Roku devices are one of the most popular ways to stream Disney Plus. But sometimes Disney Plus starts glitching or stops working entirely on Roku. When that happens, it can be frustrating trying to figure out the cause and solution.
This guide will walk you through the top reasons Disney Plus stalls on Roku and provide fixes to get it working again. Whether it’s problems with your Roku device, internet, the Disney Plus app itself, or other issues, we’ve got you covered.
If you are getting Disney+ error codes such as Disney Plus error code 41, this troubleshooting guide may help resolve the issues.
Common Reasons Disney Plus Stops Working on Roku
Before jumping into solutions, let’s first understand why Disney Plus commonly fails on Roku in the first place. The most typical culprits include:
Outdated Roku Software – Roku devices rely on regular software updates to run the latest apps smoothly. If your system software falls behind, apps like Disney Plus may glitch or fail to open.
Connectivity Issues – Like any streaming service, Disney Plus requires a stable, fast internet connection. Poor wifi signals, ISP problems, or router malfunctions can all interrupt streams.
Incompatible Hardware – Disney Plus only supports certain Roku devices. Trying to run it on an unsupported model will either fail outright or deliver a degraded experience.
Channel Conflicts – Sometimes other channels have conflicts with Disney Plus that only emerge once both are installed. The clash prevents Disney Plus from working properly.
App Problems – As with all apps, the Disney Plus channel can suffer from sporadic bugs, glitches, crashes, buffering, and other software issues on Roku.
Roku OS Issues – Though rare, bugs or performance problems with Roku’s core operating system can trickle down and disrupt channels like Disney Plus.
Server Outages – Large spikes in traffic can occasionally overwhelm Disney Plus servers, leading to temporary outages. There’s no fix but to wait for service restoration during these periods.
Step-by-Step Fixes for Disney Plus Not Working on Roku
Now that you know what’s most likely to blame when Disney Plus fails on Roku, let’s walk through the top troubleshooting tips and step-by-step fixes:
1. Check Disney Plus System Status
Before wasting time troubleshooting, first check if Disney Plus is actually up and running. The service occasionally suffers partial or complete outages that prevent all users from streaming during those periods, regardless of device.
Visit Downdetector to check real-time Disney Plus status. If it confirms an ongoing widespread outage, simply wait until the issues are resolved on Disney’s end. All Roku devices will regain access once service is restored.
2. Restart Your Roku
If Disney Plus problems seem isolated to your device, one quick fix to try first is restarting your Roku. This clears temporary glitches and often fixes random channel issues like no sound.
To restart:
- From the Home screen, open Settings
- Navigate to System > Power > System Restart
- Confirm the restart
After rebooting, open Disney Plus again to see if the problems persist. This simple fix solves most intermittent issues.
3. Force Stop Disney Plus
Sometimes the Disney Plus channel can get stuck in a crash loop or unresponsive state that prevents loading content. Force stopping the app erases these problematic memory states so it can start fresh.
To force stop Disney Plus on Roku:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings
- Choose Apps > Manage Installed Apps
- Select the Disney Plus app
- Choose Force Stop > confirm
Now launch Disney Plus again normally to test if force stopping cleared the issues.
4. Update Your Roku Software
As mentioned earlier, channels depend on up-to-date Roku system software to avoid conflicts and run properly. Letting your OS version fall too far behind can create problems for Disney Plus and other apps.
Here’s how to manually check and install Roku updates:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings
- Navigate to System > System Update
- Select Check Now to scan for pending updates
- If available, click to download and install system updates
- Your Roku device will automatically reboot upon completing installations
Once your system is updated to the latest Roku OS build, try Disney Plus again. Updates frequently patch bugs and optimize performance.
5. Update the Disney Plus Channel
Just like with system updates, individual channel updates also deliver important bug fixes, compatibility tweaks, and feature improvements. An outdated Disney Plus channel can suffer issues that updating would resolve.
Here’s how to easily check and install Disney Plus channel updates on Roku:
- From your Home screen, scroll down and highlight the Disney Plus channel
- Press the * button to open Channel Options
- Choose Check for Updates – if available, select to download updates
- Once complete, the channel will refresh with the new version enabled
After updating, open Disney Plus to test if it’s now working properly without problems.
6. Uninstall and Reinstall Disney Plus
If Disney Plus persists in not working on Roku despite the other troubleshooting steps, uninstalling and reinstalling the channel as a last resort often does the trick. This erases any corrupted cached data or problematic files causing conflicts.
Follow these instructions to remove and re-add Disney Plus on your Roku:
1. From the Home screen, scroll down and highlight the Disney Plus tile
2. Press * to open Channel Options > Remove Channel to uninstall
3. After removal completes, press the Home button to return to the main menu
4. Select Streaming Channels > Search Channels > Find “Disney Plus”
5. Select Add Channel to reinstall Disney Plus
6. Once finished, select Go To Channel to open and test
Reinstalling flushes any troublesome channel data making Disney Plus act up. Streaming should now work smoothly again.
7. Switch Roku Audio Output
An odd workaround that sometimes resolves Disney Plus streaming problems on Roku devices relates to audio output settings.
Switching from surround sound to regular stereo channels while streaming Disney Plus occasionally fixes playback failures that occur when listening via a home theater receiver or external speaker system.
Here’s how to toggle audio output on Roku to test if that alleviates Disney Plus issues:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings
- Select Audio > Audio mode
- Toggle from Auto detect to Stereo
- Launch Disney Plus content again after changing the setting
The channel may function better with plain stereo sound enabled rather than digital surround formats. Switch back to Auto detect afterwards if the issues persist.
8. Disable Other Channels
On very rare occasions, other seemingly unrelated channels cause obscure conflicts that break Disney Plus functionality when installed on the same device.
The only recourse may involve systematically uninstalling other channels one by one to identify the problematic app. Once uninstalled, Disney Plus will suddenly start working properly again.
Here are the basic steps to isolate channel conflicts:
- From the Home screen, highlight each installed channel other than Disney Plus
- Press the * button and choose Remove Channel to delete other channels individually
- Test if Disney Plus works properly again after each uninstallation
Through this process of elimination, you can pinpoint the channel causing Disney Plus to fail once removed from the device. Feel free to reinstall the other channels afterwards (except for the problematic app).
9. Reset Your Router
Inconsistent internet connectivity often manifests in streaming failures. Before blaming your Roku device or Disney Plus app itself, first rule out networking issues.
Resetting your router and modem discards temporary glitches and reconnects Roku to the web. Often streaming problems magically disappear after rebooting home internet equipment.
Here is a simple process for router resets:
- Locate your router and internet modem hardware
- Unplug both the router and modem power cables
- Wait 60 seconds then plug the modem back in to reboot
- Once the modem’s lights indicate a restored connection, plug the router power back in too
- Wait a few minutes for full resets to complete
Now check if Disney Plus streams properly on your Roku after resetting home internet connectivity at the source.
10. Change DNS Settings
While Disney Plus problems most often trace back to your local network, sometimes the roots involve your internet service provider’s DNS servers acting up. Roku devices rely on DNS to route streaming requests correctly.
Switching from your ISP’s DNS to reliable third-party servers like Google or Cloudflare DNS can circumvent issues reaching Disney Plus servers, improving streaming reliability as a result.
Here is how to configure alternate DNS settings on your Roku:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings
- Choose Network > Set up connection
- Select your active wireless connection
- Toggle from Automatic to Manual under Configure IP settings
- Change the DNS Server entry field from your ISP’s to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (Google DNS) or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare DNS)
- Select Save to confirm settings
With reliable third-party DNS routing applied, open Disney+ again to check if streams now connect smoothly without issues.
Contact Disney Plus or Roku Support
If you’ve worked through all troubleshooting suggestions without resolving Disney Plus problems on your Roku, reach out to their support teams as a last resort via:
Disney Plus Support
- Live chat agents 24/7: Contact Disney Plus
- Twitter support: @DisneyPlusHelp
- Phone (US): (888) 905-7888
Roku Support
- 24/7 online chat & email: Roku Support
- Twitter support: @RokuSupport
- Phone (US): (816) 272-8106
If you are still struggling with Disney Plus not working on Samsung TVs, LG TVs, Vizio TVs, or see a Disney Plus black screen, contact support teams for help.
Their experts can offer custom troubleshooting tips or escalate technical issues affecting Disney Plus functionality on your specific Roku model. But hopefully the fixes above already get Disney Plus working properly again and streaming your favorite shows without problems.
Why Does Disney Plus Stop Working on Roku? – Quick Summary
Here’s a quick rundown of common triggers making Disney Plus suddenly stop functioning when previously working fine on Roku devices:
- Outdated Roku software – channels depend on the latest OS to avoid conflicts
- Connectivity issues – any disruptions or lag spikes interrupting streaming traffic
- Hardware compatibility problems – Disney Plus only supports certain Roku models
- Channel clashes – other apps causing obscure software conflicts
- Disney Plus app glitches – bugs or crashes within the channel itself
- Roku OS software problems – flaws at the system level trickle down
- Temporary Disney Plus service outages – server infrastructure disruptions
Fixing Disney Plus Not Working on Roku – Key Takeaways and Tips
Here are some key summarized takeaways and top recommendations for getting Disney Plus working properly again on misbehaving Roku devices:
- First check if Disney Plus is actually down or experiencing service problems at the backend that are universally impacting all users.
- Try restarting your Roku since this commonly resolves temporary glitches related to streaming apps and channels.
- Ensure your Roku system software and the Disney Plus channel are fully updated. Updates frequently patch bugs causing technical issues.
- As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall the Disney Plus channel on Roku to flush out possible corrupted cached data or problematic local files.
- Reset your home router and modem which often resolves “mysterious” streaming failures network wide once internet equipment reboots and reconnects.
- Switch DNS settings over to alternate third-party servers like Google or Cloudflare DNS to circumvent any ISP routing problems or flakey default servers.
- Finally, don’t hesitate to contact Disney Plus Support or Roku Support teams for personalized troubleshooting assistance if all else fails. Their experts can diagnose and fix difficult, device-specific issues.
Follow the step-by-step troubleshooting guide above to get Disney Plus smoothly streaming again on Roku. The fixes help identify and eliminate a wide range of potential problems either within your Roku device, local network setup, internet equipment, ISP services, Disney Plus app channel itself or at Disney’s server infrastructure level. Reach out for specialty support if needed.
