Disney+ VOD doesn't play when BT sound device is connected

[lmchv]

Hi,

I just moved from a Chromecast for Google TV to a Google TV Streamer, performance is great and all apps work fine but Disney+.

I can watch any live content in Disney+ fine but if I want to watch a video-on-demand the video does not start, I have to disconnect the BT speaker and reload the video for it to start working, I can then turn on the BT speaker and it will continue to work fine until i stop the video, if I try to resume, I need to do all mentioned before.

I tried with several BT speakers and the result is the same, any other streaming apps (HBO, Netflix, Paramount, Prime Video, etc) work fine.

Any ideas/recommendations? all hardware is patched to the latest available firmware.

[kcruzgonzalez]

Hello @lmchv,

Thank you for posting in the community. I understand that you are experiencing an issue where Disney+ Video-On-Demand (VOD) content will not start playing when a Bluetooth (BT) speaker is connected to your new Google TV Streamer. Thanks for the troubleshooting of disconnecting the speaker, starting the video, and then reconnecting the speaker for playback to continue.

This behavior strongly suggests an application-specific conflict with the Digital Rights Management (DRM) or HDCP handshake that occurs when Disney+ attempts to establish a secure link for VOD content through the Bluetooth audio channel.

Since your hardware is fully updated, let's focus on clearing the app environment to resolve this conflict:

Step 1: Clear Cache and Data for Disney+

Even after updating the app, clearing its local storage can resolve conflicts with audio stream management.

1. On your Google TV Streamer, go to Settings (gear icon).
2. Select Apps, then select See all apps.
3. Find and select the Disney+ app.
4. Select Clear cache.
5. Select Clear data (you will need to confirm this action).

• Note: This will require you to sign back into the Disney+ app.

Step 2: Check for a Quick System Reboot

Since your workaround (disconnecting, starting, and reconnecting) involves resetting the audio stream, a system reboot might clear the operating system's audio path.

1. On your Google TV Streamer, go to Settings (gear icon).
2. Select System, then select Restart.

• Alternatively, unplug the power cord from the Google TV device for one minute and then plug it back in.

Step 3: Try a Different Bluetooth Profile

Some BT speakers default to a specific profile (like HFP or A2DP). While we can't manually change this on the Google TV Streamer, you can try temporarily unpairing and re-pairing the speaker to see if the device negotiates a cleaner audio stream connection.

1. On your Google TV Streamer, go to Settings, then select Remotes & Accessories.
2. Select your BT speaker and choose Unpair.
3. Choose Pair remote or accessory and reconnect your BT speaker.

Please try Step 1 (clearing data for the Disney+ app) and the system restart in Step 2. Let me know if the VOD content now plays instantly with your BT speaker connected.

Regards,

Kevin

[lmchv]

hi @kcruzgonzalez ,

thanks for your reply, I also believe it's a problem between the DRM and the BT codec as it only affects VOD content. I do not think it's related to HDCP as the HDMI port is able to receive the sound data and properly send it to the speakers attached to the monitor. The problem occurs only when BT is involved.

Regarding your recommendations:

1) Cache has been cleared, application reinstalled, issue persists.

2) Google TV Streamer has been rebooted, I have even reset it to factory settings and configured everything again, issue persists.

3) I have tried 2 different BT speakers (Sony and Bose) and 1 set of headphones (Sony), issue persists.

This needs to be corrected at the software level either on the Google TV Streamer or the Disney+ app, it's a bit odd as it worked perfectly when I was using the Chromecast for Google TV.

Google TV Streamer software:
- Android TV 14
- Security Patch August 2025

- Kernel 5.15.180

- Android TV compilation: UTTK.250729.004

Disney+ app:

- Version: 4.18.1+rc6-2025.11.05

Hopefully this gets fixed soon...

[lmchv · Accepted solution]

After further testing I found the following:

1) Reconfirmed that turning off and on the BT speaker after streaming has started solves the issue temporarily.

2) Any BT device for sound output causes this behavior, tested 3 different speakers and 3 different headphones, different brands.

3) Changing the stream quality to "Save Data" in the app solves the issue but with the lowered resolution.

I have escalated this issue with Disney+ support, it's clearly a bug it its software. Hopefully they can come up with a solution soon.