(7 Fixes) Netflix Black Screen With Sound On iPhone [2023]

Picture this:

You are in your soft bed.

With your favorite snacks.

And your iPhone’s fully charged, ready for a Netflix binge-watch.

And then the screen turns black.

While the sound plays.

Frustrating, right?

But don’t worry, it doesn’t just happen to you.

There are ways to fix a Netflix black screen with sound on your iPhone.

Read on to find out:

7 ways to fix the issue.
What usually causes a Netflix black screen issue.
Whether you need to do an iPhone update to fix it.
Why you should “force-stop” the iPhone app and how to do it.
And so much more…

Why is my Netflix screen black with sound on my iPhone?

Your Netflix screen is black with sound on your iPhone because Netflix may be having streaming issues. Or you need to restart your phone or re-enter your login info. You may also need to clear app cache and data, reinstall or update the app, upgrade your device, or check your Internet connection.

Netflix black screen with sound iPhone: 7 fixes

#1: Check if Netflix is down

Netflix is a streaming service that has a whopping 209 million subscribers all over the world, as of 2021.

Just think of how much power it takes for the app to stay functional for all these users!

This is why Netflix sometimes experiences server problems. And this may lead to a black screen with sound on your iPhone.

So you should first check whether the issue is with your phone, your connection, or just Netflix.

Netflix has a dedicated page that allows you to instantly see whether it is down or not.

#2: Restart your phone

Another quick fix that you should never skip is the simple act of restarting your phone.

“Yeah, yeah, sure, but how does that even help?”

So when you’re on your iPhone, you’re using up RAM or Random Access Memory.

This is like your phone’s memory, which stores data and keeps your phone working.

The more apps you open, the more RAM you use up.

And even when you close an app, bits of it still stick around in your RAM.

When your RAM gets clogged up, your phone’s performance will slow down, and you may experience issues.

Such as a black Netflix screen with sound.

So yes, in many cases, “have you tried turning it off and on” is very, very useful.

To see whether a simple restart can fix the issue, all you need to do is:

Step 1: Hold the side button and one of the volume buttons at the same time until you see the slider.

Step 2: Tap on or drag the slider towards “Slide to power off”.

Step 3: If the slider doesn’t appear, hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the slider, and select “Slide to power off”.

Step 4: Hold the Sleep/Wake button again after at least 10 seconds. If you want, you can wait for up to two minutes before you turn it on again.

Step 5: Wait for your iPhone to power back on.

#3: Log out and log back in

If the first two fixes don’t quite fix the problem for you, don’t worry.

The next thing to try is to log out of your Netflix account and log back in.

Doing this kind of refreshes the app and helps it perform better.

To log out of Netflix on your iPhone, you can:

Look for “Profiles” in the upper right section of the screen, or click on “More” in the lower right.
Tap on “Sign Out”.
Select “Yes” to confirm that you’re logging out.

And to log back into your account, you just have to:

Look for Netflix on your home screen.
Key in your email address and password.
Tap on “Sign In”.

#4: Clear app cache and data

Still no luck?

It’s time to clear the app cache and data from your iPhone to try and see if that fixes the issue.

Why is this important?

Your cache helps your phone automatically connect to applications.

“Yes, and?”

This means that you won’t have to re-enter information.

“Yes, and?”

And this helps in loading apps faster, definitely.

“So that’s a good thing, then!”

But it may also cause the app to fail or slow down, especially if you have been using the app for a while.

Note: Clearing Netflix data will delete your downloads.

If you want to clear your Netflix data from your iPhone, all you have to do is:

Find “Settings” on your home screen and click on it.
Tap on “General” or “Apps” or “Applications”.
Go to “Manage Applications”, “Application Manager”, or “Manage All Apps”.
Select “Netflix”. (If you don’t automatically see Netflix, check under your “Downloaded” tab.)
Tap on “Storage”.
Tap on “Clear Data” or “Clear Storage”.
Press “OK”.

After clearing the app data, turn your phone off and turn it back on and try Netflix again.

#5: Update the app

Netflix frequently releases updates to keep the app running smoothly.

For all users, including you!

If you haven’t updated your Netflix app in a while, now is the time.

Your phone may need fresh upgrades so that you can enjoy streaming, without black screens and everything.

This process should be automatic, but in case you need to check manually, you only need to:

Go to the App Store from your home screen.
Tap on “Updates” (for iOS 12 or lower) or “Profile” (for iOS 13 and higher).
Search for Netflix.
Select “Update”.
Enter your Apple ID and password, if necessary.

#6: Uninstall and reinstall the app

Have you done everything so far and you’re still stuck on a black Netflix screen with sound?

Do not throw your phone out yet.

There are still a couple of tricks to try to resolve the issue, and up next is reinstalling Netflix.

To uninstall Netflix from your iPhone:

Look for “Netflix” on your home screen.
Tap and hold until an “X” in the upper left appears.
Tap on “Delete”.

And to reinstall:

Go to the App Store.
Search for “Netflix”.
Tap on “Netflix” and select “Get”.
Wait for the app to download to your phone.
Once it has downloaded, tap on it on your home screen.
Enter your Netflix email address and password.

#7: Update your device

“I have done most of the steps on this list, and I’m still getting a black Netflix screen with sound!”

Fret not, you can now try updating your device.

Updating your iPhone allows it to run more efficiently because it has the latest system updates.

Yes, including streaming Netflix shows or movies.

“Why is that necessary?”

If your phone isn’t updated, you may have compatibility issues between your phone and your apps.

Also, if there were errors that affected your OS, an upgrade will be necessary to patch the error.

To upgrade your iOS device:

First, back up your device using your iCloud or your computer.
Make sure that your iPhone is connected to a power source, and it has WiFi access.
Go to Settings, find “General”, and then tap on “Software Update”.
Download the software update that is available by tapping “Install Now”.
If you’re seeing the option to “Download and Install Now”, tap on it, enter your passcode, and start the download.

You can also set up automatic updates for your iOS version by doing the following:

Go to Settings, find “General”, then tap on “Software Update”.
Select “Automatic Updates”, then select “Download iOS Updates”.
Tap on “Install iOS Updates” to automatically download and install updates for your iOS version.

Note: Remember that some updates may not be possible manually, or may not be installed on just a WiFi connection.

You might also like: 5 Reasons Why Your Airpods Are Dying So Fast + Fixes

For a video tutorial, watch this:

https://youtu.be/csJAEyvvruY

BONUS: Upgrade your Internet

Finally, check your Internet speed. Netflix recommends at least 1 Mbps for standard definition streaming, and at least 3 Mbps for HD streaming.

For 4K or Ultra HD, you will need at least 15 Mbps.

To improve your Internet speed, you can try:

Monitoring your network’s bandwidth usage.
Install a range extender to boost Internet signal for your iPhone.
Restart your router.
Subscribe to a better Internet plan.