(13 Fixes) Hulu Not Working On Apple TV [Updated 2023]

Fixing Hulu when it stops working on your Apple TV is like…

Breaking a few eggs to get it right.

If you try 1 fix and it doesn’t work, don’t let that discourage you.

Most issues are solved by combining a series of fixes.

And in this guide, I’ve made sure that each step’s easy to do.

Continue reading to find out:

13 easy-to-do fixes for Hulu to work on your Apple TV.
How to check if your Apple TV model is compatible with Hulu.
Why your Apple TV or Hulu acts up sometimes (and what to do about it).
And so much more…

Why is Hulu not working on my Apple TV?

Hulu isn’t working on your Apple TV because it may be due to an incompatibility issue. At times, it could be a server downtime or poor WiFi connection. Glitches or bugs in the Hulu app or your Apple TV are also possible causes. Lastly, it might be a DNS server issue or running on outdated software.

Hulu not working on Apple TV: 13 fixes

#1: Check Hulu servers

Want one good reason why Hulu stopped working out of the blue?

Server downtime.

As far as app glitches go, this is more of an issue on Hulu’s end.

Before diving into more refined methods of fixing the Hulu app, check their servers first.

In some cases, you’ll notice the site displaying a server downtime, and in that case…

You’ll have to wait for Hulu to resolve the issue.

However, if the site reveals the server’s working fine, then…

#2: Verify your Apple TV compatibility with Hulu

As mentioned on Hulu’s support page, certain Apple TV models are compatible with Hulu, such as:

Now, if you have an Apple TV (3rd gen), then it’s still compatible, but with limited access.

Meaning, you can still watch shows from Hulu’s content library, but…

Any Premium add-ons or live TV aren’t available.

In any case though, Apple TVs are mostly sold either in the 4K or 5th gen version.

Not sure which generation your Apple TV is?

Here’s how to check it:

Access the settings menu on your Apple TV home screen.
Select “General.”
Tap “About.”
Look for the text beside “Model.”

Finally, here’s a cheat sheet of what each model number on your Apple TV translates to:

Apple TV model numbers	Corresponding generation
A1218	Apple TV (1st gen)
A1378	Apple TV (2nd gen)
Al1427 or A1469	Apple TV (3rd gen)
A11625	Apple TV HD (4th gen)
A1842	Apple TV 4K (1st gen)
A2169	Apple TV 4K (2nd gen)

You might also like: Can You Use Apple TV On Older TV? 7 Easy Steps

#3: Troubleshoot Hulu app by streaming on another device

Grab your phone or tablet and launch Hulu.

Did it work?

And why should you do this?

If Hulu works fine on both devices, for example, then it may be that:

There’s a problem with your TV – either WiFi or settings related.
The Hulu app installed on your TV has malfunctioned or is corrupted.

From here, your next best option is to…

#4: Reset your Hulu app

When Hulu crashes constantly, it means there’s a bug or glitch in the app.

And as a result, a reset serves as an effective approach to removing it.

Here’s how it’s done:

Press the Home button (TV icon) 2x.
A menu showing all your apps should appear.
Use your clickpad to select the app you want to close.
Swipe Up across your Apple TV clickpad.
This action will close the app and stop it from running in the background.
Press the back button to exit the menu.
Relaunch Hulu.

Now, there’s one thing worth mentioning about this fix.

What if your Hulu app glitches or malfunctions again?

It’d be frustrating to reset it several times in a month, right?

But there’s a solution to this.

For starters, Hulu glitches or becomes stuck in the loading screen when…

You switch from 1 app to the other without closing the program.

For example.

You’re watching a show on Hulu and then immediately switch to Netflix.

This is a problem.

Why?

Because while you’re on Netflix, your Hulu show’s running in the background.

And as a result, when you switch back, well…

The app glitches.

And the best solution to prevent this is to…

Close Hulu or at least, stop the show first, then switch to another app like Netflix.

And finally, after using your Apple TV or Hulu, always make it a habit to close the program.

#5: Restart Apple TV

If your Hulu app doesn’t respond, you can always trust this fix.

And that is to reset your Apple TV system to restore it back to normal:

Press the Home button on your Apple TV remote.
Go to your Settings and launch it.
Scroll down the menu and select “System.”
Under the “Info” section, tap “Restart.”

#6: Update your Hulu app

If your Apple TV’s compatible with Hulu, but the app continues to crash…

It means Hulu’s not updated to the latest version.

Yes – compatibility is one of the main causes for the app to not work on your Apple TV.

However, apps, in general need constant updates to run properly.

Not to mention, outdated softwares lead to more bugs, glitches, and malfunctions.

So, without further ado, let’s update your Hulu:

Press the Home button on your remote.
Access your Apple TV’s settings.
Select “Apps.”
Scroll down and choose “Hulu.”
Update your Hulu app.

If that doesn’t work, try this method:

On your Apple TV home menu, go to your App Store.
Use your clickpad to access your “Purchased” section.
Select “Hulu.”
Tap the “Update” button.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install the update.

#7: Disable your Apple TV’s 4K setting

“How is this possible? Why would this cause an issue?”

At first, I didn’t think so too.

But it’s worth noting that 4K streaming chews a ton of your data.

In effect, it can lead to WiFi issues (more on this later).

And in addition, it’s worth noting that only a handful of shows are available on 4K.

As a result, it might lead to a minor glitch if you pick a show that doesn’t support the video resolution.

To be extra sure, disable your 4K settings:

On your Apple TV home screen, open your Settings.
Choose “Video and Audio.”
Under the Video section, tap “Format.”
Adjust your settings.
Note: You can try “1080p HDR” or “1080p SDR.”
Save the changes.
Restart your Apple TV for this to take effect.
Launch Hulu app.

#8: Reset your router

When any app crashes out of the blue, a weak WiFi connection almost always plays a part.

And in this case, it’s no different.

Fortunately, a simple reset should bring the WiFi signal back:

Unplug your router.
Wait for 5 minutes.
Plug your router back into its power source.

Make sure to test other devices after the reset too.

Alternatively, you can run a speed test to check if your WiFi signal’s back to normal.

#9: Sign out of Hulu and log back in

If none of the fixes above solved your issue, try signing out of your account and then logging back in.

There may be a problem with your account data, and so, signing out should clear it.

Here’s how to do it:

Launch the Hulu app.
Tap your user profile icon (upper-right corner).
A drop-down menu should appear on the left part of your screen.
Select “Log Out.”
Wait for a few minutes.
Log back in.

#10: Update your Apple TV’s software

Similar to compatibility issues…

Outdated softwares also spell trouble for media players and TVs.

Hulu’s quite strict when it comes to software updates.

Meaning, an outdated software can lead to a device being unable to run the app.

Luckily, updating your Apple TV takes only minutes to finish.

Here’s what you need to do:

Access your Apple TV Settings on the home screen.
Tap “System.”
Under the Maintenance section, select “Software Updates.”
Tap “Update Software.”
Wait for the update to finish.
Restart Apple TV.
Launch Hulu.

#11: Change your DNS settings

Earlier, I mentioned that apps or your Apple TV might’ve run into WiFi issues, like a weak connection.

Well, your DNS is also related to that.

How so?

For starters, a DNS or Domain Name System allows you to connect to websites.

That’s the definition in its most basic sense.

But let me explain a little further.

When you type smarthomeowl.com in your address bar, you get pages of useful info.

And that’s pretty basic, right?

It’s all thanks to Chrome that you can access the site and the info.

Except…that’s not exactly what happens.

When you type a site on your address bar…

The server you’re connected to doesn’t understand names like smarthomeowl.com.

It only understands numbers or a numeric address like “194.1.147.86” for example.

And that’s where DNS comes in.

It translates those names that your server doesn’t understand into numeric addresses.

In effect, your server doesn’t have any problems processing your request.

However, there are some cases where the DNS server’s slow, and as a result…

Your WiFi slows down too.

So, what should you do?

Put simply, the best approach is to use another DNS server.

And that’s what you’re going to do here:

Launch your Apple TV’s settings menu.
Choose “General.”
Tap “Network” (located above “Restrictions”).
Select “Wi-Fi.”
Choose the WiFi network you’ve set for your Apple TV.
Tap “Configure DNS.”
Select the “Manual” option.
Type the Google DNS Server: Either 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4
Tap “Done” to complete the change.

From here, launch the Hulu app.

If this doesn’t solve your issue, make sure to revert your DNS setting back to “Automatic.”

#12: Reinstall your Hulu app

With WiFi troubleshooting fixes out of the way, it’s time for a different angle.

Specifically, reinstalling Hulu on your Apple TV.

Why?

Because it’s possible that your Hulu app’s corrupted.

And reinstalling it might be the only way to solve this issue.

But first, you’ll need to delete Hulu:

On your Apple TV home screen, select the Hulu app.
Hold down the center button of your clickpad your remote.
The app should start wiggling or shaking.
Press the play/pause button on your remote.
A pop-up menu should appear on your screen.
Tap “Delete.”

Just in case, here’s a video that shows how to delete your apps on Apple TV:

From here, you can now reinstall the Hulu app:

Go to your App Store on your Apple TV home screen.
On the search bar, type “Hulu.”
Select the app.
Tap “Get.”
Note: You may need to enter your Apple ID and password.
Wait for Hulu to finish downloading and installing.
Launch the app.

#13: Factory reset your Apple TV

As a last resort option, you’ll have to do a factory reset.

What this does is it erases all the current and saved data on your device.

However, a factory reset also clears any errors, glitches, and corrupted files.

Now, I don’t recommend doing this unless you’ve tried all 12 fixes as mentioned above.

To perform a factory reset, here’s what you need to do:

Press the Home button on your Apple TV remote.
Go to your Settings and launch it.
Scroll down the menu and select “System.”
Under the “Info” section, tap “Reset.”
Wait for the process to finish as this will take time.
Set up your Apple TV.
Launch Hulu.

How do I update Hulu on Apple TV?

You can update Hulu on your Apple TV device by going to the App Store.

From there, follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the “Purchased” section.

This is found in your top menu alongside tabs like:

Search.
Featured.
Top Charts.
Categories.

Step 2: Select “All Apps.”

Here, you’ll be able to see the following:

All Apps.
Recently Updated.
Recent Purchases.

Alternatively, you can check the “Recently Updated” section if Hulu was updated.

Step 3: Tap “Hulu.”

Step 4: Select “Update.”

If a new update’s available, simply tap the “Update” button to start the process.

Alternatively, you can have all your apps updated automatically by doing the following:

Access your Apple TV’s settings.
Select “Apps.”
Toggle “Automatically Update Apps” to “On.”