If you’re a YouTube TV subscriber, you’ll know that the service has gone through a good share of its ups and downs over the past year. Luckily, 2026 has been a much better year, offering a relatively smooth experience. We wish that energy could continue, but it looks like some users are experiencing some issues thanks to a new update.
An update many did not need
The folks at 9to5Google have unearthed a string of topics on the YouTube TV Help page with users complaining that background playback is no longer working how it used to. If you’re not familiar, that’s where the video keeps playing in the background when you start doing other things on YouTube TV, like opening up the Live Guide.
It’s a nice touch to keep the experience going when you’re just moving around the interface, but apparently, YouTube didn’t really find it all that necessary for older devices. Now, as far as why this is happening, a “Diamond Product Expert” chimed in, letting users know that an update had been made to YouTube TV that affects “older and less powerful devices and smart TVs.”
The user stated that on these types of products, “background play is no longer supported,” which, as you can imagine, comes as a big shock since it was working up until this point. What’s interesting about this is that it appears that Roku devices could be the common thread here. Although it could affect other brands as well.
As far as why this is happening now, it’s to “prevent crashing and create a more seamless experience for those devices.” As far as solutions, there’s really only one, with the product expert sharing that “It’s strongly suggested you pick up an updated standalone streaming device to have an ideal playback experience, and to ensure that future features are included for your device.”
As you can imagine, the response to the message hasn’t exactly been positive. This feature was working, and YouTube took it away. Sure, a device that’s a few years old may not provide the best experience, but this can’t be that big of a deal, right? It’s once again a story about how software can really make or break a device and its experience.
And since users don’t have control, you’re really at the mercy of the manufacturer or the software provider. If you’re a Roku owner, let us know in the comments whether you’ve experienced this issue yourself. And for those that aren’t sticking around, what new device are you looking to go to?
