A recent YouTube TV update has disabled background playback on older smart TVs and streaming sticks, particularly targeting Roku hardware. This change means affected subscribers can no longer keep video playing in the background when navigating to other parts of the app’s interface.
Reason for the Change
According to a YouTube TV “Diamond Product Expert,” the move was made to prevent app crashes and create a more seamless experience for those devices. The update affects “older and less powerful devices and smart TVs,” and on these specific products, “background play is no longer supported.”
Instead of offering a software patch to restore the function, the support team advised users that upgrading their physical hardware is the only way to regain it. Customer feedback on the help pages has been negative, as users noted the background playback function had worked reliably on their current setups up until the rollout of this update.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
