Pluto TV Keeps Buffering – What To Do

For what it does, Pluto TV is great. Without spending any money at all, you get a functional online streaming service. However, there is not a single streaming service that doesn’t have buffering issues every now and then.

Pluto TV Keeps Buffering – What To Do

In layman terms, the goal of buffering in video streaming is to reduce video lag, allowing for uninterrupted video playback. A device does this by collecting certain information beforehand, so the video can be played as smoothly as possible. Sometimes, however, the video may start freezing every few seconds due to buffering.

It can be quite hard to prevent buffering, but what to do when this happens? Here you will find out what usually causes it, and, of course, how to prevent it on Pluto TV.

Video Buffering

The Common Suspects

Buffering can be caused by a lot of factors, but the most usual are definitely a slow internet connection, a weak or an unstable Wi-Fi signal, and app issues.

Internet Connection

This one is very simple. If your internet connection is too slow, your buffering time will drastically increase. That’s all there is to it.

You can check your internet speed by performing an online speed test. You’re aiming for at least 6-10 mbps (megabits per second). If it’s lower, chances are the buffering is caused by insufficient internet speed. If your speed is in that exact range, you should be fine, as long as you’re not streaming videos in HD (High Definition). Anything above that is great, with 15 mbps being fast enough for HD streaming.

If it’s not fast enough, check if it’s your internet service provider’s (ISP) fault. They might be facing technical difficulties at the moment. They don’t always notice it, so telling them about it might help.

If all fails, the best solution is to just upgrade your internet speed. That will increase the amount on your bill, but it will be worth it.

Wi-Fi Signal/Router Issues

There are probably multiple devices in your home using the same Wi-Fi connection. Keep in mind that the number of connected devices affects internet speed. A network that has too many devices connected is among the most common causes of buffering issues.

The troubles don’t stop there, as a Wi-Fi network can also be unstable. This might be router-related as it could stop working all of a sudden. Similar to other tech equipment, internet routers have a lifespan of several years and should be replaced the moment they stop working well.

Before replacing the router, you’re advised to reset it first. If that does not help, contact your internet provider to make sure the problem isn’t on their end. Also, if the router was provided to you by your ISP, you can likely get a new one from them for free.

App Issues

Perhaps the problem is not caused by internet speed. If you have many apps running simultaneously on your device, or if your free storage space or RAM is running out, try taking care of that. Your device can’t run as well if its storage and/or memory resources are full.

Make sure you aren’t downloading anything at the moment, as downloading from other sources slows down the stream. If you have to download something from the internet, or if you’re still having connection issues, try decreasing the video quality. Most online streaming services let you manually choose the streaming. A lower quality (say, 360p or 480p instead of 720p or 1080p) equals less buffering.

Additional Notes

A wireless connection is harder to maintain than a wired one. If your buffering problems are too great, consider using a wired connection for this occasion. Pluto TV can also be watched on the web.

Research has shown that streaming services are most used between 8 PM and 10 PM, so you might want to avoid watching Pluto TV at that time, or at least take the fact that their servers might be overloaded into consideration.

Sometimes, even the browser choice can be quite important. The people behind Pluto TV recommend Chrome and Firefox.

Specific Methods

Devices such as the Apple TV have their own methods of solving this problem. For example, they can be unplugged and then plugged back in. Resetting them or restoring their settings may help, as well as forgetting a Wi-Fi network and then reconnecting.

The Amazon Fire TV stick can have its app usage data and data monitoring turned off. Whichever device you’re using, such methods might help.

 

Watching Television

Don’t Forget About Bugs

If you’re still experiencing long buffering times, note that Pluto TV tends to have some bugs that can disrupt the connection quality. If you have no problems while surfing the internet and streaming from other video services, know it might just be a bug on Pluto TV’s end that needs fixing.

Did this article help you solve your buffering issues? If so, which method did you use? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

17 thoughts on “Pluto TV Keeps Buffering – What To Do”

some one says:
Only Pluto News channels continue to buffer, and its all the news channels not just Conservative news. All their other channels are working fine.
Fix it, Pluto.
Michael Hall says:
I’ve noticed that conservative channels are affected more than say MSNBC, CNN, etc. Real America’s Voice is buffering or cutting out every 3-5 seconds. IMO its intentional. Being CBS-Viacom is involved. My Internet speed test is 75-80 mps. I smell censorship.
chris says:
I noticed the same thing. Only the conservative channels do it. All the other news channels work
good on my TV.
George Bendon says:
Q doesn’t want you watching all that misinformation anyway Michael. It’s not a conspiracy, they aren’t out to get you, so you can take the tin foil hat off.
Dawn says:
My fave station but only one I have laggggg with
Ken says:
I have NO buffering or cutting out unless it’s Newsmax, OAN, America’s Voice, or Blaze TV! All other “mainstream” aka, LIBERAL news is fine. Tried to contact Pluto but can’t find any good email or phone number. CENSORSHIP! Everyone should delete this app!
zsuzsi says:
I stopped watching Pluto because of all the buffering issues. It does NOT matter how fast my internet speed is, or that no other app on my SmartTV buffers … after 10″-15″ of viewing, I can set my clock that the buffering will start. Generally, it starts when I go from commercial back to show, or vice versa. As I said, I stopped watching. Maybe if enough viewers abandon ship, they will spend the money to improve their service, or just start some other venture.
Deborah says:
Why is it commercials play no prob, but shows don’t ?
patrick says:
Ever since November 19th (the day they added several new channels), I’ve been having many issues using Pluto TV on both an Amazon Fire TV stick, and Xfinity X1. On my Fire Stick, the app will occasionally say “if this issue continues, contact customer support” when it’s taking too long to reconnect. It has also had issues loading the program guide several times while I was using it (which requires me to force quit pluto, and run it again).

The one issue that has occured on both X1 and Fire is that the app will crash while trying to browse the program guide. This is a pain.

On X1, the app starts up in a channel, but doesn’t say how to get the guide on screen so I can actually pick what to watch. Once I figure out how to get to the guide, selecting a program to watch is very painful. It has a very poor response time (compared to Fire and iOS), and it drives me nuts.

Finally, it appears that signing into Pluto TV no longer serves a purpose. It used to allow you to hide channels you don’t care about, but, it hasn’t worked ever since I got a Fire stick on Prime day 2019. I like Pluto, but if they can’t fix their own buggy apps once in a while, then they’ll lose viewership/loyalty. It just bugs the hell out of me that it hasn’t had any updates since the new channels were added. that’s what is causing the service issues.

Strangé says:
I came to this site for the exact thing Denna. First 48 shows refuse to play. HELP!
Denna says:
Having problems with only Pluto TV, keeps buffering, trying to watch the first 48, been trying to watch it for over a week. It just keeps buffering..
Denna says:
Samsung smart tv, keeps buffering. While watching Pluto tv..

Comments are closed.

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