Sky Go unable to view channel is a common viewing problem on many different devices and often resembles a fault with the internet connection.
However, before rushing to a conclusion, it’s best to review all potential factors for the inability of Sky Go to view channels and address them accordingly.
When you’re unable to view channels on Sky Go, first, sign out and in your account only to refresh your account and verify that your Sky subscription is ongoing.
Also, it’s good to verify your device’s internet/WiFi connection and ultimately reinstall the Sky Go app.
Let’s continue to unwrap!
Why Am I Unable to View Channel in Sky Go?
One of the first steps is to check whether you’re unable to view all channels or only a specific channel on your Sky Go.
This will suggest whether the problem is global or related to one or a few channels, which will help with selecting the correct approach when troubleshooting.
Here are all of the reasons why Sky Go is unable to view channels:
These are the possibilities why Sky Go channel viewing is not working on your device and each of these faults must be checked individually.
So, without further ado, let’s do the troubleshooting!
How to Fix When Sky Go Unable to View Channel?
Tip: Follow the solution steps in the order they are listed!
1. Sign Out and In Your Sky Account!
The first step is simple yet effective. Sometimes you may not be able to view Sky Go channels due to a bug with the app.
Hence, one of the most effective ways to deal with the issue would be to simply sign out and then sign in to your Sky account, regardless of the device you’re using.
Tap or click on the Cogwheel, and scroll down to “Sign Out”.
Then you will be immediately sent back to the initial login page, so close the Sky Go app on the device and re-open the software from scratch.
Then sign into your account and test whether Sky Go is still unable to view channels.
Note: On mobile, completely exit Sky Go, not only minimise the application!
2. Verify Your Sky TV Subscription!
One of the fundamental requirements for viewing Sky Go channels is an active Sky subscription so you need to verify this through the official Sky TV web portal.
So, navigate to sign in Sky TV, go to My Account and select Manage Packages.
Verify that you have one of the following Sky TV subscription packages:
- Sky TV Package.
- Sky Multiscreen.
- Sky Whole Home.
If you have one of these Sky subscriptions, then check the billing date and verify that the recent payments were successful.
In case everything appears to be well, continue with the next step!
Note: If you only have the Sky Essentials, you’re not going to be allowed to view channels in the Sky Go app.
3. Restart the Sky TV Playout Device
Another quick solution is to power cycle your Sky Go streaming device.
Sometimes this step is enough to resolve most of your application problems.
However, if your device uses a power adapter to connect to power, we recommend unplugging it from the outlet for at least 60 seconds!
In addition, you should restart mobile smartphones with the Sky Go application to refresh all of the services, reconnect to the WiFi and reboot the operating system.
Note: If you’re on a PC or a Mac, use the power menu to “Shutdown” and then manually power on your machine.
4. Optimise Your Sky Go Internet & WiFi
One of the fundamental reasons why you’re unable to view channels in Sky Go is your internet and/or WiFi connection.
This is strictly dependent on your device and how the unit is connected to the internet, but you need to verify that your internet and WiFi network are working optimally!
Here are a few helpful tips to optimise your internet and WiFi network:
- Power cycle your network router for 60 seconds!
- Reconnect your device to the WiFi (use 2.4 Ghz).
- Unpair unused WiFi devices to relieve bandwidth.
- Temporarily stop downloading or uploading tasks.
- Move the Sky Go device closer to the WiFi router.
If you’re having viewing issues with Sky Go on a mobile device, test viewing Sky Go channels on the Mobile Data.
Simply disable the WiFi feature, enable your cellular (4G or 5G) internet and then re-open the Sky Go app to check whether the channels will now appear for viewing.
Note: Keep in mind that for streaming Sky Go you need at least 2.5 Mbps internet speed, so feel free to carry out a free internet speed test online.
5. Test Sky Go on a Different Device
If you’re still unable to view channels on Sky Go, it’s time to test whether the Sky Go app will be working on one of your other devices.
Sky Go is available on mobile, computer and laptop so go ahead and check whether the app would work when freshly installed on a different device.
To test Sky Go on a computer, download the installer from Sky Downloads!
You need to then select the operating system from the list of available ones and download the installer onto your machine.
From there you would need to perform a quick installation and then sign into your Sky account, which is subscribed to a Sky package that allows access to Sky Go.
How to Check for Sky Go Outages?
Sometimes the reason why you’re unable to view channels on Sky Go is due to an outage on Sky’s end.
To verify this you can go to Sky Status, and then look under “Streaming TV” and “Sky Mobile” for any outages indicated in red colour.
Tip: In case of any outage, you need to wait until the Sky Go channels are restored!
6. Remove and Install the Sky Go App
Sometimes the reason why the Sky Go channels are not available for viewing is due to missing files or data within the applications directory.
Therefore, one of the most effective ways to deal with such data-related corruption would be to completely uninstall and then reinstall Sky Go!
How to Reinstall Sky Go on Windows?
- From the Start Menu, go to the Control Panel.
- Then find and click “Programs and Features”.
- Next, scroll the list to find the “Sky Go” installer.
- Finally, click on the “Uninstall” button to remove.
- Then download Sky Go from the official web.
How to Reinstall Sky Go on macOS?
- Use the “Finder” app to discover Sky Go.
- Then, drag the Sky Go icon to the Trash.
- Alternatively, click and select “Move to Trash”.
- Then download Sky Go from the Sky web.
How to Reinstall Sky Go on Mobile?
- From the home screen tap and hold Sky Go.
- On Android, drag the app’s icon to the trash.
- On iOS, tap the “Remove” option and confirm.
- Get the app from Google Play or the App Store.
How to Reinstall Sky Go on Apple TV?
To uninstall apps on Apple TV, simply hover over the app and press the centre of the navigation circle until the app starts to *shake*.
Then press the Pause/Play button to reveal the options and tap “Delete” to uninstall Sky Go. Later you can download the app back from the App Store.
How to Reinstall Sky Go on Sky Q/Glass?
On Sky Q or Sky Glass, you’re unable to uninstall or reinstall channels since the Sky Go app is built by default into the operation system.
However, you can refresh the app by using the dev options hidden menu, which is not accessible easily, if you don’t know where to look.
Here’s how to refresh all apps on Sky Q and Sky Glass:
- First, from the home screen go to Settings.
- Only highlight the settings and do not enter.
- Then press 0 – 0 – 0 – Select on the remote.
- Then only wait until the dev options appear.
- Finally, select the “Refresh All Apps” option.
Tip: Contact Sky Customer Service for additional support!
Quick Recap:
Hence whenever Sky Go unable to view channel, first check for Sky service outages and then inspect your internet and WiFi connection.
In addition, restart your Sky Go device and in case nothing helps, perform a clean reinstallation of the entire Sky Go application.
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.