YouTube TV has removed background playback from older and less powerful devices and smart TVs after a new update, cutting off a feature that used to keep video running while people moved around the app.
The change is drawing attention now because subscribers noticed background play had stopped working as it used to when they opened the Live Guide or did something else in YouTube TV. One user said the issue hit an older Roku Ultra, and the reaction has been immediate because the feature had been there before the update and then disappeared.
A Diamond Product Expert said an update had been made to YouTube TV for “older and less powerful devices and smart TVs,” and that “background play is no longer supported” on those products. The explanation was blunt: the change was made to “prevent crashing and create a more seamless experience for those devices.”
That leaves users with a trade-off they did not have before. The feature worked on some older hardware until the update arrived, but YouTube TV has now pulled it back rather than let weaker devices keep struggling under the load. The issue appears to be tied to Roku devices, although the report leaves open whether other brands are also affected.
The advice from the product expert goes further than a simple workaround. “It’s strongly suggested you pick up an updated standalone streaming device to have an ideal playback experience, and to ensure that future features are included for your device,” the expert said. For users of older devices, that means the feature loss may be the first sign that future updates will be built for newer hardware first.
One subscriber said it would have been better to get advance notice instead of having the feature dropped on them. That complaint fits the broader problem here: the change may make YouTube TV more stable, but it also changes how people use the service on the devices they already own. If background play matters, the next step is likely a newer streaming device, not a setting buried in the app.
