Why is Hulu Not Working On NVIDIA SHIELD? (Easy Fix!)

Finn Wheatley Updated on
hulu not working on nvidia shield

Wondering why is Hulu not working on NVIDIA SHIELD? Well, here’s the answer!

NVIDIA SHIELD indeed supports Hulu streaming but running into any type of problem can interrupt your streaming experience.

The cause of the problem can vary, but most often the prime suspects are issues with the network, outdated Hulu app, or bad settings config.

When Hulu is not working properly on your NVIDIA SHIELD TV, first inspect the Wi-Fi connection of the SHIELD device and update the Hulu app to the latest version.

If the issue is still there, perform a power cycle on the device and reinstall the Hulu platform.

Let’s dig deeper!

Why is the Hulu App Not Working On NVIDIA SHIELD?

why hulu app not working on nvidia shield

There could be many reasons why Hulu isn’t working properly on your NVIDIA SHIELD device.

To help you understand the problem better, we will review all of the possible causes leading to platform issues on SHIELD TV, that might impact individual streaming apps such as Hulu.

Here are the reasons causing Hulu issues on NVIDIA SHIELD:

  • There’s a network connectivity problem with NVIDIA SHIELD.
  • The Hulu app is running on an outdated firmware version.
  • There’s a power-related issue with the NVIDIA SHIELD device.
  • A temporal problem on Hulu’s end has denied your access.
  • A cache data corruption in the Hulu application or SHIELD TV.
  • There’s a problem with the Wi-Fi router or the network settings.

Knowing all of this, let’s next jump into the troubleshooting guide!

Hulu Not Working On NVIDIA SHIELD – 7 Proven Ways to Fix

Tip: To fix the problem faster, follow our solutions in chronological order!

1. Check SHIELD TV’s Network Connectivity

check network connectivity

Without network connectivity, NVIDIA SHIELD TV will be unable to access the Hulu application and stream any of the provided content.

The first step to fixing Hulu’s app problem is diagnosing any issues with the connectivity of the streaming player and reconnecting the device to Wi-Fi!

How to Connect NVIDIA SHIELD to WiFi?

  1. From the main screen of SHIELD, navigate to “Settings”.
  2. Press on the “Network” option after scrolling down a bit.
  3. From there locate the WiFi’s SSID you wish to connect to.
  4. Insert the correct password in order to connect to the WiFi.

Extra Tip: Reboot the Network Router!

The network router is what most often causes connectivity issues with your NVIDIA SHIELD device.

This inevitably leads to apps not working and to address any problems with the router, unplug the network device (router or modem) from power for 20 seconds.

Reminder: Double-check if your NVIDIA SHIELD TV is connected to the WiFi!

2. Update the Hulu App/SHIELD Firmware!

update the hulu app shield firmware

If the version of the Hulu application or your SHIELD TV is outdated, chances are that the platform isn’t going to function properly on your streaming player.

To resolve this problem, you should first update the Hulu application, followed by the firmware of the NVIDIA SHIELD TV.

How to Update Hulu App On SHIELD TV?

  1. From the home screen of your SHIELD, open “Play Store”.
  2. Select the “My Apps” button on the Menu tab of the store.
  3. Scroll downwards and locate the Hulu app from the list.
  4. On the app page, press the “Update” button and wait.

How to Update NVIDIA SHIELD Firmware?

  1. Go to Settings and press the “About SHIELD” button.
  2. Scroll down to “System Updates” and press “Check Now”.
  3. Wait for SHIELD TV to download any available updates.
  4. Press the “Update” button to start the process and wait.
how to update hulu app on shield tv
Note: You must update the SHIELD TV and Hulu periodically to always stay up to date!

3. Power Cycle the NVIDIA SHIELD TV

The problem with the Hulu application on your SHIELD TV is probably related to a temporal bug or OS glitch that can be fixed with the power cycle process.

A power circulation will discharge all power from your NVIDIA SHIELD, without erasing any content or stored application data!

Here’s how to perform a power cycle on the NVIDIA SHIELD device:

power cycle the nvidia shield tv
  1. Press the power button on the remote to put the SHIELD to sleep.
  2. Unplug the power supply of the NVIDIA TV device from the outlet.
  3. Wait for 45-50 seconds while NVIDIA SHIELD is disconnected.
  4. Reconnect the streaming device (directly) to an electrical outlet.
  5. Use the SHIELD TV remote to turn on the player and test Hulu.
Note: The power cycle process is safe so you can refresh your NVIDIA SHIELD as frequently as necessary to overcome temporal issues.

4.Clear Hulu’s App Cache Data

Perhaps, too much app cache is causing the Hulu platform to malfunction on your NVIDIA SHIELD device.

To resolve the problem, you must clear the generated cache data files on the NVIDIA SHIELD device and then attempt to access the Hulu application again.

Follow these steps to clear the Hulu app cache on NVIDIA SHIELD:

clear hulu's app cache data
  1. From the home screen of SHIELD TV, navigate to device “Settings”.
  2. Access the “Apps” section by scrolling further in the settings menu.
  3. Select the “See All Apps” button from the menu in the “Apps” section.
  4. Scroll down and locate the Hulu platform from among all installed apps.
  5. Click the “Clear Cache” option and then choose “OK” to clear the cache.
  6. Next, press “Clear Data” to erase the data for the Hulu application.
  7. Exit the settings menu on your NVIDIA SHIELD and test the Hulu app.

Extra Tip: Clear the Cache for All Apps!

To improve the performance of the NVIDIA SHIELD streaming player, clear the cache for all installed applications on the device.

This means you must go back to the “All Apps” menu and begin clearing the cache for each application individually until you’re done with all of them!

Note: Clearing the cache data of applications deletes offline downloads and signs out the user from their in-app account.

5. Reinstall the Hulu Application!

Removing the Hulu application from your NVIDIA SHIELD and then downloading it again from the content store should resolve the functionality problem.

reinstall the hulu application

Uninstalling the Hulu platform will fix any issues related to corrupted data and also help keep the platform updated.

To reinstall Hulu on NVIDIA SHIELD, go to Settings > Device > Apps > Downloaded Apps and select Hulu. Press the “Uninstall” button and wait for the platform to be removed from NVIDIA SHIELD entirely.

Then you can access the device’s content store and download Hulu.

Note: We recommend ejecting any added storage on your NVIDIA SHIELD to be able to download Hulu on the local storage and prevent issues.

6. Deactivate Router Ad-Blockers!

If you’ve set up an ad-blocking DNS on your network router, this could be potentially a cause of the Hulu problem you’re experiencing on NVIDIA SHIELD.

deactivate router ad-blockers

Since there’s no in-built ad blocker for SHIELD TV devices, the only way to hide Hulu commercials is through a network blocker.

Access the web GUI of your network router and make sure you have not set up an ad-blocking DNS.

To access most router GUIs, insert http://192.168.100.1/ into a web browser and sign into the control panel using admin/admin or admin/password.

Tip: To locate the DNS settings of your router, navigate to Network > Security > “DNS”.

7. Erase All Settings on NVIDIA SHIELD

In case nothing so far in the guide managed to help, it is strongly recommended to perform a factory reset on your NVIDIA SHIELD TV.

The factory reset is the ultimate solution, which has a great downside – all content on your NVIDIA SHIELD will be permanently deleted.

erase all settings on nvidia shield

Follow these instructions to perform a factory reset on NVIDIA SHIELD:

  1. From the home screen of SHIELD TV, navigate to Settings.
  2. Press on the “Device Preferences” button and select “Reset”.
  3. Press the “Reset” button once again to confirm the process.
  4. Choose “Erase Everything” to start the factory reset process.

When the factory restoration process is over, you’ll be prompted to set up your NVIDIA SHIELD by carrying out the initial settings setup.

The setup involves choosing a region, and language and connecting the TV to the internet before you can download Hulu cleanly and test the app.

Note: The factory reset may take between 3 to 5 minutes to complete on the device!

Quick Recap:

Thus, to fix when Hulu not working on NVIDIA SHIELD, power cycle the streaming player and clear the cache data for the Hulu application. If you’re still encountering an issue on Hulu, deactivate network ad-blocking DNS on your router and/or reinstall the Hulu app!

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