One of the many conveniences streaming media platforms like Hulu has brought about is that you don’t have to worry about keeping tabs on when you stop watching an episode.
However, surprisingly, this feature on Hulu stopped working for me out of nowhere.
I was watching Kindred on Hulu, stopped the episode for a minute to check the pizza I had popped in the oven earlier, and then came back to the show.
When I started the episode again it started to play from the beginning.
I didn’t make anything of it but after the issue kept repeating, I found it very frustrating.
Imagine having to scan through the whole episode just to see where you had stopped earlier.
That is when I decided to do some research and get rid of the issue once and for all.
I talked to many users who had the same issue and tried several troubleshooting methods as well.
Fortunately, I found a relatively easy solution to the problem.
If Hulu keeps restarting your show from the beginning, make sure the Hulu app is up to date. You can update the app from the App Store on iOS devices or the Play store on Android devices.
Why Does Hulu Not Save Where You Stopped Watching?
Sometimes due to bugs in the Hulu app or internet issues, Hulu tends not to save where you left off and start from the beginning when you resume watching.
While the problem could be caused by various factors, from my research, I have narrowed it down to the below reasons:
- Outdated app version
- Issues with the cache memory of the app
- Issues with your Wi-Fi router
- Hulu server issues
- Weak Wi-Fi signal reception.
- Corrupted application data
- Issues with your tv or streaming device
Update The Hulu App To The Latest Version
Hulu regularly releases updates to fix issues, kill the bugs in the app and bring feature improvements to provide you with a better overall experience.
If you are using an outdated version of the app, there is a high chance that it is home to bugs and glitches that hinder its functionality.
Hence, it is imperative that the Hulu app is updated to its latest version.
Check if you are using the latest version of the app.
If not, update the app to the latest version.
To update the Hulu app on Android TV, phone, or tablet, follow these steps:
- Open the Play store or App store on the device
- Search for the Hulu app in the search bar
- If there is an update available, you’ll see a button that says update. Since mine is already updated, it says Open.
To update the app on an iOS device, follow these steps:
- Go to the App Store
- Click on the profile icon and select the pending updates option
- Look for the Hulu app and see if it needs an update
- If the app is in the list, click on the update now button
Check If Hulu Servers Are Down
Hulu is a popular app that receives a lot of traffic, and thousands of people are using it at the same time.
This overload can sometimes make the servers unresponsive.
Check Hulu’s social media handles for downtime reports, or use a third-party service like downdetector or isitdownrightnow to check if Hulu is down in your region.
If Hulu is facing downtime, you can visit the official help page of Hulu to raise a ticket or you can wait for some time for the server issues to get resolved and check again later.
Clear Hulu’s Cache Data
Over time your Hulu app stores a ton of data as a cache, which enables the apps to serve you content faster and helps improve the overall user experience.
However, over time the cache memory can become full, leading to inefficient app functionality.
To fix this, your first step should be to clear the app’s cached data from the app settings.
To clear the cache data on your Android phone:
- Go to settings
- Tap on apps
- Tap on show all apps or Manage apps
- Select the Hulu app
- Tap on storage & cache
- Tap on clear cache or clear data
To clear cache data on your iPhone:
- Go to settings
- Tap General
- Select iPhone storage
- Wait for the list of your apps to load
- Select the Hulu app
- Click on offload app
To clear cache data on your TV:
- Navigate to settings
- Select System
- Select storage
- Selected internal storage
- Select clear cache
To clear the cache on your browser:
- Press Control + H
- Click on clear browsing data
- In the time range dropdown, select all time
- Select “Cached images & files.”
- Click on clear data
After clearing your cache data, launch the Hulu app and check if the issue has been resolved.
Reinstall The Hulu App
If updating the app and clearing the cache does not work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
To uninstall and reinstall the app, head to your TV or streaming device’s app store or play store and click on Uninstall and reinstall the app.
Power Cycle Your Wi-Fi Router
An unstable internet connection can also hinder the Hulu app’s functionality.
This can either be due to an issue with your ISP’s server or an issue with the router.
Due to running continuously, your Wi-Fi router might develop bugs or glitches over time.
Power cycling your router can help fix the issue.
To power cycle your router, disconnect the Wi-Fi router from the wall power socket and wait for a minimum of 60 seconds before plugging it back in.
Wait for all the lights on your router to turn green and relaunch the Hulu app to check if the issue is resolved.
Check If Your Tv Or Streaming Device Has Pending Updates
All Android and iOS devices require firmware updates regularly to provide you with a seamless watching experience.
The device manufacturer releases updates, and your TV or streaming device should ideally auto-update.
But, sometimes, if auto-update isn’t available or not working, you will have to update the device manually.
To perform an update on your device, open the settings menu, navigate to system settings, and check and install the latest updates if available.
Restart your TV or streaming device after installing the updates to check if the issue is resolved.
What Can I Do If Nothing Works?
Hulu restarting your show is a common issue that many Hulu users encounter and unfortunately, the platform has not rolled out a permanent fix as of now.
But updating the app worked for me. In this article, I have listed all the possible fixes that can help solve this issue.
Many people have also faced Hulu not logging in and the Hulu unsupported browser error.
If you tried all the above fixes but nothing worked for you, check if the issue persists on another device.
This could be a device-specific issue and resetting your TV or streaming device can fix it.
Alternatively, you can contact Hulu support by heading over to the Hulu support page.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Why does Hulu keep buffering?
The Hulu app is buffering because of a slow internet connection.
You require at least 8 Mbps connection speed to watch live streams and 16 Mbps for 4K content.
How much does Hulu cost?
Hulu has two subscription plans.
The Hulu with ads plan will cost you $7.99 per month, while the ad-free Hulu experience will cost you $14.99 a month.
How much does Hulu + Live TV cost?
Hulu + Live TV comes in 2 plans. While the Hulu live TV plan with advertisements will cost you $69.99 a month, an ad-free Hulu experience will cost you $82.99
Is my device compatible with Hulu?
Hulu is compatible with a good number of streaming devices and gaming consoles including Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV (4th generation or later), Chromecast, Echo Show (8, 10, and 15), Fire Tablets, Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, iPhones and iPads, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Mac and PC browsers/apps, PlayStation 4 and 5, Roku, Samsung TV (select models), VIZIO SmartCast TV, Xbox, Xfinity Flex Streaming TV Box, Xfinity X1 TV Boxes, Contour 2 and Contour Stream Player.
