If Paramount Plus app is not working on your Samsung TV, LG TV, Vizio TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku TV, Android TV, iOS or Android mobile device(s), then you are not alone.
In this guide, I am going to show you 15 quick and proven ways to fix Paramount Plus app that is not working or loading.
So, if that sounds like what you are looking for, let’s begin right away!
Contents
Why Won’t My Paramount Plus Work/Load?
If Paramount Plus is not loading, it can be due to software glitches, slow internet connection speed, incompatible DNS server configuration, outdated Paramount Plus app, outdated streaming device operating system (OS), use of VPN, Paramount Plus server downtime, or caching issues.
Now, let’s look at some proven ways to fix this.
Paramount Plus App Not Working: Troubleshooting Guide
If Paramount Plus app is not working, turn off your streaming device. If you are trying to load it on your TV, unplug the TV from the power source and wait for 30 seconds, plug it back in and turn it on. Now, restart Paramount Plus app and it should start working.
Below are some 15 proven methods to fix Paramount Plus app that is not working.
1. Restart or Power Cycle Streaming Device
Depending on the device you are using, a quick power cycle can help you fix issues like when Paramount Plus won’t load or keeps buffering, you are seeing a black screen, a loading image, or the app keeps crashing, freezing or lagging.
A number of different error codes on Paramount Plus can also be fixed with this procedure.
So, if Paramount Plus app is not loading on your Android, iPhone or iPad, simply restart it. However, if you are trying to use the app on your smart TV, it’s better you take it a step further and just power cycle it.
Here’s how to power cycle your smart TV:
- Turn off the TV
- Unplug your TV from power outlet (it’s not a power cycle if you don’t unplug it)
- NOTE: If you are using a streaming stick like Apple TV stick, Fire stick or Roku stick on your smart TV, just unplug the TV and not the stick.
- Leave it unplugged for 30 seconds
- While unplugged, press and hold 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 restart Paramount Plus app.
If that fixes the issue for you, great! Otherwise, move to the next tip.
2. Check Internet Speed & Restart Router
Slow internet connection or an inconsistent connection can impact streaming and prevent Paramount Plus from loading.
For the best possible experience while streaming on Paramount Plus, the minimum recommended internet speed is 4.0 Mbps.
Therefore, you need to check your internet speed to see if it is fast enough. You can do that by simply visiting fast.com.
If your network speed is fast enough, try restarting your network router anyway.
Even if you have a very fast internet connection, restarting your router can help you fix many streaming issues like this one especially after restarting the streaming device as well.
To do that, turn off your router, unplug it directly from the power source and wait for 10 seconds. Then, plug it back in and wait for it to be online. Once online, connect your streaming device to it and open Paramount Plus app again. Now, it should be loading without any issue.
Otherwise, move to the next step.
However, if your internet speed was not fast enough, then Paramount+ will most likely not work until you fix the connection issue.
Here are a few things you can try:
- Restart your network router (yes, this can help with slow connection as well)
- Switch to a faster network connection
- Use a dual-band router, and switch to the 5.0GHz band
- Switch to hardwired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi
Now, check the internet speed again and try streaming on Paramount+ app.
3. Update Paramount Plus App
Another common reason why Paramount Plus won’t work is if the app is outdated.
Therefore, if Paramount Plus app is not working or is stuck on loading screen on your streaming device, you need to check if there is a new version of the app available (and update it if there is).
Here’s how to update Paramount Plus app on Samsung TV, LG TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku TV and Android TV to get it to start working again:
Samsung TV:
- Click on the Home button on your Samsung TV to go back to the Home screen
- From the home screen, navigate to the bottom menu and click on ‘Apps’
- On the apps screen, navigate and click on Paramount Plus app icon. You can also click on the search icon at the top of the Apps library, enter ‘Paramount+’ in the search box and select the app
- On the Paramount Plus app description page, you will find ‘Update App’ button if your Paramount 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.
LG TV:
- Press the Home button on your LG smart TV remote controller
- Click on the LG content store
- On the LG content store, click on Apps at the top of the page
- Select Paramount+ app
- If an update is available, you’ll see an ‘Update’ button, click on it to update YouTube app on LG TV. Otherwise, if the software is already up-to-date, you will see a button to launch the app.
Apple TV:
- Open the App Store app on your Apple TV (this is the app on your home screen that looks like a blue “A”)
- Scroll up and select the magnifying glass icon
- Next, search for Paramount Plus app.
- Select the app and select ‘Update’ (if you don’t see this option, it means the app is up to date)
Fire TV:
- From the Home screen, select Apps (three squares and a plus sign) to the far right of the horizontal menu.
- Highlight Paramount Plus app (don’t select it).
- On your Fire TV remote, press the button with three horizontal lines on it and select ‘More Info’.
- If an update is available, select ‘Update’ beside the Open button.
Roku TV:
- On your Roku’s home screen, scroll to Paramount Plus app and highlight it
- While highlighted, press the star button on your Roku remote
- Select ‘Check for updates’ from the pop-up.
- If there’s an update available, it’ll download and install right away.
Android TV:
- On your Android TV, open Google Play store.
- Click on your profile icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select Manage apps and games.
- Select Updates.
- Select Paramount Plus app to update it or select Update all.
Once the app is updated to the latest version, Paramount Plus app should start working and you shouldn’t have any issue accessing contents.
4. Update Streaming Device OS
Other than the Paramount Plus app, streaming devices themselves have a system software – Android OS on Android TV and phones, iOS on iPhone and iPads, tvOS on Apple TV, Fire OS on Fire TV, Roku OS on Roku TV, SmartCast on Vizio TV or tizen OS on Samsung smart TVs.
If the system software for your streaming device needs an update, you may start experiencing issues with Paramount Plus app (and other streaming apps).
In that case, you simply have to update the system software and the issue will be fixed.
Here’s how to update the system software on Samsung TV, LG TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku TV and Android TV:
Samsung TV:
- To update your Samsung TV software, go to Settings, click on the Support tab and select Software Update.
Finally, click on ‘Update Now’.
LG TV:
- Press the Home button on your remote
- Click on the Settings icon from the top right corner, then click on the All Settings icon at the bottom right corner.
- Go to General tab, then scroll down to About This TV section and click on it
- You will see the current software version of your TV, click on Check for Updates (you can also enable ‘Allow Automatic Updates’)
- If there is any update available, proceed to download it and allow it to be install completely.
- Once installed, your TV should reboot itself
Apple TV:
- For Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, go to Settings > System > Software Updates and select Update Software.
- For Apple TV (3rd generation), go to Settings > General > Software Updates and select Update Software.
- If there’s an update, select Download and Install.
- Wait for your Apple TV to download the update.
- Don’t disconnect or unplug your Apple TV until the update completes.
Fire TV:
- Go to Settings on your Fire TV.
- Select My Fire TV.
- Select About.
- Select Check for System Update.
- If there’s an available update, go ahead and download it. Then, allow it to be installed and make sure the process is not interrupted until the update is done.
Roku TV:
- Click on the Home button on your Roku device remote
- Select Settings > System > System Update
- Click on Check Now to manually check for any update
Android TV:
- Press the HOME button on the remote.
- Select the Apps icon.
- Select Help.
- Select System software update.
- Select Software update.
Once updated, Paramount Plus app should start working without any issue.
5. Change DNS Server in Network Settings
Another way to fix Paramount Plus that won’t work is to change your DNS server in network settings. In this case, you need to switch the primary and secondary DNS servers to Google’s IP addresses.
You can do this directly on your router, on your computer or phone. In most cases, changing your DNS server on the router will do the trick.
However, if it doesn’t or you are not connected to a router, then you need to change it directly on your smart TV, computer or phone.
Therefore, I will show you how to change DNS server on your router, Windows PC, MacOS PC, Samsung TV, LG TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Vizio TV and mobile devices (in that order).
Changing DNS Server on Router:
- While connected to your network router, access your router dashboard by visiting the login URL. You can find this on the router manual or on your router. Some of the links can be found below:
-
- Linksys – http://192.168.1.1
- D-Link/Netgear – http://192.168.0.1
- Belkin – http://192.168.2.1
- ASUS – http://192.168.1.1/
- AT&T U-verse – http://192.168.1.254
- Comcast – http://10.0.0.1
- Depending on the manufacturer of the router, look for DNS settings on the web interface. If you are having trouble finding the DNS server settings, check the router’s manual or search on Google for how to change DNS server for your router’s brand.
- Under DNS server 1 (or primary DNS), input 8.8.8.8
- Under DNS server 2 (or secondary DNS), input 8.8.4.4
- If there are options to input DNS server 3 and 4, leave them empty
- Save the settings
Now, try to access Paramount Plus app or via the website, and it should start working.
Changing DNS Server on Windows PC:
If you are trying to access Paramount Plus using Chrome browser or the app on your Windows PC and it’s not loading/working, then you can also fix it by changing the primary DNS server to 8.8.8.8 and secondary DNS server to 8.8.4.4 on your Windows PC.
Here’s how to do that:
- Go to Control Panel > View network status and task
- Click on the connected network
- Select ‘Properties’
- Double click on ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)’
- Now, tick the box that shows ‘use the following DNS server addresses’. Next, enter 8.8.8.8 under ‘Preferred DNS server’, and 8.8.4.4 under ‘Alternative DNS server’
- Click on ‘OK’ to save it.
Changing DNS Server on Mac OS:
- To change DNS server on your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences
- Click on Network
- Select the network service you are connected to in the list, then click on ‘Advanced’
- Switch to the DNS tab.
- If there’s a lock at the bottom left of the Network pane, click it to unlock the preference pane.
- Click the Add button at the bottom of the DNS servers list. Enter 8.8.8.8 on the first line and 8.8.4.4 on the second line.
- Click on ‘OK’ button, then ‘Apply’
Changing DNS Server on Samsung TV:
- 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.
Changing DNS Server on LG Smart TV:
- Press the Home/Start button on your LG TV remote to show the launcher bar
- Click the Settings icon at the top right corner
- Click All Settings option at the bottom right corner
- Click on Network from the left bar options
- Select any of the networks that you are currently connected to (either wireless Wi-Fi network or wired ethernet network). The network must be showing connected to the internet at this point.
- Now, we will edit the network settings.
- Uncheck the option that says Set Automatically
- Then, edit the DNS Server and change it to 8.8.8.8
- Click on Connect
Wait for it to be reconnected to the new DNS server and then restart your smart TV.
Changing DNS Server on Apple TV:
- From the Apple TV main menu, select “Settings”
- Go to General > Network
- Select “Ethernet” or your Wi-Fi network, depending on which you are connected to.
- Select “Configure DNS” and choose “Manual”
- Now, change the DNS addresses to 8.8.8.8
- Restart your TV and open the Paramount Plus app again.
Changing DNS Server on Fire TV:
- Go to Settings > My Fire TV > About > Network and take a picture of all the current settings or write it down (you will need the values later)
- Now, go to Settings > Network and select your Wi-Fi network
- Click the menu button (☰) on the remote to forget this network
- Click on the connection again and enter your network password (SSID). Instead of clicking connect, click on ‘Advanced’.
- Enter the “IP address” and “Gateway” values you had screenshot or noted down in the first step
- For “Subnet Mask” there can be a few options: enter 24 if the Subnet Mask value you noted in Step 1 was 255.255.255.0, or 32 if the “Subnet Mask” value was 255.255.255.255. Click on “Next”
- Enter 8.8.8.8 as DNS 1 and 8.8.4.4 as DNS 2
- Save the settings
- Now, restart your Fire TV, make sure it’s connected to the same network and open Paramount Plus app again.
Changing DNS Server on Vizio TV:
- Click on the Menu button on your TV remote and go to Network > Manual Setup.
- Under Pref. DNS server, enter 8.8.8.8
- Under Alt. DNS server, enter 8.8.4.4
- Click on ‘Save’ check the network connection again.
Also, you can do the same thing on your Android or iPhone.
Once done, open up the Paramount Plus app or try to login on the website and it should start working.
6. Clear Paramount Plus App Cache
While streaming, temporary cache files build up and are stored on your streaming device. Sometimes, these cache files become corrupt and get in the way when you try to use the app again.
As a result, clearing Paramount Plus app cache files on your streaming device can help you fix the streaming issue very quickly. Depending on the device you are trying to use Paramount Plus app on, the procedure to do this will be different.
Here’s how to clear Paramount Plus app cache on various streaming devices:
Fire TV:
- From the Home screen, select ‘Settings’
- Select Applications > Manage Installed Applications, and select Paramount Plus app
- Click on ‘Force Stop’, and then ‘Clear Data’
- When prompted to delete app data, select ‘Clear Data’ again.
Roku TV:
- First, select the Home tab
- Now, press the ‘Home’ button on your TV remote 5 times
- Next, press the ‘Up arrow’
button on your remote once - After that, press the ‘Rewind’
button twice - Then, press the ‘Fast forward’
button. twice
This should also fix the Paramount Plus error codes “-5 no valid bitrates; error code -6 protected content license” on Roku devices.
Android TV:
- Go to Settings screen. To do that, press the settings icon on the TV remote controller or press the Home button and then select settings.
- Select Apps > See all apps (Android 9 or later) or Apps (Android 8.0 or earlier)
- Select Paramount Plus app
- Select Clear cache then OK.
Android Phone:
- Open Settings and click on Apps.
- Look for Paramount Plus on the list of installed applications on your device and select it.
- Select on Storage and click ‘Clear Data’ and ‘Clear Cache’.
iPhone or iPad:
- Open Settings
- Tap your name/device name
- Select iCloud
- Select ‘Manage Storage’
- Look for the Paramount Plus app, click on it.
- Click on ‘Delete Data’, then click on ‘Delete’ to confirm.
Samsung TV:
- To clear Paramount Plus cache on 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 Paramount Plus, click on ‘View details’ under the app.
- Finally, click on ‘Clear Cache’.
Some devices don’t offer the option to clear the app cache. Instead, what you can do is power cycle them as I have explained earlier and that will also cache files for all apps. Alternatively, you may have to delete/uninstall the app, then reinstall them on such devices.
7. Delete & Re-install Paramount Plus App
If Paramount Plus app is not working or keeps showing “loading”, you can also fix it by simply deleting the app, restarting your streaming device and reinstalling the app after the restart.
Depending on the streaming device you are using, the procedure to remove and reinstall Paramount Plus app may vary.
Apple TV:
- Go to the Settings menu and select General.
- Go to Manage Storage.
- Now, look for Paramount Plus app, and select the Trash icon next to it.
- Once uninstalled, restart your Apple TV
- Now, go ahead and reinstall it from the app store.
Roku TV:
- On the Home Screen, click on ‘My Channels’
- With your remote controller, hover on Paramount Plus channel
- Press the * (star) button on the remote to bring up the options menu
- Select ‘Remove channel’ and then, click on ‘Remove’ to delete the channel
- Next, restart your Roku device.
- Now, go back and reinstall Paramount Plus app on Roku channel store
This will also fix the “error codes -5 no valid bitrates; error code -6 protected content license” while trying to use Paramount Plus on Roku TV.
Fire TV:
- On your Fire TV remote, press and hold down the Home button and select “Apps”
- On the “Your Apps & Games” page, highlight Paramount Plus app.
- While your app is highlighted, press the menu button on your Fire TV Stick remote (the button with three horizontal lines on it)
- In the menu that opens, choose “Uninstall” and select “Uninstall” again in the prompt.
- Now, restart your Fire TV
- Go back to the app store and reinstall Paramount Plus app
Android TV:
- From the Android TV Home screen, go to settings.
- Select “Apps”.
- Under “Downloaded apps”, select Paramount Plus app
- Select “Uninstall”
- Now, restart your Android TV
- Open the Google Play store on your Android TV, search for Paramount Plus app and reinstall it
Samsung TV:
- Click on the Home button on your Samsung TV
- From the home screen, navigate to the bottom menu and click on ‘Apps’
- Click on the Settings icon at the top right corner of the apps page
- Scroll until you find Paramount Plus app icon, click on ‘Reinstall’ under it.
- Once re-installed, restart your Samsung TV, go to the apps page and open the Paramount Plus app.
LG TV:
- On the Home menu panel, scroll all the way to the right until you see the edit button (pencil icon). This will switch the app panel to edit mode.
- Scroll to the app you intend to uninstall and navigate to the ‘X’ icon floating on it. Click on it.
- You will get a prompt asking you if you want to delete the app, click on ‘OK’ to remove the app.
Now, to re-install the app on your LG smart TV:
From the Home menu, select LG Content Store. Browse to the Search box on the LG Content Store to find a new app, and type in ‘Paramount Plus’. Scroll to the apps category, select the app and click on Install. Once installed, click on Launch.
Now, Paramount Plus should start working and you shouldn’t experience any of the issues again.
8. Turn Off VPN
If you are using a proxy or VPN while trying to access Paramount Plus, then it may not work.
This can be VPN in the browser, or VPN used directly on the network router.
You simply need to turn it off. Once done, try to login and stream on Paramount Plus website or app again, and it should start loading normally now.
9. Turn Off Ads Blocker & Browser Extensions
Another reason why Paramount Plus may not working on Chrome or any other browser is use of ads blocker.
If you have an ad blocker like uBlock origin or other extensions that might affect the Paramount Plus on your browser, then you need to disable it. Alternatively, you can also turn it off alone for just Paramount Plus website.
Here’s how to do that on Google Chrome and Safari browser:
On Google Chrome
- Click on the menu button (3 dots at the top right corner of your browser)
- Go to More Tools >> Extensions
- If you find any extension suspicious, click on the Remove button.
On Safari Browser
- Click on Safari from your top menu bar
- Next, click on Preferences…
- Switch to the Extensions tab
Unless you have added an extension intentionally in the past, your extension list should be empty as seen in the image above.
Otherwise, go ahead and remove any unusual extension on the tab page.
10. Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
If you have corrupt cache files saved on your browser, it may cause you to see a black screen or other streaming issues on the Paramount Plus app or website.
In that case, you need to clear the cache and cookies.
On Chromium Browsers
Chrome browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Opera mini, Brave e.t.c. Here’s how to clear your cache and cookies:
- Go to Settings > History, or press CTRL + H on your Windows keyboard (CMD + H on MacOS)
- Click on ‘Clear browser data’
Once cleared, login back to your Paramount Plus account and see if the streaming issue has been resolved.
On Safari Browser
Follow the procedures below clear your history and cache on Safari browser:
- Click on Safari > Clear History…
- Select a range (preferably All history)
- Click on Clear history
Once done, the Paramount Plus black screen issue should be fixed.
11. Turn Off Tracking Protection (Firefox Users Only)
If you’re using Firefox as your browser and the tracking protection feature is enabled, this may cause streaming issues on Paramount Plus.
Therefore, you need to disable the tracking protection feature. Here’s how to do that:
- Click the hamburger (3 vertical lines) in the top right corner of the screen, and a pop-up menu will display.
- Click “Preferences” to open this page, then select “Privacy” from the left-panel menu.
- On the “Privacy and Security” page, unselect “Standard” and select “Strict”
- Once done, try opening Paramount Plus again and you shouldn’t have any issue streaming the content.
12. Check Paramount Plus Server Downtime Reports
Although not common, Paramount Plus streaming server can be down sometime. In such instances, the issue is a general one from their servers and is not specific to you. When this happens, Paramount Plus will not work.
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 Paramount Plus server is down (whether globally or only in certain locations). Click here to check it on down detector.
13. Reset Your Internet Browser
If you are trying to access Paramount+ on a browser and it’s not working, you can try resetting the browser before trying again.
Here’s how to do that on Google Chrome:
NOTE: This will totally reset your Google Chrome browser, removing your extensions, clearing your cache, history, saved passwords and many more settings. Once done, you will need to re-login to your Paramount Plus account and every other account that was saved to your browser.
- From the Chrome browser menu, click on Settings
- Click and toggle down the Advanced settings option
- Click on Reset Settings and confirm it
- Click Restore settings to their original defaults
- Click on Reset button
- Now, go ahead and login to your Paramount Plus account from the browser, and you should be good to go.
14. Login From a Different Device/Browser
In some cases, the issue you are having might be specific to just your browser or the device you are trying to access it on.
For example, your IP address might have been blocked or flagged for suspicious login activity.
If you are using any browser other than Chrome, try to access the website using Chrome browser on your PC. If you still have the issue, try to access it on your tablet or mobile phone.
Also, check if you have the latest version of your browser on your phone or PC, and if not, update the browser to the latest version.
That way, you can narrow down the issue in the case where it is specific to a browser or device. Otherwise, then you know it’s a general issue.
15. Contact Paramount Plus Support
If you’ve followed all the tips above, Paramount+ should now be working on your streaming device.
However, if the issue still persists, then you may have to contact Paramount Plus to help fix the issue.
Bottom Line
A number of things can be responsible for Paramount Plus streaming issue such as slow internet connection, DNS configuration, use of VPN or proxy and ad blockers, some browser extensions, corrupt cache files, outdated software, browser specific issues or even downtime on Paramount Plus server.
By following the tips in this guide, you should be able to fix the issue once and for all. These tips are summarized below:
- Restart or power cycle your streaming device
- Check internet connection speed and restart network router
- Update Paramount+ app
- Update streaming device operating system (OS)
- Change DNS server in network settings
- Clear Paramount Plus app cache files
- Delete and re-install Paramount Plus app
- Turn off VPN
- Turn off Ads Blocker & Browser Extensions
- Clear Browser Cache and Cookies
- Turn off Tracking Protection (Firefox users only)
- Check Paramount Plus Server for downtime
- Reset your internet browser
- Login from a different device or browser
- Report to Paramount Plus Support
If you found this guide helpful, let me know which of these methods worked for you in the comment section.