Does Your Paramount Plus Keep Going Black? Fix It In 8 Steps

Is your Paramount Plus stuck on a black screen?

I know how annoying it can be to have this happen to you. After all, streaming your favorite movie should be trouble-free.

You wouldn’t believe how many people are in the same situation as you. Luckily, with the help of this article, you’ll learn how to leave this issue in the past.

If your Paramount Plus keeps going black, chances are your HDMI cable is damaged, you have outdated software, a corrupted cache, or the platform’s servers are down.

But, don’t worry. Try the following 8 fixes to solve these issues.

1. Check your HDMI cable.
2. Restart your device.
3. Check the platform’s servers.
4. Check your Internet connection.
5. Clear the app’s cache.
6. Update the app.
7. Disable your VPN.
8. Reinstall Paramount Plus.

Keep reading to forget all about that annoying black screen!

#1 Check Your HDMI Cable

Before doing anything else, let’s make sure you’re using the correct HDMI cable.

You see, not all HDMI cables are the same. There are multiple versions that meet different needs.

In order to stream 4K content on Paramount Plus, you’ll need to use an HDMI cable version 1.4 or above. However, if you’re using a different version or a damaged HDMI cable, you may experience all sorts of issues while trying to stream content, such as a black screen.

Please go to your favorite electronics store and buy a new cable.

If the issue persists after replacing your HDMI cable, you may be using the wrong input. You can easily check if that’s the case by following this quick guide:

1. Unplug your device from the HDMI input.
2. Clean the HDMI connector with a clean and dry cloth.
3. Plug your device into another HDMI input.

If your screen keeps going black, you might want to keep reading.

#2 Restart Your Device

You wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve seen struggle with a black screen just because they were putting their devices to sleep instead of turning them off.

You see, our devices are constantly running processes in the back in order to fulfill our requests. But, they need a break too.

Try restarting your device at least once a week. By doing this, you’ll be able to refresh any crashed processes and get rid of the troublesome code that was causing the black screen.

Follow these quick instructions to restart your device:

iPhone:

1. Press and hold either volume button and the right-hand side button.
2. Drag the slider.
3. Press and hold the right-hand side button until the Apple logo appears.

Android:

1. Press and hold the power button for 5-10 seconds.
2. Select “Restart” or“Power off” to turn off your phone.
3. Press the power button to turn your device back on.

Fire Stick:

1. Go to the home screen and open the Settings menu.
2. Click on “My Fire TV” and select “Restart”.
3. Click on “Restart” again to confirm the process.

Apple TV:

1. Press and hold the Menu (1st generation remote) or back (2nd generation remote) and the Control Center (TV icon) buttons on your remote. If you have an aluminum or white remote, press the Menu and Down buttons.
2. Wait until the lights on your Apple TV begin to flash.

Roku TV:

1. Open the Settings menu and select “System”.
2. Go to “Power” and click on “System Restart”.
3. Click on “Restart” to confirm the process.

Paramount Plus is compatible with multiple devices. If you’re using a different streaming device (TV, tablet, or computer) please search on Google for “How to restart <Your Device’s Name Goes Here>”.

#3 Check the Platform’s Servers

Try thinking of servers as waiters in a restaurant. They are in charge of taking your order, communicating with the kitchen, and delivering food.

Servers do similar things. They are in charge of hosting websites and handling their data in order to fulfill your requests.

However, if servers are down, Paramount Plus won’t be able to work as expected, and you may experience all sorts of problems while streaming content, such as login difficulties, freezing issues, and of course, a black screen.

To know if Paramount Plus servers are down, you’ll just need to enter downdetector.com/status/paramountplus and check the graph.

If multiple users reported an incident, you’ll notice high spikes. Don’t worry, though. Server downtime is unusual and is normally fixed within a couple of hours.

#4 Check Your Internet Connection

Believe it or not, a slow Internet connection could be the reason Paramount Plus keeps going black.

Try entering speedtest.net and checking your download speeds. Then, compare the test results with your Internet plan to see if you’re getting the speeds that your provider promised.

You see, you’ll need a good download speed in order to stream content on Paramount Plus, receive texts, download large files, and much more.

If you’re not getting the speeds that you’re paying for, try power cycling your modem and router. This is one of the most effective ways to speed up your connection.

You’ll just need to unplug them from the power source and wait 30 seconds. Then, please plug them back in.

And, if your device has an Ethernet port, try connecting it to your modem. Follow these quick steps to do it:

1. Connect one end of the cable to the Ethernet port on your device.
2. Connect the other end of the cable to the yellow port located in your modem.
3. Then, verify your connection by opening any website or going to Settings<Network & Internet<Ethernet. Make sure it says “Connected” (For Windows PC).

Moving on, try turning off the devices you’re no longer using. You see, they may be using your Internet to run processes in the back. This may be the reason your connection is running slow.

But if you’ve tried all the tips above and the issue persists, please call your Internet service provider. There’s a very good chance they’re having coverage areas in your area.

#5 Clear the App’s Cache

If you’ve tried restarting your device and checking your Internet connection, but Paramount Plus keeps going black, you might want to clear your cache.

Paramount Plus stores tons of information in your cache in order to access it later. Without your cache, the app would run a lot slower because it would need to re-download this data from the servers.

However, sometimes the files stored in your cache can become corrupted and cause all sorts of issues while trying to stream content.

Try clearing your app’s cache to free up some storage space on your device and get rid of any faulty files.

Follow these simple instructions to do it:

Google Chrome:

1. Click on the three dots icon at the top of your screen.
2. Select “More tools” from the drop-down menu and click on “Clear browsing data”.
3. Go to “Time Range” and select “All Time”
4. Tick all boxes and click on “Clear data”.

Safari:

1. Launch Safari.
2. Select “Safari” at the top of your screen and click on “Preferences”.
3. Click on “Privacy”, then select “Manage Website Data”.
4. Select “Remove All”.

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Click on the three horizontal lines icon at the top of your screen.
2. Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu and click on “Privacy & Security”.
3. Go to “Cookies & Site Data”.
4. Click on “Clear Data”.

Tip: If you’re using a different browser, go to Google and search for “How to clear cache and cookies on <Your Browser’s Name Goes Here>”.

Fire Stick:

1. Open the Settings menu. To do it, you’ll need to go to the home screen and click on the gear icon.
2. Choose “Applications” and click on “Manage Installed Applications”.
3. Click on Paramount Plus and select “Clear Cache”.
4. Click on “Clear Cache” again to confirm the process.

Android devices:

1. Go to the Settings menu and tap on “Apps”.
2. Tap on “Installed applications” and select Paramount Plus.
3. Go to “Storage” and tap on “Clear app cache”.

If you can’t find the “Clear the cache” option on your device, try reinstalling Paramount Plus.

Once you’ve cleared your cache, try launching Paramount Plus again to see if the issue was solved.

#6 Update the App

What if I told you that you could get rid of the bugs that are causing the black screen by simply updating the app?

You see, Paramount Plus tries to maintain its high standards by releasing updates as often as possible. These normally contain bug fixes, new features, and performance improvements.

So, if you haven’t installed the latest update, you won’t be able to get rid of the error.

But don’t worry. Updating Paramount Plus is really simple. Follow this guide to do it:

Please note that you’ll need to have a good Internet connection in order to update the app.

Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad:

1. Go to the App Store and search for Paramount Plus.
2. Click on “Update.”

Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store and tap on your profile icon at the top of your screen.
2. Select “Manage apps & device” Then, go to the “Manage” tab.
3. Search for Paramount Plus and tap on “Update”.

Fire Stick:

1. Press the home button on your remote.
2. Go to the Settings menu and click on “Applications”.
3. Choose “Appstore”.
4. Click on “Automatic Updates” to turn this feature on.

Roku TV:

1. Press the Home button on your remote.
2. Highlight Paramount Plus.
3. Press the star button on your remote.
4. Choose “Check for updates”.

#7 Disable Your VPN

If you’re like me, you probably use a VPN to protect your information. After all, this is one of the easiest ways to mask your IP address and stop your Internet service provider from tracking your browser activity.

Sadly, this may be the reason Paramount Plus keeps going black.

You see, the app can restrict some features on your account if you’re connected to a VPN because it may think that you’re using it to stream content that is not originally offered in your country.

Streaming platforms try their best to ban users that are using VPNs because they want to avoid legal issues.

Try disabling your VPN to avoid this situation from happening again. Follow this simple guide to do it:

iPhone and iPad:

1. Go to the Settings menu and select “General”.
2. Tap on “VPN & Device Management” and disconnect.

Android:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap on “Connections”, then select “More Connections”.
3. Go to “VPN”.
4. Select the VPN you’re using and disconnect from it.

Please note that this process may vary depending on your device’s model.

Fire Stick:

1. Go to the home screen and click on the gear icon. Then, select “Applications”.
2. Choose “Manage Installed Applications”.
3. Select the app you used to activate the VPN.
4. Click on “Uninstall”.

Windows PC:

1. Type “View Network Connections” in the search bar at the bottom of your screen. Then, press Enter.
2. Look for the VPN you’re using.
3. Right-click on it and select “Disable”

Mac:

1. Click on “System Preferences” and select “Network”.
2. Select your VPN connection.
3. Click on “Disconnect”.

#8 Reinstall Paramount Plus

Sometimes bugs and glitches won’t away without a fight.

But, don’t worry. You might find comfort in knowing that thousands of people were able to get rid of these and fix the black screen by reinstalling Paramount Plus.

This is one of the most effective ways to restart your app from scratch and solve multiple errors.

Follow these quick steps to reinstall Paramount Plus:

iPhone and iPad:

1. Press and hold Paramount Plus until it starts shaking.
2. Tap on “Remove app”. Then, select “Delete app” to confirm the process.
3. Go to the App Store and search for Paramount Plus. Then, tap on “Download”.

Android:

1. Open the Google Play Store and tap on your profile icon.
2. Tap on “Manage apps & device” Then, go to the “Manage” tab.
3. Search for Paramount Plus and tap on “Uninstall”.
4. Go back to the Google Play Store, search for Paramount Plus, and tap on “Install”.

Apple TV:

1. Highlight Paramount Plus.
2. Press and hold the touchpad on your remote until the app jiggles.
3. Press the play/pause button on your remote.
4. Select “Delete”.
5. Go to the App Store and search for “Paramount Plus”
6. Click on “Download” or “Get”.

Fire Stick:

1. Go to the Settings menu and select “Apps”.
2. Choose “Manage installed apps”.
3. Click on Paramount Plus and tap on “Uninstall”
4. Go to the main menu to search for Paramount Plus. Then, install it again.

Roku TV:

1. Press the Home button on your remote and highlight Paramount Plus.
2. Press the “*” button on your remote and click on “Remove channel”.
3. Select “Remove” to confirm the process.
4. Press the Home button on your remote and go to the apps section.
5. Scroll down until you find the “Add Channels” option.
6. Search for Paramount Plus.
7. Click on “Add Channel” and select “Ok”.

Conclusion

Not being able to enjoy your movie night because Paramount Plus is stuck on a black screen can be really annoying, especially when you’re paying a monthly subscription.

I hope this article has helped give you some more confidence in solving the issue. Remember that the best way to do it is by checking your HDMI cable and Internet connection, clearing your cache, updating or reinstalling Paramount Plus, and disabling your VPN.

Thank you so much for taking the time to try the 8 fixes above. If you like streaming movies as much as I do, check out our site. You’ll find multiple tips to improve your experience and get rid of all sorts of tech issues.

Enjoy your movie night!