Apple TV owners are being plagued by frequent TV app crashes under tvOS 13.
Arguably the most important feature of the set-top box, the TV app has become unusable for some under Apple’s latest software release. Both Apple TV and Apple TV 4K are affected.
The TV app is obviously where you’ll find a lot of the video content you wish to watch on Apple TV. It’s home to the movies and TV shows you’ve purchased on iTunes, Apple TV Channels, and more.
It will also host Apple’s new TV+ subscription service, which launches on November 1. But unless Apple can eliminate a big bug before then, many users won’t be able to enjoy it.
Apple TV app broken under tvOS 13
A “handful” of users are reporting that the TV app is broken for them after updating to tvOS 13 this fall, 9to5Mac reports. “The TV app simply crashes as the user browses around.”
The crash, which is present on Apple TV and TV 4K, seems to occur most frequently after the first swipe down in the Watch Now tab. And it prevents some users from accessing any content at all.
The TV app on other platforms, such as iOS and iPadOS, is not affected. I don’t have any issues with it on a Samsung TV, either.
Not widespread, but not rare
It’s not clear exactly how many people are experiencing this issue. It certainly isn’t impacting ever Apple TV user, but it isn’t rare.
“The problem appears wide enough from reports that we have seen to our tips inbox and on social media to be worthy of coverage,” adds 9to5.
Apple has already begun testing tvOS 13.2, which is now available in beta form. Users will be hoping this update fixes the issue, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
TV app a must-have
Without a working TV app, Apple TV owners won’t be able to enjoy TV+ on the big screen when it launches on November 1. It is likely Apple will provide an update before then, however.