low video quality
It gets annoying when you sit down to watch a movie, but all you get is buffering. Just like that, low quality video also takes all the fun away from streaming.
In most cases, the buffering/low quality video issue is due to a slow internet speed. So, if your internet speed is slow, then consider upgrading it to fix the buffering issue.
According to Netflix, the minimum requirement for different qualities is:
- 3 Mbps for SD quality.
- 5 Mbps for HD quality.
- 15 Mbps for Ultra HD quality.
Unsure of your internet speed? You can try running a quick speed test. But if your internet speed is already fast, then try restarting the router or reducing the number of connected devices.
5. This app is not compatible
You open the Netflix app only to get a message that it’s not compatible with your device. This happens if your smartphone/smart TV is old and no longer meet the minimum requirements.
But you may also get this message from Netflix even if you have a supported device. Here’s how to fix it:
- Turn off the phone/TV.
- Turn it on again.
- Launch the Netflix app.
Still getting the error? Then you should try updating your device OS to the latest version. On Android, you can also sideload the Netflix app from 3rd party apps.
Another easy fix is to open the Netflix website on the browser (Chrome/Safari). This allows you to use Netflix directly without any need for an app.
6. Server Connection Issue
The app says “Unable to connect to Netflix.”? This shows up when the app fails to connect to the servers. Since it is basically a network issue, you can get this error on a phone, smart TV, or even a PC.
You can fix this issue by restarting your router and your device (phone, PC, or smart TV). If this doesn’t resolve the issue, then you will have to use a VPN or a proxy.
In rare cases, global outages can also make it impossible for you to reach the Netflix servers. For example, the 2021’s global outage disrupted the streaming service for millions. In such cases, the only thing you can do is to wait until the issue is resolved on its own.
