Apple TV Has Some Bizarre Audio Issues All of a Sudden
Last updated August 4, 2021
- Many Apple TV users report their inability to get any sound coming out of the device.
- The problem affects all device generations, multiple apps, and even other hardware platforms.
- Apple hasn’t given an official explanation and resolution to this problem, and Support isn’t refunding all renters.
According to multiple user reports on social media, there’s something wrong with the current version of the Apple app, as people can’t get any sound out of it. To make the case weirder, the device is playing audio if the AirPods are connected, or it does so only on YouTube and not on Apple TV, Netflix, or Amazon Prime. And for the cherry on top, some users report that previews playback sound, but the actual episodes don’t.
Whatever problem causes this was introduced in July, and since the latest tvOS version 14.7 was released about ten days ago, the update may have broken something on the sound output system for some users. One would assume that this is clearly not a problem on the Apple TV app since third-party platforms are affected as well, but the TV app on Roku devices is also having trouble playing any sound for some users.
Then, it can’t be a device-specific bug since both older and newer generation Apple TV boxes are impacted according to what users report. However, since not everyone is affected by the audio-cutting flaw, what exactly is going on remains a mystery.
Some figured that the trouble comes from trying to playback titles that support 5.1 or Atmos, as going onto the settings and forcing stereo output may work out. For now, and until Apple comes publicly with an official solution to this, you may try fiddling with your audio format settings on the Apple TV device.
Unfortunately, not many people who rented something to watch and got a disappointing sound-less experience managed to get a refund from Apple Support. Possibly, they have changed this policy as the reports about this problem mount, but until the issue clears up, you may want to avoid frustration and just take your entertainment elsewhere.