How Do I Stop Hulu from Timing Out?

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It is something most have experienced before – You are watching a movie or show on your Hulu app, then after a while, streaming stops, or you are suddenly booted out of the app. So, how do you stop Hulu from timing out?

Hulu will time out if the streaming service pulls up an “Are you still watching?” prompt and there is no response. You can prevent this by responding to the prompt when you see it to continue streaming what you’re watching.

It gets annoying having to restart the Hulu app every couple of hours when it does this, which is why we have curated this guide to help you handle the issue. Keep reading to find out what causes the problem and how it can be stopped.

Why Does My Hulu Stop Streaming?

Hulu has a feature that checks to see if you are still there after several hours of inactivity during streaming. An “Are you still watching? prompt pops up, and you have to respond, or streaming stops.

Pausing the video when no one is watching helps Hulu conserve network bandwidth and reduce server costs. Plus, it also helps viewers minimize data usage. 

How to Disable the “Are You Still Watching” Prompt

Many find this pop-up annoying since it breaks their immersion into whatever they are watching and may involve having to reach for the faraway remote. On the other hand, some of us just want to sleep to our favorite show playing in the background.

Unfortunately, Hulu does not have an option to disable its “are you still watching” prompt. 

Netflix and a few other streaming platforms have the option, so maybe Hulu would add it in a future update.

Why Does My Smart TV Kick Me Out of Hulu?

The periodic timeout is not the only thing that can interrupt your streaming experience. 

Several factors can cause the app to close and return you to your TV’s home screen. Let’s look at some of them:

  • Your Hulu app is outdated: This is the most common reason for this issue. When your Hulu is not running on the latest client or firmware version, the app may occasionally suffer performance issues and crash.
  • Your Hulu app has corrupted cache files: Caches are stored on your app to keep it running smoothly. These files could get corrupted, and you may notice performance drops with your app.
  • You have too many devices logged in on a Hulu account: You could get booted out of the app if you have exceeded the maximum number of users on an account.
  • Poor internet connection: Sometimes, your internet connection could be so slow that it causes the Hulu app to stop working.
  • General Hulu problem: This is less common, but Hulu may sometimes be experiencing general technical difficulties. In such cases, you are not the only affected viewer, and the best you can do is be patient till it is fixed.

Now, let’s take a look at how to prevent Hulu from stopping your Smart TV.

How to Prevent Hulu from Stopping on Your Smart TV

Here are some simple procedures you can try to avoid Hulu cutting off mid-stream.

Close the App and Restart Your TV

After the app crashes the first time, exit the app and turn off your TV. Wait for two minutes, and then turn on the TV and relaunch the Hulu app.

Restarting your device also restarts all the apps, which can help resolve minor issues.

Check Your Internet Connection

Your internet connection may be too slow to support the Hulu app. Run a speed test with any available online tool. Anything above 5MBps is okay for streaming. You would need faster speeds for higher resolutions, though.

Additionally, you can try restarting your router and modem. Moving your router closer to the TV could also get you better speeds.

Do a Power Cycle on Your TV

Power cycling drains all the power from your TV, and like the restarting process, it is also capable of solving minor issues.

To power cycle your TV, you:

  1. Turn off the TV using the remote or the controls on the TV
  2. Unplug the TV from the power outlet
  3. Hold the power button on the TV for 10 – 15 seconds. This drains the residual power
  4. After waiting for 3 – 5 minutes, plug the TV and turn it on.

Now, let’s see the next solution.

End Other Background Processes on Your Device

Most of the time, several other apps are always running in the background while your TV is on. These background apps compete for internet bandwidth and processing power and could cause performance issues with your Hulu, even to the point of crashing.

Log Out of Your Hulu Account on Other Devices

Here are the steps to fix this:

  1. From your Hulu account page, navigate to the “Privacy and Settings” section
  2. Select “Protect Your Account”
  3. On the next pop-up screen, select “Log Out Of All Computers.”

Now, let’s see how to clear hulu’s app cache.

Clear Your Hulu App Cache

You can manually clear your app cache:

  1. Navigate to your TV settings screen from your home screen
  2. Select “apps,”
  3. From the list of options, pick Hulu
  4. Choose the “storage” option
  5. Select “clear cache.”

Now, let’s see how to update Hulu.

Update Your Hulu App

On most devices, Hulu receives updates automatically. However, to manually update your app on your smart TV, try finding “software/system update” from your device’s “settings (support on a Samsung TV).”

From there, you can check for available updates and download them.

Uninstall and Reinstall Hulu

If all else fails, you can delete the Hulu app, then download and reinstall it to see if there is an improvement.

Conclusion

Some of us just want to binge shows for hours on end without any interruptions. And why not? It is an effective way of unwinding after the daily stress of life. Hulu timing out or stopping at intervals is an interruption to that deserved relaxation which is why we have gathered these tips to help manage/prevent the issue.

While we are confident that these tips are helpful, they may not work for everyone, or it could be a general problem. In cases like these, try contacting Hulu’s customer support for extra help.

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