If your cozy evening plans involving binge-watching a show just got interrupted by an unhelpful error message on Apple TV, you’re not alone. On December 12, 2025, thousands of Apple TV users began reporting outages and connection problems – especially the dreaded “couldn’t connect” message – leaving many frustrated and wondering what’s going on.
According to outage tracker Downdetector, Apple TV started showing problems for users around 7:17 PM EST, with many people across the U.S. and Canada complaining they couldn’t stream shows or even reach the app. At one point, over 4,500 reports were filed in a short time frame.
Why People Are Seeing the Error
From what we can tell, most complaints point to network connection or server issues, not a problem with the shows or your account. Some users took to social media saying they couldn’t watch new episodes of popular series because Apple TV simply refused to connect.
While Apple hasn’t officially commented yet, this kind of outage usually ties back to service instability on Apple’s side or temporary server overloads.
How to Fix the “Couldn’t Connect” Problem – Real Steps You Can Try
Even though this appears to be a widespread service issue, a few troubleshooting steps can help isolate the problem – and might even fix it for you:
1. Check Your Network Connection
Before anything else, make sure your Apple TV is connected to the internet:
- Go to Settings > Network and confirm your device is on the correct Wi-Fi.
- If you’re using Wi-Fi, try switching to an Ethernet cable if possible – wired connections are more stable.
2. Restart Everything
Yes, it sounds basic, but it works more often than you’d think:
- Restart your Apple TV (Settings > System > Restart).
- Turn off your router and modem, wait 30 seconds, then turn them back on.
- Unplug Apple TV for a minute and plug it back in.
3. Forget and Reconnect Wi-Fi
Sometimes the connection settings themselves get flaky:
- Go to Settings > Network
- Select your Wi-Fi network and tap Forget Network
- Reconnect with your password and try again.
4. Update Your Software
If your Apple TV isn’t on the latest tvOS version, it can cause connection errors:
- Open Settings > System > Software Updates
- Install any available updates (Apple occasionally patches these kinds of errors).
5. Try a Different Network
If possible, connect your Apple TV to another Wi-Fi (e.g., a hotspot) just to see if the issue sticks. If it works, your home network might be the culprit.
Is the Problem on Apple’s Side?
Because so many users reported issues at the same time, the problem likely involves Apple’s servers or streaming platform itself – and not your TV or internet. When this happens, fixes from your end might work sometimes, but the true resolution usually comes once Apple resolves the backend fault.
Until Apple provides an official update or status notice, your best bet is to try the steps above and keep checking the Apple System Status page to see if Apple TV services are listed as down.
Final Tip
Outages can be frustrating – especially when you just want to watch your favorite show. But often, patience and a few quick fixes get you back up and streaming.
If nothing works, waiting for Apple’s servers to stabilize is sometimes the only real solution.
Have you faced this error yourself? Chances are many others have too – and sharing what worked for you on social platforms or forums can help others get back to their shows faster.
