Hulu app crashing for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV users

A number of Hulu subscribers are having trouble watching shows via the streaming service, with reports from users largely claiming there to be a problem with app crashes for the iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS versions.

Reports of issues with Hulu's service started on Tuesday morning at around 4:30am Eastern. A post on Reddit's r/Hulu forum highlighted a sudden spike in problems for the app, an incident which was also recorded by DownDetector and has seemingly grown in scale as the hours wore on.

So far, reports indicate the bulk of the downtime occurs to those using Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and the Apple TV. Complaints include instances where the app crashes when opened, as well as problems during streaming when the app operates normally.

Hulu outage reports to DownDetector

Not all of the complaints have related to the Apple ecosystem, with a smaller number of incidents on other platforms.

According to Engadget, one user got in contact with Hulu's support teams over the issues, and was advised there was an app update on the way that would fix the problem. While it is unclear exactly what is the problem, the claim suggests the error involves changes made on Hulu's servers, one that should have been made at the same time as the release of an app update.

It is also plausible Hulu could fix the crashes by reverting the possible server-side change to an earlier state, then restoring the alterations once the iOS and tvOS apps are released.

AppleInsider has contacted Hulu about the issues, and will update this post if there is a response.

12 Comments

DWillyReyf 8 Years · 5 comments

About 4 years ago

The tvOS app has always been incredibly buggy, particularly with their Live TV. The stream regularly crashes when one time slot ends and the next begins. Audio will start from one show and continue in the background even as you switch to another. It’s the only app I regularly force close and relaunch.

pscooter63 13 Years · 1072 comments

I have to agree with DWillyRef, Hulu's not always the best-behaved app on my three ATVs.

I will say, generally, most apps are a lot more stable on my two 4Ks, as opposed to the one HD. Even iMovies locked up on me on the HD the other night, three minutes into a rental, forcing a hard reboot (disconnecting the power cord). I really regret trying to save a few bucks with that one, because it flakes out more often than the others.

lkrupp 19 Years · 10521 comments

DWillyReyf said:

The tvOS app has always been incredibly buggy, particularly with their Live TV. The stream regularly crashes when one time slot ends and the next begins. Audio will start from one show and continue in the background even as you switch to another. It’s the only app I regularly force close and relaunch.

No it’s not. I have had no problems with Hulu on my Apple TV HD. I was watching a movie last night with no crashes, no hiccups. The only complaint I have with Hulu is their audio stream which is often only 2 channel stereo.

crimguy 15 Years · 120 comments

lkrupp said:

DWillyReyf said:

The tvOS app has always been incredibly buggy, particularly with their Live TV. The stream regularly crashes when one time slot ends and the next begins. Audio will start from one show and continue in the background even as you switch to another. It’s the only app I regularly force close and relaunch.

No it’s not. I have had no problems with Hulu on my Apple TV HD. I was watching a movie last night with no crashes, no hiccups. The only complaint I have with Hulu is their audio stream which is often only 2 channel stereo.

Yes. It is. It's been buggy for me on all of my devices. Not unusable but buggy.

On iOS frequently live TV won't broadcast when I select a station.
On all of my apple tv's, after a while live tv stops responding, forcing me to relaunch.

Respecfully, just because you don't have problems doesn't mean the rest of the world is wrong when they do.

caskey 10 Years · 38 comments

lkrupp said:
No it’s not. I have had no problems with Hulu on my Apple TV HD. I was watching a movie last night with no crashes, no hiccups. The only complaint I have with Hulu is their audio stream which is often only 2 channel stereo.

thats great that you haven’t experienced those problems but just because it works for you doesn’t mean it works for everyone. Get errors daily with Hulu on my AppleTV. Sometimes a video just stops, sometimes it cannot load a video and I have to force quit and yes, the weird double audio thing has been an interesting recent development. It will play audio from 2 videos at the same time and the only way to stop is to force quit the app. So, yes, it is buggy...just not for you apparently.