Apple TV outage means no stream for you! [Updated]

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Problems with the Apple TV app and/or the Apple TV+ made streaming impossible for some users Wednesday.
Problems with the Apple TV app and/or the Apple TV+ made streaming impossible for some users Wednesday.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

UPDATE: Apple’s System Status page now lists the problems with Apple TV and Apple TV+ as a “resolved issue.” 


An Apple TV outage late Thursday afternoon left viewers wondering why they couldn’t watch their favorite shows.

Around 5 p.m. PST, a message in the Apple TV app read: “Content Unavailable. There’s a problem loading this content. If this continues, check your Internet connection.” The ongoing problem apparently affects the Apple TV app, as well as the Apple TV+ streaming service and the channels subscribed to through the Apple TV app. On Macs, the message appeared in the Watch Now, Apple TV+ and Store tabs of Apple’s TV app.

Apple TV down: It’s official

A few minutes after complaints surfaced on Twitter, the Apple System Status page noted an “issue” with both Apple TV Channels and Apple TV+. The Downdetector site also showed a spike of reports of problems with Apple TV around the same time.

Apple TV+ fans trying to catch up on hits like Ted Lassowhich has a new season coming soon — and Severance seemed particularly unhappy, as can be seen in the tweets below.

What caused the Apple TV outage?

The ongoing Apple TV outage appears widespread and idiosyncratic. Cult of Mac confirmed the problem using the Apple TV app on a Mac and an iPhone in the San Francisco Bay Area, both of which refused to play any content. However, the app worked on an Apple TV set-top box located at the same residence. Loading the Apple TV app on an iPad in Georgia produced the same problem. And on a Roku, also in Georgia, the Apple TV app showed episodes of shows, but they could not be played.

Cult of Mac contacted Apple about the cause and scope of the outage, and when viewers can expect the service to start working again. We will update this post when we find out more.

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