Troubleshooting - Android TV

Playback Issues

Video does not start

• Check that your Jellyfin server is reachable from the TV network.
• Try a lower Quality / Bitrate in the player settings - your TV or network may not handle 4K transcoding.
• Verify that the Jellyfin server has sufficient resources for transcoding (CPU / GPU).

Audio out of sync

• This is usually caused by a non-seamless Match Frame Rate display switch. Disable Match Refresh Rate in Settings → Playback if it persists.
• Try switching from Direct Play to a forced transcode.

Subtitles not appearing

• Confirm the subtitle track is selected in the player (D-pad → Subtitles).
• Some subtitle formats (image-based PGS / VOBSUB) require server-side burning-in. This triggers a transcode - ensure your server can handle it.

Display goes black at the start of playback

• This is a non-seamless display mode switch caused by Match Frame Rate. It is normal and lasts ~2 seconds. The player waits for the display to stabilise before showing video.
• To avoid it, disable Match Resolution and only keep Match Refresh Rate enabled.

Navigation Issues

Focus is lost / stuck

• Press D-pad Left to move focus back to the sidebar, then D-pad Right to return to the content area.
• If the app is unresponsive, press Back repeatedly to return to the home screen.

Sidebar does not expand

• Move the D-pad focus fully to the left until the sidebar highlights, then wait 300ms for the expand animation.

Back button exits the app instead of going back

• This is expected behaviour on the app's top-level screens (Home, Search, etc.). Press Back again to go to the Android TV launcher.

Connection Issues

Server shows as offline

• Verify the URL is reachable from a browser on the same network.
• Check that the TV is on the correct Wi-Fi network (not a guest network with device isolation).
• If using Dual URL mode, confirm that the local IP is correct and reachable.

SSL / certificate errors

• Enable Allow self-signed certificates in Settings → Servers → edit server.
• Verify your certificate has not expired.

Performance Issues

App is slow / stutters on menus

• Disable Animated background in Settings → Appearance to reduce GPU load on lower-end devices.
• Disable 4K images (Premium) if the device has limited RAM.
• Reduce the number of visible home screen rows in Settings (Premium customisation).

Home screen channels are outdated

• Open JellyWatch and navigate to the Home screen - this triggers an immediate channel update.
• Channels update in the background but background processes may be restricted on some devices. Check battery optimisation settings.

Fire TV Specific

App crashes on launch (Fire TV)

• Ensure you have the Fire TV flavour of the app installed (from Amazon Appstore), not the Google Play version.
• Clear the app cache: Fire TV Settings → Applications → Manage Installed Applications → JellyWatch → Clear Cache.

Purchase not recognised (Fire TV)

• Ensure you are logged into the same Amazon account that made the purchase.
• Go to Settings → Premium and tap Restore Purchase.