Are you having trouble with Disney+ streaming on Samsung TVs? Do you get error messages or just nothing happens?
Disney Plus not working on Samsung TV is more common than you’d think, so there’s no need to panic. I love watching my Samsung Smart TV, but sometimes the Disney Plus app stops working and can’t be used.
TV apps crash, suddenly freeze, not open, or disappear at some point. That includes streaming service apps like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and many others.
If you’re experiencing any of these problems, then you’re probably not alone. In fact, many people are reporting similar issues.
I’ve had a lot of experience troubleshooting various issues over the years, and I’m going to share everything I’ve found to work with the Disney Plus app.
In this article, I cover 9 common fixes for issues with Disney Plus on your Samsung TV.
- Related article: Samsung TV Not Loading Apps
1. Soft Reset or Cold Reboot the Samsung TV
If there are any corrupt settings on your Samsung TV, they may prevent Disney Plus from working. A soft reset, or power cycle, can reset those corrupt settings.
Turning off the TV completely will stop all the background processes and apps that are still running and could be causing issues with the Disney Plus app.
There are two ways to perform a soft reset and reboot a Samsung TV.
Method 1 – To soft reset a Samsung TV, follow these steps:
- Unplug the TV from the wall outlet for at least 60 seconds.
- Plug the TV back into the power outlet or surge protector.
- Wait for the TV to finish restarting.
Method 2 – To power cycle the Samsung TV:
- Unplug the TV power cable.
- On the Remote, Press and Hold the Power button for at least 30 seconds.
- Plug the TV power cord back into the power outlet.
- Wait for the TV to finish starting up.
2. Check for Samsung TV Firmware Updates
Sometimes an update to a new version of the Disney Plus app may not be compatible with older Samsung TV firmware and software.
New software updates will be released by Samsung periodically to fix bugs. You should always download them when they become available. Upgrading to the latest version of the TV firmware and software can sometimes help resolve some issues related to Disney Plus.
To get the most recent firmware updates for your Samsung television, go into the TV settings menu. You can also download an updated version of the program from Samsung’s website.
Follow these steps in the TV menu to update the Samsung TV firmware:
1. On the Samsung TV remote control, Press Home.
2. Select Settings
3. Choose Support.
4. Select Software Update.
5. Choose Update Now.
6. The TV will automatically reboot for the new firmware to fully install and take effect.
You can also update your Samsung TV by downloading an updated software version from its official website and transferring it to a USB drive using your computer. Follow these steps:
- On your desktop or laptop, go to the Samsung download page and find your TV model.
- Download the latest firmware version to your computer.
- Extract the files and transfer them to a USB drive.
- Insert the USB drive into one of the USB ports on the TV.
- On the TV remote, Press Home.
- Choose Settings.
- Select Support.
- Choose Software Update.
- Start the Software Update Process on the TV.
- The TV will restart and install the updated firmware from the USB drive. Don’t remove the USB drive until the TV has fully rebooted.
3. Remove and Reinstall App
If you’re having trouble using Disney Plus on a Samsung TV, check for any app conflicts first. If you notice that the Disney Plus app isn’t working properly, remove it and then re-install it. This might be able to solve the problem.
You can try updating the app if there’s an available update for Disney Plus. But deleting and reinstalling the app could give it a fresher start.
Before uninstalling Disney Plus, write down your login information somewhere because the saved login information may be lost. You will be signed out of the app when it’s uninstalled, and you will need to sign in again.
To remove and reinstall Disney Plus from a Samsung TV, follow these steps:
1. Press Home on the remote control.
2. Navigate to Apps.
3. Select Settings.
4. Navigate to the Disney Plus App.
5. Select Delete. If Delete is grayed out, that signals you won’t be able to delete it because it’s a recommended app. But you can still reinstall it by choosing Reinstall.
6. Press Return on the Remote.
7. Select Search.
8. Enter the Disney Plus App Name.
9. Select to Install the Disney Plus App.
4. Slow Internet Connection
If you experience the Disney Plus app freezing or otherwise not working properly, it may be because of slow internet connections while streaming HD videos.
To stream HD videos from Disney Plus, you must have at least a 5 Mbps internet connection. To stream 4K video, your internet connection needs at least 50 Mbps.
There might be several reasons why the WiFi download speeds are slow. Here are some of the most common reasons why a slow internet connection may be occurring and how to fix them.
1. Weak Wi-Fi Signal to the Samsung TV
If the Wi-fi signal is weak between the TV and wireless router, the internet connection may sometimes go down and lose its connection. Streaming with the Disney Plus app will lead to issues.
Make sure the Wi‑Fi signal between the TV and the wireless router is strong. To check whether the Wi-fi connection is strong enough, perform the following steps.
- On the Samsung TV remote, Press Home.
- Choose Settings.
- Select General.
- Choose Network.
- Select Open Network Settings.
- Choose Wireless.
- In the wireless networks list, you can see how many signal bars your wireless network has. Only 1 to 2 bars is the sign of a weak signal.
If the distance between your wireless network and your Samsung TV is too far away, then you may experience poor connection quality and inconsistent connections.
Another reason why weak Wi-Fi signals may be present is because there are many obstacles between the TV and the router, like many walls, which block the signal.
If you want to minimize the distance between your router and your TV, it’ll be easiest to move your router closer to your TV rather than moving your TV closer to your router. Shorter distances between routers and TVs will improve the quality of wireless networks.
If the router and TV cannot be moved, then a Wi-Fi repeater (also known as a Wi-Fi extender) can serve as a middle point for Wi-Fi signals between the two devices.
The one below is one of the best ones out there and works well in smart homes. They can be found on Amazon:
2. Soft Reset the Wi-Fi Router
If your Wi-fi router hasn’t rebooted or been shut off for some time, there could be an issue with its configuration or something else might be causing the problem. It may slow down your Internet speed by causing interruptions and interference with the Wi-Fi network.
If you’re experiencing issues with your network connection, power cycling and restarting your networking devices may be helpful.
To perform a soft reset of the WiFi Router, follow these steps:
- Unplug the Wi-Fi Router from the power outlet for at least 60 seconds.
- Plug the Router back into the power outlet.
- Turn On the Router if there’s an On/Off switch.
- Wait a few minutes after starting your router before connecting to your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
3. Try a Wired Connection
You might need to check if your router has trouble sharing the internet connection via wireless signals. Wired connections are better than wireless ones because they’re more reliable and easier to troubleshoot.
You will want to use a wired connection to get a high-speed connection to your Samsung TV. You can also use an ethernet cable from the TV to the router to test the internet connection.
Follow these steps to connect and use a wired internet connection with your Samsung TV:
- Connect an ethernet cable from the LAN port on the back of the Samsung smart TV to a LAN port on the router or modem.
- On the Samsung TV remote control, Press Home.
- Select Settings.
- Select General.
- Select Network.
- Select OK for the TV to use the wired network to access the internet.
If you have an internet connection through the wired connection, the Wi-Fi router’s wireless functionality may be having some issues. If none of these fixes work, you might need to update the Wi-Fi router’s firmware, perform a factory reset, or replace the Wi‑Fi adapter hardware.
4. Disconnect Other Devices from the Wi-Fi Network
If multiple devices are connecting to a single wireless router simultaneously, they might slow down the overall performance of the entire wireless network.
If you have four smartphones, three tablets and two laptops connected to the same wireless network, the internet connection speed for each device will be very slow. That’s the case if they’re all streaming HD videos on Disney Plus or other streaming platforms.
Older Wi-Fi router and modem hardware tends to be particularly bad at handling multiple simultaneous connections.
To improve your internet speed on a Samsung TV for Disney Plus you need to disconnect all the other devices connected to it. Connect Samsung TV back to the Wi-Fi router and see if you’re now getting faster internet speeds.
If this fixes the sluggish internet connection, then it means that there was a problem with the router itself. You should consider getting a new Wi-Fi router that supports high-speed connections among multiple devices simultaneously.
5. Change DNS Server
Sometimes unstable internet connections can cause Disney Plus issues on the TV. The issues can be caused by incorrect DNS server settings from the ISP.
The Samsung smart TV will most likely use the DNS servers from the ISP, but you can manually change them to other DNS servers. This can help keep the internet connection more stable.
If you use your ISP’s DNS servers, they may cause disruptions when trying to access Disney Plus servers, but if you use Google’s public DNS servers instead, you most likely won’t experience any issues.
If you’re looking for a more reliable internet connection, Google’s DNS servers are one of the most popular options.
Follow these steps to manually change the DNS settings and use Google’s DNS servers on the Samsung TV:
- On the Samsung TV remote control, Press Home.
- Select Settings.
- Select General.
- Select Network.
- Select Network Status.
- Select IP Settings.
- Select DNS Setting.
- Select Enter Manually.
- Select DNS Server.
- Enter 8.8.8.8.
- Try to open and reconnect to the Disney Plus app again.
6. Reset Smart Hub on Samsung TV
One of the other apps that you are signed in to on the Samsung smart TV could be conflicting with Disney Plus and causing a problem.
Signing out of all the apps by resetting the smart hub can help by removing any conflicts between them. Before a smart hub reset, first ensure that you have all the login details, usernames and password, so you’ll be ready to log back in.
For newer Samsung Smart TV models made after 2020, follow these steps:
- On the remote control, Press Home.
- Select Settings.
- Select Support.
- Select Service Care.
- Select Self Diagnosis.
- Select Reset Smart Hub.
For older Samsung TV models made before 2020, follow these steps:
- On the remote control, Press Home.
- Select Settings.
- Select Support.
- Select Self Diagnosis.
- Select Reset Smart Hub.
If the Samsung TV asks for a security PIN code to restart the Smart Hub, use the default PIN: 0000. Or if you changed the PIN code previously, use your PIN instead.
You might also need to download Disney Plus app again after resetting.
Disney Plus Not Working on Samsung TV Final Thoughts
There are several things that can go wrong with Disney Plus on your Samsung TV. The majority of issues with the Disney Plus app not working on your Samsung TV can be fixed with the solutions above.
Here are some other apps that can have issues working on a Samsung TV:
Image source: samsung.com
