Key takeaways
- Episodes end suddenly, and a timer blocks the viewer on the Hulu app, which is a common problem among users.
- Hulu has not addressed ongoing app issues, prompting subscribers to explore other streaming services.
- Consider alternatives like YouTube TV for live TV or Plex for a personal media server to access content without Hulu.
I've been a Hulu user since the beginning, back in 2008. And although Hulu still has a lot of shows I love, like The Bear, Bob's Burgers, and What We Do in the Shadows, it was time to stop doing the shows. They have my money.
What are the problems with the Hulu app?
At first glance, the Hulu app on Roku looks and works like any other streaming app. You have a menu on the left side, and most of the screen space is taken up by large thumbnails of the various shows and movies the service wants you to watch. Scroll down a bit, and you'll find a Continue Watching tab for all the shows you haven't finished.
Problems occur while watching a TV show. I recently queued up for Only Murders in the Building and started watching the final episode. However, as soon as I heard a gunshot, the episode ended and the next show in my queue (The Great) started. I was confused – was that the end of the episode? It was only when I returned to the demo page for Only Murders that I saw the little bar indicating that the progress had not been filled; There are still five minutes left.
This happens a lot, whether it's The Simpsons or One Punch Man, which means I have to be vigilant because the “end” of the Hulu episode is actually the end. Sometimes, it's obvious, and I stop recording immediately, but sometimes, it's not. I have to look back at everything I've watched recently to make sure I actually finished it.
This is the biggest problem, but not the most common. Another problem I've seen, which happens in almost every show I watch, is how the episode ends if it doesn't move forward. When the episode is about to end, the screen dims slightly, and a countdown timer appears in the upper right corner. It's a small circle with a number in the middle that tells you how many seconds are left in the current loop. This is good when the show is only 15 or 30 seconds from the end and the credits are starting to roll.
But for every other episode, the countdown will start very early, and when I say so Way too earlyI mean up to 300 seconds. That's five whole minutes, and a lot can happen during that time. I'm stuck watching crucial scenes on a dim screen with a big timer blocking the corner, and there's nothing I can do about it. I've tried undoing the loop and back into it again, rewinding it while it's playing, or even fast-forwarding a few seconds to see if I can skip anything that triggers the timer. Nothing works.
When searching for solutions, I discovered that I was not alone. My friends reported the same issues, and there are also threads on Reddit complaining about the same thing. So, the problem is not with my account, my device, or my TV.
Is there anything Hulu subscribers can do?
I've tried to fix this Hulu error in different ways, such as logging out and logging back in or uninstalling, but the problem still persists, which indicates a problem with the app itself. Hulu needs to fix the issue on its end, but given the number of users who have already reported this issue for months, the company doesn't seem particularly inclined to do anything about it.
One solution is to watch Hulu through the Disney+ app, but this requires a subscription to both Hulu and Disney+. You shouldn't have to subscribe to another service just to watch the one you're already paying for. I also find it annoying that Disney+ has no record of what you've actually watched. Fortunately, I track what I watch on a separate site called Trakd, but not everyone will want to do that.
Problems with streaming apps are nothing new. The Amazon Prime app is known for its unfriendly design. And here at MakeUseOf, we've written about removing items from your Disney+ Continue Watching list and how to remove them on Netflix because it's not as easy as it should be.
The truth is that companies don't need to optimize their apps because, right now, content drives subscriptions. Netflix has The Witcher and Stranger Things, Disney+ has Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Max has The Penguin and The Last of Us. We ignore the flaws in these apps because we want to watch our favorite shows.
But now that the app itself is preventing me from enjoying my shows, it's time for me to finally put my foot down. I've subscribed to more streaming content than I can watch, so why should I keep paying for a sub-par experience? I currently pay for an annual plan, but once my subscription expires at the end of the year, I don't plan to renew.
How will I watch my favorite shows without Hulu?
The fact that Disney+ and Hulu are under the same corporate umbrella means that it's possible that Hulu will disappear completely in the future, and all of its content will be available on Disney+, most likely as a premium tier. But right now, there's no other legal way to watch Hulu exclusives like The Bear and Only Murders in the Building.
However, much of what I watch on Hulu is not original. I also enjoy The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers, both of which are still on TV. I could just get an antenna and watch it the old fashioned way, but it's much better to subscribe to a service like YouTube TV. This service offers a cable-like experience, with the ability to record your favorite shows when they are broadcast on a digital video recorder (DVR). My brother and parents are happy subscribers.
Then there are services like Plex. Once you have the content you want, you can add it to your Plex server and watch shows using the Roku app, which offers an interface and features on par with the major streaming services. It's relatively easy to set up a Plex server, which is basically like running a dedicated streaming service in your home.
In the end, I'll probably watch something else. There are a lot of things, and I can live without Hulu shows until the app can work together.