I am unplugging my Apple TV 4K for ...

There was a time when if somebody requested me what good TV working system or streaming system was my favourite, the reply was quite simple: the Apple TV 4K. Its glossy design is unparalleled, the UI is straightforward to navigate, the newest Siri Distant is nice, streaming app updates typically hit the platform first, and it helps notable high-end visible and audio codecs like HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, Dolby Atmos, and extra. It might even play nice informal video games like Alto’s Journey, Crossy Highway Citadel, and Pac-Man 256, although admittedly, I do not do that fairly often on my Apple TV 4K (2021).

The streaming system could be dear, however it’s really one of the crucial full packages on the market.

Extra importantly, it was as soon as probably the most dependable glitch-free streaming system out there, however sadly, that is modified over the previous few years. And to be clear, I am not utilizing an previous mannequin — that is the second technology Apple TV 4K (2021) I am speaking about. Whether or not it is Apple not inserting as a lot emphasis on tvOS’ improvement or the Apple TV 4K being pushed to the aspect generally (the place is that refresh that’s been rumored for years?), my expertise with the tech big’s streamer has develop into considerably much less steady over the previous few years, main me to think about leaping to a Roku system and even one in every of Amazon’s Hearth TV streamers.

The listing of points is rising

I miss the Apple TV’s period of stability

Among the key points I’ve encountered are apps regularly freezing or not loading correctly, forcing me to reset the Apple TV 4K or uninstall/reinstall after which signal again into no matter streaming platform I am experiencing points with. This challenge might be on the app aspect, however even when that is the case, Apple must be on high of it since its App Retailer is so tightly managed and curated. This has all the time been a key cause why the Apple TV’s App Retailer is so nice.

Subsequent up is an odd audio looping drawback I typically encounter. Generally, after I pause or end content material on a streaming app like Netflix, audio will begin looping till I flip the Apple TV 4K off, whereas in different conditions, I can simply give up the app and return in. This began taking place after the Apple TV 4K up to date to tvOS 26 and has develop into progressively worse over the previous few weeks. I’ve additionally encountered one other odd audio bug the place the Apple TV disconnects from my soundbar fully, forcing me to restart the Apple TV and my soundbar. May this be a problem with my soundbar? It is attainable, however I do not run into the identical drawback once I watch content material immediately although my TV.

Including to the pile of issues is the truth that streaming apps randomly freeze or leg, the second technology Siri Distant disconnects, and in some instances, the Apple TV 4K drops its connection from my Nest Wifi Professional fully, forcing me to manually reconnect (although to be honest, I’ve had quite a lot of points with Google’s router). Even AirPlay 2 has been a little bit of a multitude, with movies typically not casting to the Apple TV 4K from my iPhone 17 Pro.

After an extended day at work, I do not wish to spend 20 minutes troubleshooting issues with my streaming system. I simply wish to sit again and launch The Sopranos on Crave (for US readers, that is the place all HBO content material streams in Canada), and zone out for a bit. With all of those points in thoughts, I might actually prefer to see Apple give attention to stability enhancements with tvOS 27, as an alternative of iOS 26’s Liquid Glass’ flashy visible redesign, the addition of FaceTime, and singing alongside to Apple Music songs, all options I both do not use or do not care about.

Very bluntly, I desire a streaming system that is easy to make use of and works constantly, and at the least proper now, that is not the Apple TV 4K (2021).

So what platform am I switching to?

I am not completely certain but

So what streaming platform will I find yourself shifting, too? I do not know but. My U8H Hisense TV’s built-in Google TV OS is not nice, and I’ve heard unhealthy issues in regards to the Google TV Streamer. There was a time once I was all in on Roku, so I can see myself touchdown again in that camp, or possibly I am going to give Amazon’s new Hearth TV Choose an opportunity, although the platform’s latest shift to Vega OS and the rampant blocking of a sure sort of app limits its enchantment significantly, particularly as the price of streaming app subscriptions continues to skyrocket.

In actuality, I actually do not wish to abandon the Apple TV 4K and tvOS. It is the platform I’ve used for years, and I am very snug with it. I simply want Apple to step its recreation up prefer it did again when iOS began to undergo from stability points a number of years in the past.