3 Ways To Fix ESPN App Freezing

In terms of both App performance and programming quality, the ESPN App is widely regarded as probably the best streaming service in the world.

No matter how obscure the sport you are interested in is, ESPN seems to have you covered. Want to watch Portuguese second division soccer? – there’s a link for that. How about some ski jumping? They have you covered!

But asides from their in-depth range of programming, they also have some practical strengths to back it up. For example, the App is renowned for its user-friendly layout and its accessibility. Users can also access the App from a huge range of devices.

However, we wouldn’t be here writing this article if the App is without flaw. Overall, it’s excellent and performs really well most of the time.

That being said, there is an issue that can hamper your viewing experience pretty severely – the App can tend to freeze up on occasion. Naturally, this always seems to happen right at a pivotal moment in whatever you happen to be watching.

So, with that in mind, we have decided to put together this little guide to help you fix the situation as quickly as possible.

ESPN App Freezing

When the content that you are streaming freezes, it can be down to a few different causes. As a result, the best thing to do is to troubleshoot each problem until you know for sure what is causing the problem.

Below, we have gone through every possible cause we could think of. If you aren’t all that techy, don’t worry about it. All of these fixes are quite easy, and we have tried our best to avoid any unnecessary technical jargon. 

1) Check your internet connection

When you are using the ESPN App, you will have noticed that there is no possible way to download content. It all needs to be streamed over the internet and to your device.

So, this is all well and good if you happen to have a solid internet connection that never drops out. When you are streaming, you need to have an awful lot of bandwidth at your disposal.

This means that even if someone else in the house is watching Netflix, the chances that you are both going to have a quality viewing experience are greatly reduced.

So, if your provider isn’t supplying you with high-quality internet, or the service is unstable, you are definitely going to get a lot more freezing when you try to stream anything.  

What we would recommend is running a speed check on your internet to rule out the possibility that you are receiving sub-par service.

There are loads of websites out there that provide this service free of charge with a high level of accuracy. Our favorite of the bunch is this one here.

If it turns out that you are getting high-speed internet, the best thing to do is to move onto the next step.

If your connection is weak and there are no other devices connected to the internet, we would recommend making your ISP aware of the issue.

2) Reduce the Picture Quality

The ESPN App, like the YouTube App, allows the user to choose from a range of video quality settings while enjoying their content.

Naturally, the higher the video quality, the more demand it places on your internet connection. Not only that, but high definition videos also have a bearing on how well the device you are watching them on can handle the content.

For example, if you are trying to watch high-definition videos on a laptop that is a few years old, it mightn’t be up to date enough to play them right.

The graphics card could struggle to keep up, as could your processor. In this situation, you could well be experiencing freezing issues even if you have one of the strongest connections in the world!

The simple fact is that if you haven’t got enough RAM at your disposal, it isn’t going to work all that well on the higher video settings.
In this case, there is only really one thing to do. Gradually lower the video settings until you find the best quality setting that will actually work on your device.

In general, we would always suggest selecting the “Auto” setting when selecting a video quality. By doing so, the site will automatically choose the optimal settings for your device.  

3) Uninstall and Reinstall the Application

Admittedly, the chances of this solution being the one that is going to work for you are quite slim.

In 90% of cases, it is most likely to be either of the two above or sometimes a combination of both factors. However, we have decided to include this one as it does work on occasion.

So, if you have tried everything else, let’s try making sure that the problem isn’t the version of the App that you are using.

The quickest way to check this is by simply uninstalling the App and then reinstalling it on the same device. By doing so, you will also clear any of the bugs and errors that the App may have developed over time.

In the case that you are using an Android device to stream your content, make sure to wipe the Apps data too. With a bit of luck, the App should then start working perfectly as soon as you have reinstalled it. 

A second bonus to trying this fix is that it will automatically reinstall the most up-to-date version of the ESPN App.

The one that you were using before may have missed a few updates, and its performance could well be suffering the effects of that.

In general, it is always a good idea to make sure that you are always running the most up-to-date version of any App that you are using. They tend to work far better than outdated ones. 

How to Stop the ESPN App Freezing

So, that’s it for this little guide on how to stop the ESPN App freezing. We hope that you found the solution for you in our list above.

If not, there may be something more serious at play. At this point, we would recommend having a professional take a look at it.

Though it can be tempting to take things apart and try to fix them from time to time, doing so can also void warranties. Unless you are a professional, it is best not to take that risk.