Samsung TV glitch locks users out of apps worldwide (Update: Resolved)

Update, August 1, 2025 (10:07 AM ET): Samsung has reached out to us regarding this incident, and the company confirms that everything should be back to normal:

Our TV service was affected for a small period of time overnight but this has now been restored and customers should be able to resume normal use by powering off and restarting their TV with the remote control.

Original article, August 1, 2025 (04:15 AM ET): Samsung TVs seem to be facing a widespread issue where apps won’t load properly. The problem appears to be affecting users globally. A Reddit thread with over 700 comments shows that many Samsung TV owners are unable to use any apps on their TVs.

According to users, most apps, including popular ones like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video, are visible in the menu but won’t open. Instead, they show a “202 error” message, which usually points to an internet issue. However, affected users say their internet connection is working just fine.

One user said that after contacting Samsung support, they received the following message:

We are aware of a potential disruption of service on your Samsung TV. Our engineers are currently working to restore service as soon as possible. At this time, no additional information can be provided by our representatives. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Another user who tried resetting their TV ended up with no apps at all, as the TV couldn’t download the terms and conditions due to server maintenance.

The good news is that, as of a few minutes ago, some users are reporting that the issue is now being resolved. A few have also suggested holding down the power button until the TV fully restarts, which seems to fix the problem.

If your Samsung TV is also affected by this network error issue, you might want to try the restart method. It’s possible Samsung has started rolling out a fix.