Why Apple TV Does Not Resume Where Left off (Solved)
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Apple products always have a brilliant design and are made to be as user-friendly as possible. The same holds for my Apple TV. However, when I first got my hands on the Apple TV I was infuriated since the shows didn’t resume where I left off. Skipping through scenes each time was a hassle and the inconvenience put the thoughts of buying a Google TV or Amazon Fire Stick in my head.
While the latest Apple TV 4K resumes just fine, older versions and old software don’t show the resume option. To get the resume functionality you may need to update your Apple TV or go through your watch history.
Let’s dig a bit deeper into the problem and figure out the solutions.
The Software Bug
Apple always designs its user interface with user-friendliness at the forefront. Even my grandpa has an easier time using the Apple TV instead of Google TV or Amazon FireStick. That’s why it’s puzzling when an obvious and necessary feature like resuming your favorite shows is missing.
However, Apple does have this option on the latest Apple TV. Turns out that when I encountered this problem I was on an older software version. Like me, if you’ve been on tvOS 14.3 or 14.4, you have faced the same situation. That’s because there was a bug on those versions of tvOS that hid the resume option.
To fix this issue you need to upgrade or downgrade your Apple TV to a software version that doesn’t have this bug. To upgrade the software to the latest version:
- Use the Apple TV remote and open the Settings app.
- From here scroll down and go to System>Software Updates>Update Software.
- If there is a new software version, you would be prompted for downloading it. Select Download and Install on prompt.
- After the software is updated and Apple TV reboots, the resume option should work perfectly.
On the other hand, if you’re on the latest software version and the bug has popped up again, you can factory reset the Apple TV and downgrade to an older software version that didn’t have the bug. Here’s how you can do it:
- Go to Settings, scroll down, and select System.
- Go down and choose Reset.
- On the next screen, choose Reset instead of Rest and Update.
- You’ll be prompted again and after you choose Reset, your Apple TV will be factory reset and you would have to set it up again. At least, you don’t have to use it without the resume option.
Viewing History
Even if you don’t have the resume option and decide to stick to the buggy software version, you can resume watching your shows from your viewing history. However, this only works if you have enabled iCloud syncing.
You can find your watching history on the Watch Now tab. Here’s how you can access it:
- With the Apple TV turned on, navigate down to the “Watch Now” tab.
- Choose Up Next and you’ll find viewing history linked to your Apple ID. Shows you have watched will have a checkmark beside them.
- To resume watching a movie or a show, select a show from the page or use the Search bar.
- Select the show you last watched and you’ll get the option of Continue Watching. Click on it and resume watching.
Conclusion
You shouldn’t have to use the Viewing History method for resuming where you left off when you pay top dollar for your streaming device. When I encounter such bugs, I report them to the devs via the Feedback Assistant app so that they can solve them as quickly as possible. I hope this article was helpful to you.
