Android TV boxes usually fail in a handful of recognisable ways. Find your symptom and work through the fixes in order. Menu names vary between brands, but the settings are similar on most boxes. Before anything else, unplug the box from the mains for a full minute: it fixes more problems than any setting.
No picture on the TV
- Check the TV is on the right HDMI input.
- Try another HDMI cable and another HDMI port on the TV.
- Check the box's power light. If it's off, try another power adapter of the same rating.
- If the box was set to a resolution the TV doesn't support, connect it to a different TV and lower the output resolution in display settings.
Stuck on the logo or keeps restarting
- Unplug the box for a full minute, then try again.
- Disconnect USB drives and other accessories in case one is causing the problem.
- Check the power adapter. A failing or underpowered adapter is a common cause of boot loops, especially after a power cut. Use one with the same voltage and at least the same current rating as the original: if the label says 5 V and 2 A, use exactly 5 V and 2 A or more.
- If it still won't start, most boxes have a recovery mode, often reached by holding a reset button (sometimes inside the AV port) while powering on. From there you can wipe and reset the box. Check your box's manual, because this erases everything.
The remote doesn't work
- Replace the batteries, even if they're fairly new.
- Infrared remotes need a clear line of sight to the box; Bluetooth remotes don't, but must be paired. On Google TV, re-pair it from Settings > Remotes & Accessories; on Android TV, from the Remotes & accessories menu.
- While you sort the remote out, the Google TV app on your phone can control most Google TV and Android TV boxes on the same Wi-Fi.
No Wi-Fi or keeps disconnecting
- Forget the network in Settings > Network and reconnect, re-entering the password carefully.
- Restart your router by switching it off at the wall for 30 seconds.
- Move the box or router so they're not separated by thick walls, and try the 5 GHz band.
- Check the box's date and time are correct; wrong time can stop secure connections.
- An Ethernet cable is the most reliable fix if your box has a port.
Apps crash or the Play Store won't work
- Clear the cache of the misbehaving app in Settings > Apps. For the Play Store, also clear the cache of Google Play services.
- Make sure there's free storage; aim for at least 1 GB.
- Install system updates from Settings > Device preferences > About > System update.
- Uninstall and reinstall the app from Google Play.
- If the Play Store keeps showing errors, remove your Google account from the box and add it again from the accounts settings.
If the box shows a message that it isn't Play Protect certified, it hasn't passed Google's certification and Google apps may refuse to run on it. That isn't something you can safely fix at home.
Everything is slow
- Uninstall apps you don't use, and clear caches.
- Make sure the box has ventilation; overheating slows processors down.
- In developer options (if you've enabled them), set the background process limit lower, but only if you're comfortable with advanced settings.
- Check the Android TV OS version and security patch level in the About menu. If the patch is years old, the box has stopped getting updates and new versions of apps will gradually run worse on it.
If IPTV specifically stutters while the rest of the box is fine, see our buffering guide. If there's picture but no sound, see IPTV with no sound.
The box turns the TV on or changes input by itself
That's HDMI-CEC, the feature that lets devices on the same HDMI cable control each other. It's handy when it works, but with several devices connected it can switch inputs at the wrong moment. Turn it off in the box's display or HDMI settings, or in the TV's settings, where it may be called Anynet+ (Samsung), SIMPLINK (LG) or BRAVIA Sync (Sony).
Factory reset
If nothing else works, a factory reset (Settings > Device preferences > Reset) returns the box to its original state. Note your logins first; you'll need to reinstall apps.