Disney Plus Always Freezing? Fix It In 8 Easy Steps

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Couple stuck with Disney Plus issue on TV

Are you stuck trying to figure out why Disney Plus is always freezing?

You’re not alone! Thousands of subscribers experience this issue daily, and given how many factors can contribute to it, I’m honestly not surprised.

I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for you to be paying for a monthly subscription you can’t fully enjoy in situations like these.

But don’t worry, I’m here to help you get things back to normal.

Below, you’ll find a list of 8 easy steps you can follow to restore your Disney Plus account to its former glory. I’m sure one of them will hit the nail on the head.

These are:

  1. Check your connection
  2. Check Disney Plus’ servers
  3. Try a different show
  4. Update your app
  5. Uninstall the app
  6. Update your system
  7. Clear Cache & Cookies
  8. Disable your VPN

Keep reading to leave the freezing behind!

#1 Check Your Connection

The first thing I want us to rule out is a compromised connection.

Internet service drops have decreased dramatically over the last decade, but they still happen now and then. A fact I’m sure you’re already aware of.

Most of the time, when your provider’s having issues, there will be several obvious signs. However, what can make diagnosing a bad connection so tricky is that on certain occasions you won’t be completely cut off from the Internet.

Sometimes, you might still be able to do light browsing or chatting while experiencing constant freezing on Disney Plus.

Why? Because each activity has different requirements.

Texting your friends about your day via WhatsApp will never be as network-demanding as streaming your favorite content on Full HD or 4K resolutions.

So, before filing a complaint to Disney Plus, make sure your connection is strong and stable.

Solution: Give your provider a call and ask them if they’re having coverage issues in your area. If they tell you everything’s fine on their end, you’ll likely have to reset your modem and see if that works.

Here’s how you can go about it:

  1. Without unplugging the modem, turn it around, so you can see the back of the unit
  1. Locate the reset button (more often than not, it’s not a button, but a small hole with a “Reset” label on it)
  1. Use a paper clip or a thin toothpick to press down on the actual button inside this hole, and hold it down until all the lights at the front of the unit turn on, and then turn off
  1. For a brief moment, all lights on the modem will be off, that’s your cue to stop holding down the reset button
  1. Wait about 5 minutes or so and try streaming Disney Plus. If your connection was at fault, the freezing should be gone.

#2 Check Disney Plus’ Servers

Next, I want us to check the status of the platform’s servers.

As you probably know, these are responsible for storing important information and providing millions of Disney Plus subscribers with the service they expect for the price they pay.

Given how essential they are, streaming companies have put a lot of work into designing them to be as resistant as possible. And while I’m not telling you that you should expect server downtime every 5 minutes, I’d be lying if I said that they’ve managed to make them failproof.

In fact, apparently unimportant things such as coding bugs, bad hard drives, or even minor hacking can greatly impact the platform’s performance and compromise its features.

The telltale signs of these events are slow loading times, login difficulties, out-of-sync audio/subtitles, and… you guessed it; constant freezing.

Solution: I’ll let you in on a little secret. Not many people know this, but you can check the real-time status of your favorite platforms’ servers in a matter of seconds.

Here’s how:

  1. Open Google, and type “Is Disney Plus Down?”, then hit Enter to search your query
Searching Disney Plus Down On Google
  1. Locate “Downdetector” on the search results, and click on it (or simply click on this link: https://downdetector.com/status/disney-plus/)
Google Search Results Of Disney Plus Down
  1. Once you’ve entered the webpage, you’ll see a bunch of data, and a large graph
Example Of Downdetector Spikes With Disney Plus

The taller the spikes, the more likely you are to be experiencing issues

If you see Mount Everest forming in the graph above, it’s an almost absolute certainty that the platform’s currently experiencing issues.

However, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The IT department at Disney Plus is highly efficient, and to our knowledge, there’s never been an instance where the service wasn’t fully restored within 24 hours.

#3 Try a Different Show

You may or may not know this, but every piece of content within Disney Plus has its own ID and space on its servers. This is why you might sometimes have trouble streaming one particular show, but be able to seamlessly enjoy another.

Before looking at any other potential explanations for this situation, I’d like us to make sure that the show you’re trying to watch is not having technical difficulties.

Solution: Try navigating back and forth between different titles and see if that works. Sometimes, this can refresh any corrupted files or remove any bugs that might have been interfering with the show you were originally trying to watch.

#4 Update Your App

You might think that keeping your favorite apps slightly outdated is not a big deal. And while it’s definitely not a federal crime, it could be the source of several technical difficulties down the line.

With every new update, app developers try to keep as much backward compatibility as they can, but it’s not always possible. Using an older version of the platform’s software on a fully updated streaming system could explain why Disney Plus is always freezing.

And while automatic updating should make this no concern of yours, sometimes network interruptions, background process crashes, or strict device privacy settings could get in the way of this and leave the pending downloads stuck in Limbo.

In that scenario, you’ll have to manually install the latest software version of the platform.

Solution: With so many streaming devices available out there, it would take me hours to walk you through the process of updating your apps within each one.

And while I don’t mind it, I’m sure you’ve got a very busy day!

Instead, I’d advise going on Google and searching for “How to update apps on <Your Device’s Name Goes Here>”. You should be able to find many resources with detailed instructions for your particular case.

That being said, I don’t want you to leave this section empty-handed, so here’s how to do it on iOS and Android devices, as well as on Roku to give you a general idea of the process:

For iOS devices:

  1. Open “App Store”
  1. Locate your profile button in the upper right corner of the screen, and tap on it
Cellphone Updating First Step
  1. Find the “Update All” button. This should Update Disney Plus if there’s a newer version available
Cellphone Example Step two Update

For Android devices:

  1. Go to Play Store and click on your profile, located in the upper-right corner of your screen
  1. Select “Manage apps & device”
  1. If you just want to update Disney Plus, select it and update it individually
  1. If you want to update all pending apps, select “Update All”
  1. Wait for the updating process to be completed

You may be prompted with a notification asking for your permission to proceed with the updates. If so, simply accept and be patient.

For Roku:

  1. Press the “Home” button on your remote
  1. Move over to the right side of your screen, where your app list is
  1. Look for Disney Plus
  1. Hover above it and then press the Star “*” button on your remote
  1. Find “Check for updates” on the list, and select it
  1. The system will check for newer versions of the app. Should it find any, accept the installation
  1. Wait for the process to be completed, and you’ll get a message saying “Disney Plus is up to date”

#5 Uninstall the App

You know what they say. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Sometimes, the only way to fix Disney Plus always freezing will be to uninstall and reinstall the app on your devices.

When we use our favorite apps and software, there are thousands of background processes being executed simultaneously.

And while most of the time they work normally and provide us with the functionality we value on them, on certain occasions, one or more can crash or become corrupted, causing platform malfunction.

By uninstalling the Disney Plus app, you’ll be refreshing all preset configurations and giving any corrupted files the chance to start from scratch.

Solution:

For iOS:

  1. Locate the Disney Plus app
  1. Tap on it and hold down your finger until you get a menu including the option “Remove App”

For Android devices:

  1. Go to Play Store
  1. Tap on your profile located in the upper-right corner of your screen
  1. Select “Manage apps & devices”
  1. Find Disney Plus
  1. From the available options, select “Uninstall”

Once you’ve removed the app from your devices, you can proceed to reinstall it. Just follow the same steps you did when you first downloaded it.

This process should be fairly similar on other streaming devices, but if you want a set of detailed instructions for your particular case, please refer to Disney Plus’ installation guide for different devices.

#6 Update Your System

While keeping your Disney Plus app fully updated will greatly improve your situation, what will truly drive this whole thing home will be to also keep your streaming devices in the same condition.

Just as it happens with the app, you shouldn’t normally have to worry about this, as most updates are set to be installed automatically. But on the off chance that something gets in the way, you’ll have to do things manually again.

Solution: As I said before, there are tens of streaming devices out there, so your best bet will be to go to Google and search for “How to update my <Your Device’s Name Goes Here”.

To paint you a picture of how the updating process would go, here’s how you can update your Roku:

  1. Press the “Home” button on your controller
  1. Scroll down to “Settings” on the list located on the left side of your screen and select it
  1. From the new menu that pops up, you want to move over to the right and find “System” and select it
  1. Once the new menu appears, move over to the right again, look for “System update” and select it
  1. Select “Check Now”
  1. If you have an older version of the software installed, you’ll be asked if you want to download a newer one
  1. Accept
  1. Wait for the process to be completed

#7 Clear Cache & Cookies

There’s a very good chance that you’ve heard both terms but have no idea what they are. If so, that’s fine! Let me briefly explain them to you.

Let’s start with the cache.

This is where your favorite apps store important information. In it, you’re likely to find audio, video, preset configurations, and sometimes even login credentials. By keeping this data handy, Disney Plus can load much quicker on startup and provide you with an enjoyable experience.

Cookies, on the other hand, are developer tools used to increase the accuracy of targeted ads and make your browsing more efficient. They’re the reason why you’re suddenly bombarded on social media with ads for convection ovens right after looking up the recipe for the perfect Apple Pie.

And while most of the time leaving both untouched will be more beneficial than harmful, sometimes it could also be the reason why Disney Plus is always freezing.

In this case, you’ll have to delete them.

Solution: Before you call your hacker friends for help, let me assure you that this process is very simple.

Here’s how to do it on Google Chrome and Android devices:

On Google Chrome:

  1. Open the browser
  1. Click the Menu button (the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen) > Select “More Tools” > Choose “Clear browsing data”
Google Chrome More Tools Access Keys
  1. Select “All time” when prompted with a window asking the time range you want to delete data for.
Clean Browse Data Tool
  1. Make sure “Cookies and other site data” is ticked.

On Android devices:

  1. On your device, go to “Settings”
  1. Select “Apps”
  1. From the new menu, select “Apps” again
  1. Find Disney Plus and select it
  1. Find “Storage” on the menu
  1. Select “Clear Cache” from the available options

#8 Disable Your VPN

Lastly, let’s talk about your VPN.

Ever since they were invented, VPNs have secured our browsing and allowed us to enjoy a world of international content. They’re simply wonderful.

But what if I told you they might also be the reason why Disney Plus is always freezing?

How so? Because streaming companies hate them.

In fact, many known platforms, like Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Netflix have been outspoken about their dislike for these, and have even implemented blocking systems for subscribers who use them.

For the most part, they do this to avoid licensing issues, as having someone in France streaming Spain-exclusive content can put them in a very uncomfortable legal position.

If you absolutely must use a VPN while streaming Disney Plus, I’d advise getting a premium subscription from a provider that offers obfuscated servers.

These will make your VPN traffic much harder to detect, reducing the chances of being blocked by the platform.

Solution: The best way to tell whether your current VPN service is to blame for this situation is by disabling it and streaming Disney Plus without it for a couple of days.

If you no longer encounter freezing issues, there’s your answer.

Conclusion

Having Disney Plus always freezing can quickly become annoying. After all, you’re paying a hefty monthly subscription, so the least you’d expect is to get the premium service you were promised.

What a mess!

Luckily, as I hope you’ve learned in this piece, addressing most of the causes behind this inconvenience is fairly simple and quick. More often than not, simple actions, like keeping your systems and apps fully updated, as well as using a VPN with obfuscated servers, should do the trick.

Thank you so much for sticking with me all the way to the end. If you found this article helpful, you’ll be glad to know that we upload new content weekly. Make sure to check out all our other wonderful resources below and become a Tech Detective yourself!

Best of luck to you.