If Discovery Plus is not working on Samsung TV, then worry no more because you are on the right page.
You are probably trying to open your Discovery Plus channel on your Samsung smart TV, but it’s not launching, or you open the app and it crashes back to the home or you are experiencing video playback issues like freezing, buffering, blurry or fuzzy, black screen.
It may even show discovery plus error 1b-3016 or other error codes on your TV.
It doesn’t matter what issue you are facing exactly,
In this guide, I am going to show you a step-by-step troubleshooting guide to fix it and get Discovery Plus app to start working on your Samsung smart TV seamlessly in 2024.
So, if that sounds like what you are looking for, let’s dive right in!
Discovery Plus Not Working on Samsung TV
If you are asking: Why is Discover Plus not working on your Samsung TV?
There are so many factors that can cause the Discovery Plus app to not work on your Samsung smart TV ranging from device incompatibility to poor internet connection, corrupt app and cache files, outdated app, outdated Samsung TV tizenOS software, or even server issue from Discovery Plus.
Now, let’s take a look at a step-by-step process to fix the issue.
1. Check if Your Samsung TV is Compatible
Not all Samsung smart TVs are compatible with Discovery Plus app. Before anything, you need to be sure that your smart TV is actually compatible with Discovery Plus.
For now, Discovery Plus is available on most Samsung Smart TVs released from 2017 to the latest models using tizen OS.
If your Samsung tizenOS smart TV is compatible, then you can move to the next step below.
However, if your TV is not compatible, but you still want to stream Discovery Plus on your TV, there are at least 2 alternative means to watch Discovery Plus on your Samsung TV which I will show you later in this guide.
2. Power Cycle Your Samsung TV
Power cycling can help fix a lot of streaming issues on your smart TV. It can help fix unresponsiveness, black screen, crash, lag while streaming. It also removes corrupt cache files that can cause streaming apps like Discovery Plus not to work on your smart TV.
Power cycle is also known as a ‘Soft reset’ (differs from factory/hard reset in that all your settings and configurations remain untouched).
Here’s how to power cycle your Samsung TV and fix this issue with Discovery Plus app not loading:
- Unplug your TV from power outlet
- Leave it unplugged for 30 seconds
- Press the power button on your TV for 30 seconds (if your TV does not have a power button, you can skip this step).
- Plug the TV back into the power outlet and it should start working normally now.
If that fixed the issue for you, great! Otherwise, move to the next tip.
3. Check Your Internet Connection
A slow or unstable internet connection can cause Discovery Plus app to not work on your Samsung TV. First thing you can do is power cycle your network router.
- To do this, turn off your router, unplug it and wait for 30 seconds.
- Then, plug it back in and turn it on.
- Once this has been done, connect your Samsung smart TV to your router and try to access Discovery Plus again.
That should fix any connection issue and Discovery Plus app should start working on your Samsung TV.
There are a couple of other things you can do to fix any potential network issue, you can find some of them below:
- Switch to hardwire connection (i.e ethernet cables)
- Check ethernet cables (in the case of wired connection)
- Check your network or connection speed (from other channels or from another device)
- Switch to a dual-band router and use the 5.0GHz frequency
- Update DNS to Google DNS
How to Update DNS to Google DNS
- Go to Settings with your Samsung TV remote controller.
- From the settings page, click on the General tab
- Click on Network
- Next, select Network Status
- Under your connected network, click on IP Settings
- Select the option to set DNS manually
- Finally, edit the DNS Server and change it to 8.8.8.8
- Finally, click on OK button
Wait for it to be reconnected to the new DNS server and then restart your smart TV.
Now, go back to your Samsung TizenOS TV, open the Discovery Plus app and it should be working perfectly well if network is the source of the issue.
You should take note of one thing though.
Obviously, it’s more likely to be a network issue if other channels like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney+ and others are not as well on your Samsung smart TV. On the other hand, if these other channels are working, then network is very unlikely to be your issue.
If the issue is network and you have been able to fix it, great! Otherwise, let’s move to the next step.
4. Update Discovery Plus App
Another common reason why Discovery Plus app stops working on Samsung smart TV is having an older version of the app installed. It can cause Discovery Plus to show a black screen or crash suddenly on your Samsung smart TV.
In that case, you need to check if you have installed the latest version, and if not, you need to update and install the most recent version of Discovery Plus on your TV. Here’s how to do that:
- Click on the Home button on your Samsung TV to go back to the Home screen if you are not
- From the home screen, navigate to the bottom menu and click on ‘Apps’
- On the apps screen, navigate and click on Discovery Plus app icon
- On the Discovery Plus app description page, you will find ‘Update App’ button if your Discovery Plus app is not the latest version. In that case, go ahead and update it. Otherwise, you will find the ‘Open’ button.
On the same page, you will also find details showing the latest version number of the app and installed version number currently installed on your TV just below the Update/Open button. If they match, then you have the latest version installed.
In addition, you can also turn on auto update for apps by clicking on the settings at the top right corner of the apps page (not Discovery Plus app page, but ‘All apps’ page)
That will ensure that all your apps are up to date.
5. Clear Discovery Plus App Cache
Cache files build up and are stored as you use apps installed on your Samsung smart TV. The longer you use them, the larger these cache files become.
In some cases, these cache files become corrupt and affect the performance of the apps on your smart TV. When this happens, you may see discovery plus error 1b-3016 or some other error codes.
Hence, you need to clear the cache file to get your Discovery Plus app to load afresh.
In fact, it is recommended that you clear app cache files regularly for optimum performance. Once cleared, Discovery Plus app should start working on your Samsung TV again.
Now, let me show you how to clear cache files for apps on your Samsung TV.
- Go to the settings by clicking on the settings button on your remote controller or the settings icon on the home screen
- Click on the ‘Support’ tab
- Select ‘Self Diagnosis’ tab
- Click on ‘TV device manager’
- On the next page, click on ‘Clean Now’ buttons under ‘Memory Boost’ and ‘Clear Running Apps’
- Once cleaned, click on ‘Show App List’ under ‘Manage storage’
- On the next page, scroll through the app list until you find Discovery Plus, click on ‘View details’ under the app.
- Finally, click on ‘Clear Cache’.
On some other Samsung TV models, you can find this page by going to Settings > Support > Device Care > Manage Storage.
Now, go ahead and open the Discovery Plus App on your Samsung TV you should be up and running again with Discovery Plus on your Samsung TV.
You can do this for as many apps that you experience similar issues with on your Samsung smart TV.
6. Re-install Discovery Plus App
In some cases, app files also become corrupt causing apps like Discovery Plus and others not to work on smart TVs. In most cases, reinstalling the apps will fix the issue.
Most apps that are installed manually on your Samsung smart TV can be removed and installed again.
First, you need to uninstall Discovery Plus app.
Here’s how to do that:
Press the Home button to open up the Home screen menu. Navigate to Apps, and then select the Settings icon in the top right corner. Next, select Discovery Plus app and click ‘Delete’. Finally, select ‘Delete’ again to confirm.
Once done, follow the procedures below to re-install Discovery Plus app on Samsung TV:
- Click on the Home button on your Samsung TV to go back to the Home screen if you are not
- From the home screen, navigate to the bottom menu and click on ‘Search’
- Enter Discovery Plus in the search box, and click the app icon in the search result
- Click on ‘Install’ button
- Click on ‘Open’ button
- Open the app opens, go ahead and sign in to the Discovery Plus app
Once done, your Discovery Plus app should be working perfectly fine on your Samsung smart TV now.
7. Reset Samsung Smart Hub
If you are experiencing a blue or black screen when you try to open Discovery Plus on Samsung TV, it could also be due to an issue with Samsung smart hub.
In such case, resetting Samsung smart hub will fix the issue.
Here’s how to reset Samsung smart hub:
- Go to the settings by clicking on the settings button on your remote controller or the settings icon on the home screen
- Click on the ‘Support’ tab
- Select ‘Self Diagnosis’ tab
- Click on ‘Reset Smart Hub‘
Once the Samsung TV smart hub reset has been completed, restart your Samsung smart TV and open the Discovery Plus app again.
It should start working now, and you shouldn’t experience any crash, blue or black screen.
8. Update Samsung Smart TV Software
If your Samsung tizen OS software is outdated, you might experience issues like Discovery Plus or other apps crashing or showing a black/blue screen when you try to open it.
What you need to do is simple: update the software version to the latest one.
- To update your Samsung TV software, go to Settings, click on the Support tab and select Software Update.
Finally, click on ‘Update Now’.
You can also update your Samsung TV manually using a USB drive.
9. Check If Discovery Plus Server Is Down
At this point, before we continue looking for other potential causes of the issue on your Samsung smart TV, it’s about time we looked at a potential cause from Discovery Plus.
Although not common, Discovery Plus streaming server can be down sometimes even in 2024. In such instances, the issue is a general one from their servers and is not specific to you or your Samsung smart TV.
When this happens, you could experience a number of things like Discovery Plus app crashing suddenly, you may be logged out of your account out of nowhere and being unable to log back in or the app might just show a black screen on your Samsung TV.
You may even see discovery plus error 1b-3016 or some other error codes.
- In some cases like this, the support team may post an update on their social media handle like the one below:
So, go ahead and check if there’s any such update on their social media handles (Twitter and Facebook).
- In other cases, the server could be down and no such update will be posted. So, how do you know in such cases?
There is an online tool you can use to check if Discovery Plus server is down (whether globally or only in certain locations). Click here to check it on down detector.
10. Update Date & Time
Have you ever tried to visit a website on your phone or laptop and it does not connect to the internet because of incorrect date and time? Well, it does happen!
One of the reasons why this happened is that an incorrect date and time causes an expired or invalid Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate (a digital certificate used to authenticate users, servers, or devices online) to show. As a result, you fail to get an internet connection.
The same way, it can happen while trying to open apps like Discovery Plus on your smart TV.
What you need to do it simple: Set the correct date and time for your time zone, and in addition, set the time and date to automatically update.
- To change the time and date, go to Settings > General > System Manager > Time > Clock
- Make sure the clock mode is set to ‘Auto’. More importantly, make sure the time and date are correct. Otherwise, check your TV internet connection and restart it.
- If it’s still not fixed after ensuring it is connected to the internet, go ahead and choose the manual option and set it yourself.
Once the time and date are corrected and your smart TV is connected to the internet, you shouldn’t have problem with it anymore.
11. Check for Geo-restrictions
While Discovery Plus is making efforts to ensure that the streaming service is available in all major countries, it is not yet available in some regions.
For now, it’s only available to watch in the US, Canada, Brazil, and parts of Asia and Europe.
If you are trying to stream Discovery Plus on your Samsung TV from any of the countries where it is unavailable, it will not work except you use a VPN.
In that case, let’s move to the next step.
12. Check Your Discovery Plus Subscription
Discovery Plus is a subscription-based streaming service. That said, you need an active Discovery Plus subscription is required to stream content.
If your subscription has expired and has not been renewed or you do not have an active subscription, then you need to sign up and pay for one on Discovery Plus website.
There are 2 plans available:
- Discovery+: $4.99/month
- Discovery+ (Ad-Free): $6.99/month
By the way, I mentioned earlier that I will show you at least 2 alternative methods to watch Discovery Plus on your Samsung TV if the Discovery Plus app still doesn’t work on your Samsung smart TV. You can find those methods immediately after the next tip below.
13. Reset Samsung TV to Factory Settings
Another way to fix this issue is to actually restore the Samsung tizenOS smart TV to factory settings. Here’s how to do that:
- On Samsung TV models from 2019 to the latest model, navigate to Settings > General > Reset enter the reset PIN and click on Reset again.
- For Samsung TV models between 2016 and 2018, navigate to Settings > Support > Self Diagnosis > Reset, enter the reset PIN and click on Reset again.
Can’t Remember Samsung TV Reset PIN?
If you changed your Samsung TV reset PIN before and you can’t remember it, or maybe you bought the TV from someone and don’t know the reset PIN, then you need to reset the reset PIN using the remote. Here’s how to do that:
While the TV is turned on, press the following buttons on the remote (in order) as fast as possible:
- On Samsung Smart remote: VOL > Volume Up > Return/Back > Volume Down > Return/Back > Volume Up > Return/Back
- On the standard remote: Mute > Volume Up (+) > Return > Volume Down (-) > RETURN > Volume Up (+) > Return
You can also reset from the service menu.
With the remote control press the following keys in sequence: Info > Menu > Mute > Power, and the service mode screen will appear. Select the ‘Option’ menu and click on ‘Factory Reset’. Now, wait for the TV to restart. If it doesn’t restart then restart it on remote. Once it restarts, proceed with the setup and you are good to go!
14. Contact Discovery Plus or Samsung for Support
If you have followed all the tips stated above, your Discovery Plus should be working by now.
However, if Discovery Plus app is still not launching, crashing or showing a black screen on your Samsung TV after following the troubleshooting tips above, your next move is to contact Discovery Plus or Samsung for support.
You can also use any of their social media handles to get in touch with them.
Remember I told you I will show you other alternative methods to stream Discovery Plus on your Samsung TV? Let’s look at them.
Alternative Ways to Use Discovery Plus on Samsung TV in 2024
A. Couple a Supported Streaming Device
I mentioned earlier that some older Samsung smart TV models are not compatible with Discovery Plus. However, even if your smart TV is compatible and you still can’t get the app to work in 2024, you can simply couple a streaming device that supports Discovery Plus to your Samsung TV.
These streaming devices include Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 console, Chromecast and Apple TV.
You may even have any of this streaming devices already in your home. In that case, you are in luck. Otherwise, it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it anyway.
For Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and other supported USB stick streaming devices, you need to plug the streaming device to your Samsung TV’s HDMI port. Switch your TV source to the HDMI port you’ve plugged into and the streaming device should be running.
Depending on which of the streaming devices you are using, you can simply add Discovery Plus channel on it under the apps/channel section either by using the search icon or voice search prompt (on Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV).
With Discovery Plus app installed on the streaming device and the streaming device plugged into your Samsung TV, you can easily stream Discovery Plus on your Samsung TV without any issue.
B. Connect Your Phone/PC to Samsung TV
This is also easy to set up. Even more, you do not need to spend an extra dollar purchasing an extra streaming device if you already don’t have one.
All your need to do is share your screen from your phone/PC to your Samsung TV while streaming Discovery Plus app on your phone.
You can do this either via wired connection using HDMI cables, or wirelessly via screen sharing.
Whichever method you choose, you can do it by following this guide.
Bottom Line
If Discovery Plus is not working on your Samsung TV, whether it crashes when you try to open it, shows a black or blue screen or doesn’t even open at all, do the following to fix it:
- Check if your Samsung TV is compatible
- Power cycle your Samsung TV
- Check your internet connection
- Update Discovery Plus app on your Samsung TV
- Clear Discovery Plus app cache files on your TV
- Re-install Discovery Plus app
- Reset Samsung smart hub
- Update Samsung smart TV software
- Check if Discovery Plus streaming server is down
- Update date and time on your TV
- Check for geo-restriction from Discovery Plus
- Ensure your have an active Discovery Plus subscription
- Reset Samsung TV to factory settings
- Contact Discovery Plus or Samsung for technical support
Alternatively, you can couple a streaming device, install Discovery Plus app on it and plug it into your Samsung TV.
Let know which of these tips worked for you in the comment section. Also, kindly share the content with others by using the share buttons.