# Netflix interface loads slow



## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

The Netflix interface loads slow on all of my Android devices. It started 2 or 3 weeks ago and affects only my mobile devices. The issue doesn't seem to be due to my Wifi - other services (Hulu, Amazon, MLB At Bat) work fine, and Netflix streams without issue once the interface loads. But any time it has to refresh, it takes 2-3 minutes to load. If I select a title from one of the lists to view details, it takes a long time to load. I've run a speed test on my tablets and I am getting close to my maximum throughput of 23Mbps every time. Any ideas?


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

Speculating here, but how much free memory do you have on your Android devices? Maybe it is time you deleted apps you no longer use.


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

Apps are only using memory if they are running. Even if I close all apps except Netflix, it doesn't change the symptom. And remember, three different devices started showing this issue at the same time.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

The app still takes up storage. In the case of laptops, if you go over about 80% of the HDD/SSD space, the laptop behavior can get very flaky. I have never tried pushing the storage space to its limit on an Android device, but I would expect similar behavior. I should have said "storage" rather than "memory" in my previous post.


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

My tablet currently shows 77% of storage used, with 3.6GB free. It shows 53% of RAM is in use, with 894MB free. Netflix is using a total of about 62MB of storage for both app and data, so it's hard to see how that could be the issue, especially when everything else works fine. 

I realize not having enough storage available can cause issues. There was a bug in the SNote app on my Samsung phone when I first owned it that caused it to use more and more data until almost all of the storage on the phone was used up. When it got to about 20GB in use out of 24GB of total storage, apps would quit working and the phone was constantly reporting "system error". They finally fixed the app and the problem cleared up. 

There was an upgrade to the Netflix app recently, which affected both my Samsung tablet and Samsung phone. That's around the time this issue started. Everything else works fine on these devices, and the videos themselves stream without issue (no delays in starting them, buffering, etc.) on Netflix. My Kindle Fire tablet, which I don't use very often, has the same issue. The app manager shows an older version of Netflix, but the carousel has the newer Netflix icon that the other devices got during the recent update, so it may have been updated as well. I checked it just now and Netflix won't load at all - it will time out and report an error after a couple of minutes. I'm pretty sure this is an issue with the app, but it would be nice to know if anyone else is having the same problem.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

I am no expert on Samsung, but I understand they come with a lot of bloatware preinstalled by Samsung. The 77% figure is high. If the load times have really become an issue, you can always reset to factory fresh, and start anew.

I do most of my Netflix watching on a 2013 Nexus 7, which I like more than my iPad. It is flawless, but I have very few apps that I added beyond those that came with it. It is running Marshmallow, which it is the last update this device will receive. One of my better investments (there have been some bad ones :bang ).


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

Remember, it is _only Netflix_ that is having this issue and it started after a recent update of the Netflix app. If other apps had similar issues, it might make sense to look at issues like memory and storage, but that isn't the case. If 77% of storage in use (3.2GB free) was really an issue, other apps would likely be misbehaving as well. I run a number of streaming apps - Hulu, Amazon, Vudu, MLB At Bat - and they all work fine.

I was hoping to get some confirmation from other users, but this forum may not be the best place for issues with streaming apps. There was an issue with stretched video on the MLB At Bat Android app which I reported here when the baseball season started, but not a single person on this board seemed to be aware of it. It went on for almost a third of the season before they finally fixed it. I guess I should really look for a board specific to Netflix.


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

Wilf said:


> I do most of my Netflix watching on a 2013 Nexus 7, which I like more than my iPad. It is flawless, but I have very few apps that I added beyond those that came with it. It is running Marshmallow, which it is the last update this device will receive.


What version of Netflix is running on your Nexus 7?


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

version 4.8.1 build 9068

BTW, my experience with overfilled storage is that things get flaky - not consistent or predictable.


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

Wilf said:


> I am no expert on Samsung, but I understand they come with a lot of bloatware preinstalled by Samsung. The 77% figure is high. If the load times have really become an issue, you can always reset to factory fresh, and start anew.


I appreciate the input, but you're on the wrong track with this. When one particular app starts misbehaving on three different devices at the same time following an update of that app, and everything else continues to function normally, it isn't the devices.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

I assume you've recently posted your Netflix problem at the Netflix help center and reviewed the Netflix CS Twitter feed and, of course, there is the DownDetector to see where people are having trouble using Netflix. I'm having no _unusual_ problems with Netflix on my Roku or Windows computer but I'll check my Fire tablet.


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

As far as I can tell, there is no place to post issues on the Netflix Help Center. It really isn't a forum, it's just a site where Netflix lists common issues. I'll check out the Twitter feed, but I don't put a lot of hope in Netflix acknowledging the issue.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

the2130 said:


> As far as I can tell, there is no place to post issues on the Netflix Help Center. It really isn't a forum, it's just a site where Netflix lists common issues.


Yes, I don't know why I said "post" when I meant "search for" and, of course, when things they tell you don't work you get really helpful suggestions like "If you are still having trouble connecting to Netflix, you will want to contact the person that set up your home network. They should be able to help you determine if your router is properly set up to communicate with the other devices on your home network."

Since I'm the person that set up my home network, I can consult with myself pretty easily but I think I would have noticed and solved any general network problems. When it's with one app, the problem is the app.


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## the2130 (Dec 18, 2014)

Well, it looks like the issue has been resolved. Night before last I noticed that Netflix is now working as it should on all of my portable devices. The UI loads and refreshes without delay and I can view program information without having to wait 2-3 minutes every time.


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