Google 4K Streamer - random hangs

[Linwood]

Is it just me or does the Google 4K streamer hang a lot? 

I have four of them (we can discuss my sanity later).  All are on the latest software, all are hard wired ethernet so no wifi issues.  I have 2gbs fiber internet and no network issues (very network fluent, really). 

I have three going directly into LG OLED TV's, and one going into an AVR.

In all cases I'm running apps on the device, not casting to it.  I occasionally cast music, never video, that generally works though it's also probably 5% of my usage so not statistically significant.  But it's not related to my phone since I'm not using my phone.

All are connected with high quality HDMI cables, all short, different brands. 

Mostly they work, but probably once a day (I spend a lot of the day watching TV, or at least it's on in background) they just .... stop.  Not in the same app, I've seen it in Prime, Netflix, Plex, and it just happened in Tubi.  Once in a while it can be recovered with back, usually I have to either power cycle or just wait and it will reboot itself (that's what happened in Tubi). 

If it was just one app I'd assume it was the app (to be fair Plex does it more than others). If it was just one Streamer I'd assume bad hardware. But it's all of them, more or less randomly. 

That they often reboot on their own makes me think it is something fairly deep in the OS (as opposed to the app, unless the OS is badly designed -- while I have a programming background never looked at Android). 

Is this typical?   A hang/reboot every have dozen hours +/-?

Linwood

[virnab]

Hi Linwood,

Thank you for posting in this community.

I understand that you are experiencing consistent hangs and reboots across four separate Google TV Streamer (4K) units, all of which are hardwired via Ethernet to a 2Gbps fiber connection. You’ve ruled out cables and TVs by using high-quality HDMI and testing across both LG OLEDs and an AVR. I appreciate you providing such detailed information about your TV usage, including when you are casting or streaming directly from the devices. I also noted that this happens across multiple apps (Netflix, Prime, Plex, and Tubi) and isn't tied to casting. I'm glad to help you with this.

In response to your inquiry asking if a failure rate of one hang or reboot every dozen hours (approx.) is 'within spec' for this device, or if your experience is an outlier compared to what other high-end users are seeing, I can let you know that most casual users may not notice this because they only watch an hour or two of TV. A Google TV Streamer (4K) can remain active indefinitely in the background if the “When inactive” timer is set to “Never.” You can set this state by following these instructions:

• Open the Google TV Streamer (4K) home screen.
• Go to Settings (the gear icon).
• Select System, then Power & Energy.
• Choose When inactive or Shut off timer.
• Select Never.

I would like to add that while your Google TV Streamer (4K) is great at multitasking, it can sometimes run out of 'breathing room.' Even when you aren't using the apps, the system keeps them ready in a sleep state in the background so they can open quickly. Usually, the system automatically closes these older apps to free up memory for what you're currently watching. However, if those background tasks don't clear out properly—which can happen when a device is left on for long periods—the memory gets cluttered. When the system can no longer manage this 'digital housekeeping,' it hits a breaking point and reboots itself to start fresh and clear that clutter.

Feel free to keep us posted if you have more questions or need further assistance.

Best regards,

Virna

[Linwood]

@virnab don't take this the wrong way, but this reads like an AI generated answer, so I just ignored it when I saw it (my experience is most google AI answers for non-trivial things are completely wrong). 

On the off chance you (and it) are human, apologies, but could you also elaborate on why you are saying to set the inactivity timer to never (if that's what you actually mean). My hangs are not coming during inactivity (I'm set to 4 hours), they are coming most of the time during some change of activity, like opening an app, closing an app, changing videos to watch in an app, fast forward/rewind in an app, etc.   So I don't think the inactivity check should apply. 

What I was mostly looking for, I think, is feedback from other users that they have zero problems, or that they have lots like me.   Whether I'm an outlier.  Instead it's more silence.... 

[virnab]

Hi Linwood,

I apologize for the confusion regarding that 'Never' setting! I only suggested it to rule out the device trying to go into a deep sleep mode while tasks were still active, but thank you for clarifying that this happens during active use.
Since you’re looking for other Google TV Streamer (4K) users with experiences like yours, let’s wait for them, it will be helpful to see if other users with similar setups are facing the same challenges.

Best regards,
Virna