A few days ago, I was in the mood to binge-watch Kindred on Hulu.
I had already watched a couple of episodes and was waiting to find out what would happen next, as the story left off at a cliffhanger in the last episode.
I tuned in, and the screen buffered for a few seconds, but instead of the intro music, I was greeted with a shot of one of the characters lying dead.
What!?
And the tragedy didn’t end there; after another pause for buffering, the episode skipped 10 minutes again.
I was fuming at this point about the unwelcome spoiler thrust upon me because the episodes skipped on their own.
I immediately turned to the Internet for answers and was able to find a working solution to this problem.
Here’s how to stop Hulu from skipping and spoiling your favorite shows:
If Hulu is skipping episodes, disable the AutoPlay feature and relaunch Hulu. To do so, pause what you are watching, open the Settings menu, and disable AutoPlay.
Disable AutoPlay
Autoplay is a feature that almost all streaming platforms have incorporated, as it allows the viewer to have a seamless binge-watching experience.
Just think about it, would you prefer to pick up your remote and use it after every episode or keep watching episode after episode with no interruption?
It’s a no-brainer.
However, Hulu’s implementation of this feature can be quite problematic.
It can skip major chunks of the episode in an effort to maintain that seamless experience.
To turn off Autoplay on Hulu:
- Pause the show you are watching.
- Click on the Settings option.
- Select the Autoplay feature and turn it Off.
Turn Off Your VPN
A VPN can cause your Internet connection to reset multiple times as it tries to connect you to the server which offers the best connection.
This resetting can lead to a glitch that causes Hulu to skip episodes.
You can easily resolve this problem by turning off your VPN.
Delete Hulu Watch History
Hulu saves your watch history to serve you with useful features like show/movie recommendations and ‘Continue watching’, which allows you to pick up where you left off.
But sometimes, a software glitch in the memory that records your watch history can give birth to the episode-skipping problem.
Clearing your watch history can lead to the resolution of Hulu’s skipping glitch.
To do so:
- Open Hulu.
- Click on your Profile picture in the top-right corner.
- Open the Accounts tab.
- Scroll down to Privacy and Settings.
- Choose California Privacy Rights.
- Select Manage Activity.
- Go to Watch History and click on Clear Selected at the bottom.
Clear Hulu Cache
Sometimes, a software bug can develop in the Hulu app’s cache memory, and it can manifest in the form of skipping episodes.
Clearing the cache is an easy way to resolve this.
Follow these steps to do so:
Android TV
- Open Settings.
- Select Applications.
- Select Manage Installed Applications
- Choose Hulu.
- Click on Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Fire TV
- Launch Settings.
- Choose the Applications tab.
- Open Manage Installed Applications.
- Scroll down to Hulu.
- Select Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Chrome
- Click on the Three-dots in the top-right of your Chrome.
- Go to More Tools.
- Select Clear browsing data.
- Check Cached images and files and choose a Time range.
- Click on Clear Data.
Firefox
- Open the History and Saved Bookmarks menu.
- Select History.
- Choose Clear Recent History.
- Check the Cache option and click on OK.
Safari
- Open the Preferences menu from Safari.
- Click on the Privacy tab.
- Open Manage Website Data and select Remove all.
Clearing cache is also helpful in getting rid of Hulu error code 503.
Reinstall the Hulu App
Sometimes, data stored in Hulu’s memory can cause the app to malfunction, or there may be a bug in the app version you are using.
Both these cases can end up with the Hulu app skipping episodes.
You can fix both problems at the same time by reinstalling the app.
Android Devices
Open the ‘Play Store’, look for the Hulu app, and select ‘Uninstall’.
Restart your device once the app is removed.
Now, reopen the ‘Play Store’, search for Hulu, and tap on the ‘Download’ option.
iOS Devices
Long-press the Hulu app until it begins to jiggle. When prompted, select ‘Uninstall’ by clicking the ‘X’ that appears.
Once done, reboot your device.
After the device has booted up properly, go to the ‘App store’, search for Hulu, and click on ‘Install’.
Windows
For Windows 10 or later, go to the ‘Control Panel’, choose ‘Programs and Features’, click on Hulu, and tap on ‘Uninstall’.
Restart your computer using the alt + f4 keys.
Once your computer is running again, visit the Microsoft Store and download Hulu.
Fire TV
From the Home screen of a Fire TV, pick the ‘Settings’ tab. Go to ‘Applications’ and choose ‘Manage Installed Applications’.
Now, select the Hulu app and click on ‘Uninstall’.
Reboot your TV once the app is removed.
After rebooting, search for Hulu using the ‘Search’ bar or ask ‘Alexa’ to install the app.
It will launch a website for Hulu where you can ‘Download’ it.
Reinstalling the app can also help if Hulu login is not working.
Disable Any Extensions on Your Browser
Extensions that serve as antivirus or ad-blockers often disrupt the working of a streaming platform (like Hulu) on a web browser.
They can cause Hulu to buffer, crash, or randomly skip episodes.
You can disable the extensions on your browser in the following steps to eliminate all these problems:
- Launch your Web browser.
- Click on the Settings tab.
- Look for a tab labeled Extensions.
- Disable all the extensions and Refresh the browser.
Skip the Spoilers
Hulu has an extensive library of binge-worthy shows, but spoilers are the bane of fans everywhere.
Hulu’s episode-skipping problem can add to this issue if not kept in check.
Thankfully, you can skip the possibility of being presented with nasty spoilers by turning off the Autoplay feature.
If that does not work, reinstalling the Hulu app will do the trick.
In case none of these work for you, contact Hulu Help Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I remove a show from Hulu’s ‘Continue Watching’ feature?
You can remove a show from ‘Continue Watching’ by hovering over the thumbnail of the show and clicking on the ‘X’ icon that appears.
Can I re-enable Autoplay after fixing Hulu’s episode-skipping issue?
Re-enabling the Autoplay feature can cause the issue to resurface.
You will have to wait until Hulu patches the problem.
Can issues with the Hulu server cause the app to skip issues?
An issue with the Hulu server will cause the video to not load at all.
