Samsung Smart TV is one of the most popular TV products you can find on the market today. As an electronic product with extra software features, technical glitches can occur.
For example, the Smart TV comes with apps like HBO Go, Netflix, Amazon, Xfinity, and YouTube.
You can use the apps to watch movies and TV shows. One or any of these apps can stop working. Several factors can explain why Samsung Smart TV apps are not working.
Luckily, you can employ several solutions to fix apps on a Samsung Smart TV that are freezing, crashing, and not loading.
Fixing the Samsung Smart TV apps not working issue
When your Samsung Smart TV apps are not opening or connecting to the internet, implement the following fixes:
1. Cold boot your Samsung Smart TV
Cold booting is not the same as turning your TV off and back on. Turning off will put the TV on standby.
When you cold reboot, you are shutting down the TV and rebooting it. It is the same as restarting your computer.
The advantage is it can solve many issues like app freezes, glitches, crashing, and not loading. You can also address a host of other problems like pictures and menu issues with a simple reboot.
Using the remote
A remote offers the easiest way of cold rebooting your Smart TV. You need to hold down the power button until the TV turns off and back on. The whole process should take at most five seconds.
Unplugging the TV
If your Samsung TV remote is low on battery, unplug the TV to cold reboot it. In other words, remove the power cord from the surge protector or wall outlet. Wait for at least 40 seconds and plug it in again.
You should wait for other devices like your router to power up before testing functions on the TV.
Read: Apps not working on LG smart TV? Here’s how to fix
2. Fixing apps that are not showing in Smart Hub
Smart Hub is the location where all apps live. It is also known as the Samsung Apps store.
If Samsung Smart TV apps are not available or are not showing in Smart Hub, change the current country code to a different one.
Follow these steps:
- Press Smart Hub on your remote control to load it.
- Once Smart Hub loads press 2, 8, 9. The numbers may vary depending on your device series.
- Select any country under the Internet Service location.
- Agree to the terms and continue.
- Allow Smart Hub App to update based on the respective country you have selected. The option will allow new apps to fill the Smart Menus.
- After Smart Hub updates, change back to your country code.
Smart Hub will update for a second time. Once it does, launch the apps that were not showing.
3. Update your Samsung TV Software
You need to update the software to fix app freezes and glitches. If the app is not compatible with the current software, it will cause problems. To update, follow the steps below.
- Go to Menu on your remote control
- Select Support
- Select Software Updates
- Press Enter
Not all Samsung TVs are straightforward to update. If your device is from the 2012 series, updates may not be available. Or, the instructions may not be compatible with the current ones.
As such, you will have to update the device using a USB-Stick manually. Visit Samsung Support and enter your TV model for more instructions.
4. Reset the specific app
One app could be causing the whole problem. The case is valid for most streaming apps. Consider YouTube, for example.
All 2012 and earlier TV models have the YouTube Flash App. When Flash became obsolete, Google removed the app.
That means you cannot use it anymore. The latest models come loaded with the YouTube app programmed in HTML5.
Samsung’s M models use HTML5 as the primary development platform for Smart TV apps.
How to reset apps on Samsung Smart TV
To reset an app that is giving you problems on your Samsung TV, follow the steps below.
- Go to Smart Hub
- Select Samsung Apps
- Search for the specific app giving you problems
- Select the app
- Delete and reinstall the app. Press the arrow button above the App icon. A little menu will open with a delete option.
After reinstallation, restart your Samsung Smart TV and launch the app.
5. Check your Internet connection
In most cases, the apps that do not seem to work on the Samsung Smart TV are the streaming apps. Apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon are notorious.
Some of these apps only work well if you have a stable internet connection. If your Smart TV streams videos in 4K Ultra, you will need a high-speed connection.
Read: What to do if apps don’t work on your Philips Smart TV
To fix the problem, consider using a LAN connection or cable instead of a WLAN or wireless connection. Wireless connections are more prone to errors.
The connections also get affected by many factors compared to cable connections. Alternatively, consider upgrading your internet plan to a higher speed.
6. Reset the Smart Hub
When you reset Smart Hub, you will be removing all apps. That means you will have to re-download and reinstall Samsung Smart TV apps one by one.
The option can also work if you can’t download apps.
While the fix works most of the time, you should only use it as a last resort if the above fail. To complete the reset, follow the steps below.
- Exit Smart Hub.
- Select Menu, then Smart Hub on your remote.
- Go to Smart Hub Reset. You will receive a warning telling you the option will erase all apps.
- Enter your PIN if prompted. The default is 0000. If it doesn’t work, contact Samsung for help.
After the reset, go back to Smart Hub and download the apps that were not working before. Reinstall the app and wait for the setup to complete.
If the Samsung TV app store is not working, resetting it and allowing it to update itself should fix the problem.
If Samsung Smart TV apps are not working, consider updating your TV’s software. You can also delete and download the app again.
The last resort should be to do a complete reset of the Smart Hub.