TV Answer Man, I can’t log in to my Spectrum TV app on Roku. I keep getting a message saying it’s only available in the U.S., but I live in the U.S!!! Do you know what’s going on here and how I can fix this? — Tom, Chincoteague, Virginia.
Tom, you are not alone. Hundreds of Spectrum TV (owned by Charter Communications) subscribers stormed the social media sites last night to report that they could not log in to the app on their Roku devices. When they tried to log in, this message appeared on screen:
Update: Roku & Charter Settle Dispute
“Spectrum TV is only available in the U.S. and its territories, ref code RLC-1002.”
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The technical snafu appeared to be unrelated to Roku’s carriage dispute with Charter which has kept the Spectrum TV app out of the Roku Channel Store since last December. During the fight, Spectrum TV owners who previously downloaded the app on Roku can continue to use it. (The app allows Charter’s Spectrum subscribers to watch live TV and On Demand programming.)
Well, that is, until last night.
“It appears to have started after a Roku update of some sort as the home screen now has a different “Happy summer” appearance. 4 Rokus in home all show the same Reference Code RLC-1002. Help!” wrote one unhappy user last night on Roku’s support message board.
To make matters worse, some Spectrum TV subscribers tried to fix the problem by uninstalling the app and re-downloading. The problem with that is if you uninstall the app, you can’t download it again because it’s not available in the Roku Channel Store due to the dispute. (This is not the first time that Spectrum users have reported issues since the fight began.)
“I was having problems with the Spectrum App on my Roku. I looked up the code it gave me and was told to delete and re-install the app to fix the problem. Only issue: You can’t download the Spectrum App on Roku anymore, which I didn’t realize until I had deleted it,” wrote a Spectrum subscriber on Twitter.
Both Roku and Spectrum’s Twitter support teams acknowledged the issue with both suggesting a system reboot or update. (That will not delete the app.) And many Spectrum subscribers reported this morning that the recommendation had fixed the issue.
However, others say they still can’t log in.
If you’re still having trouble using your Spectrum TV app on Roku, try re-setting the device by unplugging it and plugging it back in after 30 seconds. You can also try a Roku system update by clicking on ‘system update’ in your Settings. (Definitely don’t uninstall the app, however.) That should resolve any issues. If it doesn’t, contact Roku and Spectrum support.
Tom, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
