Fix YouTube TV error code 2, 3 and 4

Here is a complete guide on how to fix error codes 2, 3, and 4 on your YouTube TV while watching videos. Many have also reported experiencing error messages like An error occurred, Please try again later, Playback error, and more.

What is error code 4 on YouTube TV?

The error code 4 on YouTube TV is a playback error that prevents you from watching a video on YouTube TV. The most common reason for this error is a weak internet connection. If you have an unstable or laggy internet connection, you will likely run into error code 4 or 3 on YouTube TV.

Fix YouTube TV error codes 2, 3, and 4 on Windows PC

Here are the methods you can use to fix error codes 2, 3, and 4 on YouTube TV on your Windows PC:

Check the server status of YouTube TV.
Test your internet connection.
Power cycle your router.
Try closing background apps.
Clear your browsing data.
Disable your browser extensions.

You can first try restarting your browser or PC and check if the problem is resolved. If not, proceed with the below fixes.

1] Check the server status of YouTube TV

Before you use some advanced fixes, you should check the current server status of YouTube TV. You are likely to experience these error codes if YouTube servers are down at the moment. You can also check social networks if there is a widespread issue. If so, wait for some time and then try again.

2] Test your internet connection

You should check your internet speed and make sure it is good enough for watching videos on YouTube without error codes like 4. YouTube requires 25 Mbps + for 4K videos, 7-13 Mbps + for HD videos, and 3 Mbps + for SD videos. So, test the speed of your internet connection, and if it is slow, contact your ISP to upgrade it.

Hence, check your internet connection and fix internet connectivity issues on your PC to eliminate YouTube errors 2, 3, and 4.

3] Power cycle your router

The next thing you can do to fix these YouTube TV errors is to perform a power cycle on your networking device. Switch off your router, unplug it, wait for 30 seconds, plug it back, and restart it. You can now connect your PC to the internet and open YouTube TV to check if the error is resolved.

Read: Fix common YouTube Upload errors.

4] Try closing background apps

It could be some background apps causing the error. If there are too many apps running on your computer that are consuming your system resources, you are likely to face these playback error codes on YouTube TV. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, open Task Manager using Ctrl+Shift+Esc and close non-essential background apps using the End task button. See if the error is fixed or not.

5] Clear your browsing data

If the error continues, you can try clearing your browser cache and cookies to fix it. It might be outdated or broken cache files causing YouTube TV errors in your browser. Hence, to fix the error, you can delete your browsing data. Let us check out how:

Google Chrome:

First, open Chrome and click on the three-dot menu button present at the top-right corner.
After that, move to the More tools option and select the Clear browsing data option, or use the Ctrl+Shift+Delete hotkey.
Now, you need to choose All time as the Time range.
Next, tick the Cookies and other site data, Cached images and files, and other browsing data checkboxes you want to delete.
Finally, press the Clear data button and restart Chrome to see if the YouTube TV error is resolved.

Microsoft Edge:

First, open Edge and click on the Settings and more (three-dot menu) button.
After that, select the History option or hit the CTRL+H hotkey on your keyboard.
In the opened History panel, tap on the three-dot menu button and then choose the Clear browsing data option.
Next, set the Time range to All time and checkmark Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files.
At last, hit the Clear now button to clear your cache and cookies.
You can now reopen YouTube TV and check if the error is resolved.

See: YouTube Audio renderer error, Please restart your computer.

6] Disable your browser extensions

If you have multiple browser extensions installed in your browser, you may run into errors like 4 or 3 on YouTube TV. Extensions are known to cause issues with regular working with streaming apps like YouTube. So, disable all suspicious extensions from your browser and see if the error is resolved.

Google Chrome:

First, open your Chrome browser and tap on the three-dot menu button.
After that, move to the More tools option and click on the Extensions option.
Now, switch the toggle associated with the extension you want to disable.\
You can use the Remove button to uninstall an extension from Chrome permanently.

Microsoft Edge:

First, open Edge and click on the Settings and more button.
After that, move to the Extensions option and select the Manage extensions option.
Now, turn off problematic extensions or uninstall them.

If the error remains, we recommend using a different web browser to check if you can use YouTube TV without these errors.

Fix YouTube TV error codes 2, 3, and 4 on TV

If you are experiencing error codes 2, 3, and 4 on YouTube TV on your Smart TV, Roku TV, etc., here are the methods you can use to fix the errors:

Close and relaunch YouTube TV.
Power cycle your TV and networking device.
Clear YouTube TV cache.
Update YouTube TV.
Install the device updates.
Uninstall and reinstall YouTube TV.

1] Close and relaunch YouTube TV

The error could be caused due to a temporary glitch with the YouTube TV app. So, you can try closing the app and then relaunching it on your TV to check if you can play videos with these errors. This has been proven to be effective in many cases. So, check if it helps you or not.

2] Power cycle your TV and networking device

If there is a network issue like a bad router cache that is causing the error, you should perform a power cycle on your TV and your router. So, switch off your TV, remove its power cords, and wait 30-60 seconds. Also, unplug your router and let it be unplugged for about a minute. After that, plug in your TV and router and turn them on. Open YouTube TV and check if the error is now resolved.

Read: YouTube not working on my laptop.

3] Clear YouTube TV cache

The error could be caused due to a corrupted cache associated with the YouTube TV app. So, in that case, you can clear the YouTube TV cache from your TV and reopen the app to check if the error is gone.

For example, if you use a smart TV, here are the steps to clear your YouTube cache:

First, move to the Settings option from your TV’s home screen.
Next, select the Apps option and choose the See all apps option.
Now, click on the YouTube app and tap the Clear cache option.
After that, you will be prompted with a confirmation dialog; click on the OK button to proceed.
When done, relaunch the YouTube and see if the error is resolved.

Read: YouTube not connecting to AdSense; Error AS-08, AS-10 OR 500.

4] Update YouTube TV

If you are using an outdated version of YouTube on your TV, you will likely get such error codes. Hence, update the YouTube app to its latest version and see if the error is fixed.

On a smart TV, you can open the Google Play Store and go to the YouTube for Android TV page. If an update is available for the app, you will see an Update button. You can tap on this button and install pending app updates. Similarly, you can update the app on your other device and check if the error is resolved.

5] Install the device updates

You also need to ensure that your device is up-to-date. If there are pending device updates on your TV, download and install them. Once done, you can restart your TV and check if the error has stopped.

6] Uninstall and reinstall YouTube TV

If none of the above solutions worked for you, reinstalling the app is the last resort. It could be the case that the app is corrupted, which is why you keep getting errors and issues. So, uninstall the YouTube app from your TV and then reinstall it to fix the error.

To uninstall YouTube on a smart TV, open Play Store and go to the YouTube for Android TV app page. Now, click on the Uninstall button and follow the prompted instructions to remove the app. Once done, restart your TV and open Play Store to reinstall the YouTube app.

Read: How to fix YouTube TV Playback Error?

Why does my YouTube TV say too many devices?

YouTube TV allows you to use the same account on a maximum of three devices simultaneously. If you exceed this limit, you will get a Playback error saying “YouTube TV is playing on 3 devices, which is the limit. Pause one of your family’s devices to watch here.” To fix this error, you will need to sign out of other devices that are using your YouTube TV account.

Now read: Fix YouTube audio out of sync issues.