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The Hulu app usually never runs into errors, at least for me, but as I sat down in front of the TV and tried launching the app, I was greeted by an error screen.
My TV was pretty old, so the first thing that came to mind was that Hulu had stopped supporting my TV.
Sometimes the app would start loading and then crash and take me back to the home screen.
This didn’t really mesh well with my initial thoughts of dropped support, so I decided to find out what was really happening.
Turns out, this issue was pretty common among people that were using Samsung TVs, and there were a lot of fixes for it.
I’ll take you through what you need to do to get the Hulu app working on your Samsung TV again.
If Hulu says it’s unable to start on your Samsung TV, then try restarting your TV and updating the app and your TV’s software.
Why Is Hulu Saying Unable To Start?
The Hulu app will say unable to start if there is an issue with the app itself.
It can be a bug or an unresolved issue with the app that might be stopping it from running at all, or it can also be your TV.
Internet connection issues don’t show up as this error, so it is safe to consider that software bugs are causing these issues.
Fortunately, dealing with these issues is pretty straightforward, and I will discuss them in detail in the following sections.
Reset Samsung Smart Hub
The Samsung Smart Hub is what Samsung calls the menus in their TVs, and resetting this can help fix the Hulu app and declutter your home screen.
This will also reset all the apps you have installed, including the Hulu app.
To do this for Samsung TVs from 2020 or newer:
- Press the Home key and go to Menu.
- Go to Settings and then All Settings.
- Select Support and then go to Device Care.
- Highlight and select Self Diagnosis.
- Choose Reset Smart Hub to reset the UI. Enter the PIN if required.
If the TV is from 2016-2019:
- Press the Home key and go to Menu.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Support.
- Choose Reset Smart Hub to reset the UI. Enter the PIN if required.
Older TVs still supporting the Hulu app will have the Reset Smart Hub option under Smart Hub or Smart Features in the settings.
Once the Smart Hub resets, launch the Hulu app and see if the error comes up again.
Restart The Hulu App
The first thing you should do if the Hulu app says it is unable to start is to restart the app.
Samsung TVs don’t let you restart an app using the remote, so you’ll need to restart your TV instead.
This will restart your TV’s operating system and close out all the apps.
To restart your TV:
- Turn off your TV.
- Unplug the TV from the wall.
- Wait at least 30 seconds before you plug the TV back in.
- Turn the TV back on.
When the TV comes back on, launch the Hulu app and see if you can use it again.
Restart your TV a couple of times if the first restart didn’t seem to do anything.
Update The App
The Hulu app receives updates every once in a while that fixes bugs and other issues with the app.
If you haven’t updated the app in a while, then you should get it installed.
One of the updates you haven’t completed might fix the issue you’re facing right now.
So to update Hulu on your newer Samsung TV:
- Press theHomekey on the remote and selectApps.
- Highlight and select the Settings wheel.
- Find the auto-update prompt on the top right. Turn it on.
- If the TV finds an update ready to be installed, it will proceed with the update.
If you have an older Samsung TV:
- Press theSmart Hubkey on the remote and selectFeatured.
- Highlight and select the Hulu app.
- SelectUpdate appsfrom the bottom of the list.
- Go toSelect All, thenUpdate.
- The app should now download and install any available updates.
Newer Hulu app versions drop support for older Samsung TVs, so if your TV is from before 2018, I would advise you not to update the app.
Reinstall Hulu
Sometimes an update might not fix the issue, and you would need to reinstall the app completely to fix it.
Fortunately, doing so is pretty straightforward; just follow the steps below.
For 2020 models or newer
- OpenSettings.
- Go toSupport>Device care.
- SelectManage storage.
- Select the Hulu app and chooseDelete.
For models from 2018 or 2019:
- Go toAppson your home screen.
- OpenSettings.
- Go toDownloaded Apps>Delete.
- Confirm the app deletion.
Once the app is gone from your TV, go to the smart hub or your Samsung TV app store and reinstall the Hulu app.
Update Your TV
Like the Hulu app, your TV also receives updates that fix issues or bugs with the software.
Even if your app has no issues, the unable to start message can also appear if your TV has a problem.
Updates can quickly fix problems like this, so update your TV if you haven’t done so in a while.
To update your Samsung TV:
- Press theHomekey.
- Go toSettings, then Support.
- Highlight and selectSoftware Updateand thenUpdate Nowif it finds one.
- Wait for the update to complete.
Once the TV finishes the update, launch the Hulu app again and see if the app works.
Contact Support
If restarting the TV or updating the app or your TV doesn’t fix the error, contact Hulu support for more help.
Tell them what model of TV you have and describe the issue you were having.
If they can’t find a fix, they might get you to contact Samsung as well.
This way, you can simultaneously cover issues with the app or TV.
While You Wait For A Fix
The Hulu app is pretty great on TV, but if the app is having issues, you can mirror your phone to your Samsung TV.
iPhones can use AirPlay to mirror their phones to a Samsung TV, while Android phones can use the built-in Chromecast feature.
Open the Hulu app on your phone and start playing the content you want to watch on your TV.
If your TV and your phone are on the same Wi-Fi network, you can mirror or cast the phone screen to your TV.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Hulu Plus not working on my Samsung Smart TV?
Hulu Plus might not work on your Samsung TV because your TV is running outdated software.
The Hulu app could also be an older version, so try updating your TV and the Hulu app.
Does Samsung no longer support Hulu?
If the Hulu app says your TV is no longer supported, then Hulu has decided to drop support for the TV since its hardware cannot keep up with the app’s new features.
All TV brands run into this issue, and it is a decision that Hulu makes instead of Samsung.
Why did Hulu disappear from my Samsung TV?
If the Hulu app has disappeared from your Samsung TV, then Hulu has decided to no longer support that model.
In some cases, it might not disappear, but you won’t be able to use it at all.
Is Hulu broken right now?
Hulu’s servers can go down, although rarely, so check out a third-party service like downdetector.com to see if Hulu is working.
When their servers go down, they usually come back up pretty quickly.
