YouTube VR Keeps Crashing – What To Do

YouTube VR has been around for eight months now and has been gathering fans across the globe. As a pivotal app for Google Daydream, it has a lot of work to do to attract new users and content providers to the platform. So far it seems to be doing very well indeed. However, there have been a few instances of YouTube VR crashing.

If this happens to you, I have a couple of things you can try. Someone in the office here tried them out for me on her Pixel phone and they seems to work reasonably well.

YouTube VR

YouTube VR is Google’s attempt to corner the VR video market like it has the web video market. While still in its infancy, there are thousands of 360 degree and VR videos of all kinds on the platform. From National Geographic movies to cutting edge documentaries, tours of an aircraft carrier or watching Slipknot in VR, there is something for everyone here.

The YouTube VR app works natively on Pixel and in Daydream but also works on other VR headsets. The default view is pretty good but you can zoom and reposition the view to meet your needs. There is a real feeling of place when in YouTube VR that literally displaces everything else in life. A truly immersive experience.

There are downsides though. YouTube VR streams content so you need a very strong Wi-Fi connection to keep things going. You need to manually specify content remain in HD otherwise it ruins the experience. You also need to be close to your router or have a repeater to stop buffering spoiling the immersion.

Then there is the advertising. If anything would drive me to YouTube Red it is YouTube VR. Advertising in VR is both scary and annoying at the same time. You are the epitome of a captive audience and it isn’t a pleasant experience. YouTube Red would not only allow you to avoid ads, but also download movies instead of streaming them which would overcome weaker Wi-Fi networks.

YouTube VR keeps crashing

So what do you do if YouTube VR keeps crashing? So far it seems there are still issues with the YouTube VR app which are being worked on by Google. One involves general bugs that cause the app to crash immediately or after a little while. The other is related to overheating. This second, I saw for myself when testing the YouTube VR app.

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To fix the YouTube VR app when it crashes, Google suggest you clear the app data cache. I have seen this work but it only seems to work for a while. It does not yet stop crashes permanently. You can clear the cache for all apps or for the YouTube VR app specifically.

Clear the cache for all apps:

1. Navigate to Settings on your phone.
2. Select Storage and select Cached data.
3. Select Delete when the popup appears.

The process only takes a second and will clear all temporary files stored on your phone for all apps.

Clear the cache just for the YouTube VR app:

1. Navigate to Settings on your phone.
2. Select Applications and then the Google VR Services app.
3. Select Storage and then select Clear cache.

This process should also only take a second and will only clear temporary files for the Google VR Services app.

Retest the YouTube VR app and it should work fine for a while. Once the Google VR Services app starts crashing again, just repeat one of the above.

The second reason I have seen for the app to crash is when the phone overheats. I saw this first hand having played a couple of games in Daydream and then watched a movie in YouTube VR. Playing the game caused the phone to run very hot and I don’t think it had time to cool down before I loaded up YouTube VR.

The simple solution to this is to stop playing a game or intensive app and give the phone a couple of minutes to cool down. Then you can load YouTube VR and it should work fine. There are some ghetto cooling methods for the Pixel phone but it is entirely up to you whether you use them or not. Check out ‘How to deal with Google’s Daydream overheating’ for more information.

YouTube VR is going to change the way we watch movies. Once all the bugs have been eliminated and more content is available, things will definitely change. Do you use YouTube VR? Got any tips to stop it crashing? Tell us about it below if you do!