Google TV Streamer black screen when selecting account

[JohnnyP1]

I have two accounts on my Google TV Streamer.  A few weeks ago, when switching accounts, sometimes a black screen would flash for a split second when I selected an account and I would have to reselect it and everything was fine.

More recently, when selecting an account after turning the TV on, the whole unit goes to a black screen and freezes.  I have to physically unplug/replug the Streamer to force a reboot.  Then everything is fine. I can freely switch accounts with no issues.

It seems this only happens if the Streamer goes into deep sleep and then it's fine until it goes to sleep again (so basically overnight or after several hours of no use).

The first thing I tried was deleting both user accounts and re-adding them.  It didn't fix the issue.  Then I did a factory reset, updated all apps, and added the second account.  It is still doing it.  I have checked all cables and the usual stuff with no luck.

I really like the convenience of two accounts. I suppose I could try to set the Streamer to never power off and see if that's truly the problem, but that's certainly not optimal. 

I haven't seen this bug posted anywhere else.  Help is appreciated! 

[kincaid0421]

This is new behavior for me, too.  We've been able to load or switch apps with the voice interface.  I've also opened YouTube with voice then triggered the switch account function from YouTube.  That takes me to the home screen of the new user.  All systems function normally then.

Prior to this I was being forced to select a profile twice to get logged in, but it always went in.  Now, black screen.

[JohnnyP1]

Just an update:

The unit is no longer consistently totally freezing up, but the black screen issue still continues after a lengthy downtime and powering on. Now, after the screen turns black, I can hit the Netflix button on the remote and Netflix will open normally, but the black screen remains after exiting.  I can also access the side panel with the Home/Notifications/Settings.  So now I just go there and reboot instead of pulling the power and everything is fine until a lengthy power off.

[virnab]

Hi JohnnyP1,

Thanks for reaching out to our community.

I understand you're dealing with your Google TV Streamer (4K) freezing on a black screen when you try to switch accounts after it's been in deep sleep. I appreciate the troubleshooting steps you've already taken, like re-adding accounts, checking all cables, rebooting the device, and performing a factory reset. I also appreciate you taking the time to keep us updated on your device's behavior lately. No worries, let's work together to resolve this!

To start troubleshooting this issue, please follow these instructions:

1. First, please tell me the firmware version of your Google TV Streamer (4K). To find it, follow these steps:
1. Open the Google Home app.
2. Tap and hold your device's tile.
3. Tap Settings, then select Device information.
4. Under 'Technical information', check for the Cast firmware version: 'X.XXX.XXXXX'. If it's a display, check for the Fuchsia version: 'X.XXXXXXXX.X.XXXXXXX'.

Next, please ensure you have the latest firmware version for your Google TV Streamer (4K). To manually download the latest update, follow these steps:

1. Go to the home screen of your streaming device.
2. Choose All settings, tap System, then select About, then System update.

If the issue persists, it will be necessary to reboot your Google TV Streamer. I understand that you have already done this and had a temporary resolution, but let's check if this time we can have an effective result. Please make sure to follow these instructions:

1. Unplug the power cable from the streaming device.
2. Leave it unplugged for one minute.
3. Insert the cable back into the streaming device.

In case the last step didn't resolve the issue, it will be necessary to factory reset the device by following this procedure:

1. While the device is plugged into the TV and powered on, press and hold the button for 10-12 seconds on the back of the device. The LED should start to blink yellow.
2. When the LED light turns solid white, release the button, and the device should then reset.

Please let me know how it goes. I await your news.

Best regards,

Virna

[JohnnyP1]

Another update:

Experimenting a bit more, I decided to turn off CEC on the Streamer and leave it in on on my TV/Soundbar and use the power button on the Streamer remote to turn the TV/Soundbar off.  Now, when I turn the TV off for the day and it sits for many hours, upon turning it back on the Streamer is still logged into the user account right where I left it and there is no black screen when switching to another account.  It's not kicking back to the select user screen, which is fine with me.  The shut-off timer on the Streamer is set to 15 minutes.  I can't explain it, but everything has been fine for about 48 hours or so.

To answer your question,

System firmware version: UTTK.250305.003
Cast firmware: 3.72.446070

Streamer is on the most recent update.

If the issue happens again, I will proceed with the rest of the steps, but for now I am just going to see what happens in the next few days .

Thanks!

[virnab]

Hi JohnnyP1,

Thanks for your prompt response and for your collaboration in trying the troubleshooting steps I recommended. I also appreciate you keeping me updated on the behavior of the Google TV Streamer (4K) after turning off CEC and using the device with its remote control. We'll wait a few days to ensure everything continues to work correctly.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact this community.

Best regards,

Virna

[tflynnuk]

Hi Virnab - I added some extra information from my experiences too, I am also experiencing this issue. Is there a way for the feedback to reach the Google team? I am fairly certain it is a particular app (Google TV Home) that seems to be causing this problem.

[virnab]

Hi tflynnuk,

Thank you for posting in the community.

I can see that you’re also troubling when switching accounts on your Google TV Streamer (4K) , which you've pinpointed to the 'Google TV Home' app updates, specifically after the June 6th and June 20th releases.  I am truly grateful that you took the time to share your thoughts with me.

In response to your request, I'm providing you with the instructions to submit your feedback to our development team: Share feedback about Google Nest.

Your input will help us prioritize features and ensure that we're meeting the needs of our diverse user base.

Feel free to keep us posted if you have more questions.

Best regards,

Virna

[JohnnyP1]

I saw an update to the Google TV Home app, so I decided to see if the issue was fixed.  Turning CEC on caused the exact issue again.  After downtime, switching accounts presents a black screen.  The Streamer is still on, and after holding the Home button on the remote for a couple seconds, the notification panel on the right side of the screen appears and I am able to restart the Streamer and it works fine.

I have also played around with various settings that may affect the resolution/frame rate switching (anything I could think of that may cause a brief black screen).  I have tried seamless frame matching set to "seamless only" with QMS enabled on my TV and "always" with QMS off. Both have the same results.  

I am pretty convinced it's the TV Home app and CEC.

[Rob71]

I have exactly the same issue and factory reset doesn't resolve it.

[tflynnuk]

Hi there,

This is also happening to me - I am glad (well, as glad as I can be) to see others experiencing this as I thought I was the only one! Below are my observations if it helps.

When I clicked into the Apps, I was able to trace back that this started happening for me, when the June 6 update to the "Google TV Home" was released. When I turned off auto-update for apps, and did "Uninstall Updates" on this app, it did stop the black screen - but it introduced other issues, like the account switching no longer working on the welcome screen, instead I had to do that via the Settings each time.

But to me, the issue is definitely with the 'Google TV Home' app. Disappointingly this app was updated again on June 20 - I tried updating to see if they fixed it, but of course they have not. You would think this problem would be widespread, or is the user base that small?

For now, I turned off CEC and Auto-Sleep on the streamer as a workaround - thank you for the posters here and the suggestion!

[BryanSD]

I'm seeing the same issue at my home. What's interesting is if it's in my account (the first account) the "blank screen" is never observed. However, if the second account is active then the bank screen returns the next time the home or power button is selected. A long press that allows one to go to the first account and then back to the second account also seems to fix this issue. Strangely, this issue has been observed only on the Google Streamer and not the Google TV with Chromecast device.

[RikBrowning]

Just hit this tonight. After selecting an account after restarting the device you simply get a black screen. It is almost like the device cannot find a home screen. I can long press home and switch through apps that way still so the device is working it just cannot present me with a home screen.