By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on Facebook & X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
TV Answer Man, I like Sling TV and the price is right. We are currently on the $20 a month for the first month promotion. But sometimes we get that spinning wheel when we try to watch. Do you know how to stop that so it goes right to our channel? — Jackie, Trenton, New Jersey.
What Is the Spinning Wheel On Sling TV?
Jackie, the ‘spinning wheel’ is an occasional occurrence when watching any live streaming service, such as Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live, Fubo and DIRECTV Stream. You will be watching a movie or TV show when suddenly the picture will freeze and a small spinning wheel will appear in the middle of the screen.
The cause of the spinning wheel? The Internet, Jackie. It’s not exactly an ideal infrastructure for delivering live video. If the speed of your home Internet network dips below the minimum requirement needed for a consistent picture, it can cause picture buffering (aka the dreaded spinning wheel). And if the streaming service has a temporary delay on one of its servers, that can cause it.
Fortunately, live streaming services have improved their delivery systems in recent years so it’s less noticeable than it used to be. (Home Internet services have also increased their speeds and efficiencies.) But it’s still a problem.
If your streaming picture is consistently marred by the spinning wheel, you can try the following steps to fix the issue:
How to Stop the Spinning Wheel On Sling TV
1. Change the channel, and then go back to your original channel. This will sometimes allow your original channel to ‘catch up’ with the data (programming) that’s being delivered to your home.
2. Reset your home WiFi network. Your Internet service may be operating erratically, causing the dips in picture quality. You may also need to upgrade your Internet service plan to a faster speed.
3. Delete and reinstall the app. The live streaming app sometimes can get corrupted, creating a host of problems. A simple reinstall could eliminate the spinning wheel.
Jackie, hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
It would be interesting to know how many viewers are
experiencing this problem USE WiFi.
I have Netflix, my TV’s are HARDWIRED
and have Never had ANY problems.
When I first got Netflix, I Only had around 3.5 MBPS.
Your articles are really great
I always visit your site.
Do not be tired
I am so beyond fed up with streaming! I can’t tell if cause of the spinning circle is the source feeding the internet (any number of sources), the internet (Spectrum), the modem (Spectrum), the router (TP-Link Mesh), the TV (Visio), the streaming hub (ROKU), or a streaming app (TCM, Fox, HBO, etc, etc). It’s as if they have all colluded to point the finger at one another and screw the consumer. I’m about to return to my cable service.
Me too! I’m sick and tired of the spinning wheel and how whatever I’m watching some of it gets cut off. Could it be Spectrum because they want me to pay their high prices?