Channel 4 app not working – How to fix

The Channel 4 app not working is a relatively common issue that many people in the UK face.

The Channel 4 on demand service, formerly known as All 4, is usually reliable. But it can stop working from time to time, which can be frustrating.

After all, Channel 4 is home to some of the greatest tv shows in the United Kingdom from timeless comedy classics such as The Inbetweeners to award winning dramas like The Handmaid’s Tale.

For those who want to catch up on their favourite channel 4 shows, then the Channel 4 app is your best friend.

The streaming service is available on Android and iOS devices and hosts all the best channel 4 shows.

However, like many apps, it sometimes doesn’t work like it should. The common issues people face with the app include error messages about ‘content not being available in your area’ and the app simply not loading.

Fortunately, though, most people are able to resolve these issues without too much trouble. This article will talk you through the most common causes and how to resolve them.

Channel 4 app not working – The quick fix

The most common issue that people face when it comes to the Channel 4 app is the app failing to load. The most successful way of resolving this problem is to do one of two things.

The first, and quickest, way is to close the app down completely and restart it. This will almost act as a ‘reset’ of the app and tends to resolve the problem.

To do this on an iOS device you need to swipe up on the bottom of your hope screen and swipe away the Channel 4 tab.

You may realise at this point that you have multiple apps still loaded up which can cause problems for your phones performance in general, so you may as well use this opportunity to close all of them down too!

If the problem persists then you need to delete the app entirely and redownload it. To do this, hold down on the Channel 4 app icon on your home screen and click ‘remove app’.

Then, head over to the app store, search for Channel 4 and re-download it. On an iOS device, the app will be saved in the cloud so the re-download process won’t take long at all.

You can check out our channel 5 troubleshooting guide if you’re having problems with both channels. Sadly, there are other reasons why the Channel 4 app becomes dysfunctional which we will now go in to.

Connection issues

Another reason why the Channel 4 app might fail to work is because of connection issues. If you are trying to connect via a Wi-Fi connection then go on to your phone settings and make sure that you are connected.

If you are trying to connect via mobile data then make sure that you have selected that within your phones settings. On an iOS device this will mean just clicking a button to slide the mobile data bar to ‘green’.

It is also worth noting that if you are trying to use the app with mobile data then you will have to enable this option within the Channel 4 app itself too.

Navigate the app to find the settings tab and then untick the ‘stream only on Wi-Fi bar’. Beware though, using your data to stream will result in your data usage being drained quicker than normal.

settings

Channel 4 outages

One reason why the Channel 4 app might not be working is down to outages. If Channel 4 are having signal issues of their own then live streaming shows can be problematic and unfortunately unfixable from your end.

To find out if this is the case then visit this website to see what their current status is and to see if other users are reporting issues. You can also keep checking back to find out if the outage has been fixed.

Content not available in your current location

The Channel 4 app is only available to users who live in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man.

If you are trying to access the app from somewhere other than these places and are trying to stream something then you will receive an error message that reads ‘content not available in your current location.’

Therefore if you want to use Channel 4 while you are on holiday then you need to download the shows that you want to watch while you’re away.

You can do this via the Channel 4 App by clicking on a programme that you’d like to watch and clicking on the small download icon next to the programme title.

You can then access these downloads anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection, by visiting the downloads tab.

Sometimes, users in the UK may also get this error message. This will only happen if you are streaming via mobile data so either switch to a Wi-Fi connection or turn your mobile data off and then on again.

Channel 4 app not working on smart TV

Not everyone chooses to watch Channel 4 on demand on their mobile – in some cases, you may be streaming the app on your television instead.

Things that you’ll want to check on your Channel 4 app when watching on your smart TV are;

  • Software Updates – Clicking into your settings and making sure that your smart TV is up to date is the easiest way to resolve this issue.
  • App updates – As well as updating the TV itself, make sure you run any individual app updates too.
  • Reset your TV – If you’ve done both the above, it may also be a good idea to reset your TV to ensure that any corrupted data isn’t causing an issue.

If you follow the above advice, you can ensure that your smart TV is working fine and get back to watching the Channel 4 app.

Conclusion

Though the Channel 4 app is decent enough, you can run into issues. This is usually something to do with your connection, so closing the app and ensuring your internet is connected properly should resolve the issue.

Hopefully this article has helped you to understand the reasons why the Channel 4 app might not be working and provided you with simple fixes to resolve the issue. Please check out our other articles you are having trouble with any other apps on your mobile device.

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Author

Andy

Andy is a Professional Content Editor with expertise in a whole host of areas (or so he tells us anyway). His main interests are sports, tv/film and social media. He has reviewed over 100 apps so far for Apps UK.

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