A Roku device gives you the possibility to install a large variety of streaming apps, including Disney Plus.
Disney Plus is one of the most popular streaming services on the market, with an 18% market share.
But sometimes the Disney Plus app can stop working on Roku TVs and leave you frustrated because you cannot stream Disney content. This has happened to a lot of Roku users.
Fortunately, there are fixes you can try in just a few minutes that can help with your issue. Here are the things you can try to help fix your issue with the Disney Plus app not working on Roku TV.
Restart your Roku TV
Disney Plus not working on Roku is something that happens to a lot of users, and usually, the easiest way of handling the issue is doing a Roku streaming device restart.
There are 2 ways of doing a restart on your Roku. A restart of the device can clear the Roku cache memory and clear these temporary app issues.
One of the ways you can do a restart is by pressing a combination of buttons on your remote in quick order. Here are the steps for doing the restart:
- Press the Home button on your remote 5 times.
- Press the Up button 1 time
- Press the Rewind button 2 times
- Press the Fast Forward button 2 times
After pressing all the buttons on your remote just wait for a few settings. The TV will boot up again. After the restart, you can check and see if the Disney Plus issue is fixed or not. If the issue is not fixed you can try a restart from the Roku device system settings page.
To do a restart from the Roku system settings follow these steps:
- Press the Home button
- Select Settings option
- Select the System tab from the Settings screen
- Select the Power option from the system menu
- Select System Restart option
- Select Restart
Once the restart is complete check the Disney Plus app and see if the issue is fixed.
Unplug Roku from the wall power outlet
The easiest way of doing a soft reset to your Roku device is to do a power cycle and remove the device from power. All you have to do is unplug the Roku device from the power outlet, wait for at least 1 minute and then plug it back in.
When doing this kind of reset the important part is to wait at least 60 seconds without plugging the Roku back in so any residual power inside the device is drained before you plug it back in.
After you plug the Roku back in check if the Disney Plus app is working or not.
Software update your Roku
Running on an old version of the Roku software can cause these Disney Plus app issues. You always want to make sure the device is updated to the latest software version.
To do a software update follow these steps:
- Go to Home screen
- Go to the Settings menu
- Select the System option from menu
- Select System Update
- Check if an update is available and install it
After the update is complete check if the Disney Plus app works correctly.
Reset Roku to factory settings
If doing a soft reset didn’t work you can try a full Roku reset to factory settings. This will wipe all the data, all your custom settings, and downloads from your device and you will have to log back into any accounts you’re using on your TV.
- Go to Roku smart TV Home screen
- Go to the Settings menu
- Choose System
- Scroll down and select Advanced system settings
- Select Factory Reset everything
- Enter the code shown on the screen to do the factory reset
After the reset is done check to see if the Disney Plus app works correctly.
Check Roku Internet connection
For the best viewing experience, Roku recommends a minimum download speed of 3.0 Mbps for standard definition and 9.0 Mbps for HD content. A slow internet connection can cause buffering, lagging, or de-sync between audio and video. Internet connectivity plays the biggest part in streaming channels because the content is streamed using the internet and not the cable like regular TV channels.
You can test your internet speed at speedtest.net. Just open the link on your phone or tablet while you are connected to the same network as your Roku device, stay near the Roku TV to simulate the same connection conditions, and run the test.
Be aware that internet speed is not everything, you also need a stable internet connection. If the speed is good but the connection drops every few minutes then your video will constantly buffer or freeze.
My advice would be to run the tests a few different times during the day to see if the speed is consistent or if a high variation happens throughout the day. If your test result bandwidth is constantly under the values required by Roku you should contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) to troubleshoot.
To make sure the internet connection is good on your Roku device you should always check the status in the device settings. To do this go to HOME > SETTINGS > NETWORK > ABOUT.
Check the signal strength row, it should be Excellent or Good. Anything else besides that means you have an unstable internet connection. You can also run a network check by choosing the Check connection option from that page.
A low internet connection can be the cause of your issues with the Disney Plus app.
On the same screen you can check your internet speed. Make sure the speed is above the minimum required speed, which is 9.0 Mbps for HD content.
Check if Disney Plus app is compatible with your Roku device
Disney Plus provides a list of compatible devices. Most of the Roku devices are on that list, but to make sure your device is indeed compatible you should check the list.
You can find the official Disney Plus devices list here on their official site.
If your device is on the list then it is not a compatibility issue.
Reinstall Disney Plus app
If none of the other fixes work you can try to reinstall the Disney Plus channel. You can do that by following these steps:
- Go to Home screen
- Locate Disney Plus app
- Hit the asterisk (*) button on the remote
- Select Remove channel option
- Click OK button
Once the app is uninstalled turn your Roku device off and back on, then go to the Apps section and install the Disney Plus app again. This way you will also make sure you use the latest version of the app.
Check if Disney Plus server is down
If Disney Plus is still not working on your Roku device maybe the issue is not on your side and it’s just a temporary server issue. Even if this doesn’t happen very often it’s still something that happens from time to time to all streaming services.
To see if this is a server issue you can try to access Disney Plus on your other devices like a smartphone or computer. If the app is not working there either then it’s most definitely a problem with the servers.
When this happens all you can do is wait for the servers to come back up.
You can also check sites like Downdetector to see if the servers are down.
Reset modem/router
If your internet connection isn’t working then you might want to reset the modem. You can either reset the modem or router depending upon what the problem is.
If you’re using a router and the Roku device is connected to it then you will want to reset it first before checking out the modem. You can reset your router by unplugging it from power, waiting for at least 30 seconds, and plugging it back in. Once the router is done restarting you can check to see if the internet connection is restored and working correctly. You can check in on both your Roku device and on another device connected to the same network.
Reset modem
If your router is connected to a modem and you’re still having issues after restarting the router you will want to do the same thing with the modem. Same as with the router unplug it from power, wait for at least 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Wait for it to finish the restart and reconnection to the internet, but also wait for the connection between modem and router to be restored.
Routers and modems usually also have reset buttons on them, you can just check the back of the device or under it until you locate the button and press and keep it pressed for a few seconds. After that wait for the restart process to finish and the internet connection to be restored.
Check your Disney Plus account
An issue with your Disney Plus video subscription can also be the cause of the Disney Plus app not working. Check to make sure you have an active subscription, maybe you forgot to extend your subscription, or the card you’ve been using for payment is expired and you’re no longer billed for the service.
Also, make sure you are logged in with the correct Disney Plus account if you have multiple accounts.
Log out and log back into your Disney Plus video account
If you’ve confirmed you have the right account you can log out and then log back into your account on your Roku device.
All you have to do to log out is:
- Open Disney Plus channel
- Select your profile to reach the main menu
- Press left to open the side menu
- Select Settings
- Go down and select Log out option
- Press Log out button
The next time you open the Disney Plus app you will be asked to log in. Follow the steps to log back into your account and you should go to go.
Conclusions
When Disney Plus is not working on your Roku streaming device or Roku streaming stick there are a few quick and easy fixes you can try.
- Restart your Roku device
- Unplug Roku device from power
- Update your Roku device software version
- Factory Reset your Roku
- Check Roku internet connection
- Check if the Disney Plus app is compatible with your Roku device
- Reinstall the Disney Plus app
- Check if Disney Plus servers are down
- Reset modem / router
- Check Disney Plus account
- Log out and log back into your Disney Plus account
- Check Roku community discussions and see if any other solutions are presented
Hopefully one of these fixes works in your case.