Netflix Not Working On iPad? Here’s The Real Fix!

Netflix isn’t loading on your iPad and you don’t know what to do. The latest season of your favorite show is now available and all you want to do is binge it. In this article, I’ll explain what to do when Netflix is not working on your iPad and show you how to fix the problem for good.

Restart Your iPad

Restarting your iPad will allow all the programs running in the background to shut down and get a fresh start. Sometimes, this is enough to fix minor software glitches which could be the reason why Netflix is not working on your iPad.

If your iPad has a Home button, press and hold the power button until the words “slide to power off” appear on this display. Using one finger, swipe the red power icon from left to right to turn off your iPad.

If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, simultaneously press and hold the Top button and either volume button. Release both buttons when “slide to power off” appears on the screen. Drag the red and white power icon from left to right to shut down your iPad.

turn off ipad

Wait about thirty seconds, then press and hold the power button or Top button again until the Apple logo appears in the center of your iPad’s display. Your iPad will proceed to turn back on.

Close And Reopen The Netflix App

If the Netflix app experienced a technical glitch while you were using it, the app may start to freeze or stop loading properly. By closing and reopening the Netflix app, we can give it a second chance to work properly.

To close the Netflix app on your iPad, double-click the Home button open the app switcher. Then, swipe an app up and off the screen to close it on your iPad.

If your iPad doesn’t have a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to the center of the screen. Hold your finger in the center of the screen until the app switcher opens. Swipe Netflix up and off the top of the screen to close it.

close netflix on ipad

Check Your Wi-Fi Connection

When you’re watching Netflix on an iPad, you’re usually using the app while connected to Wi-Fi. It’s possible that Netflix is not working on your iPad because of a poor Wi-Fi connection.

First, try turning Wi-Fi off and back on. Like closing and reopening an app, this gives your iPad a second chance to make a clean connection to your local Wi-Fi network.

Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi. Turn off the switch next to Wi-Fi at the top of the screen. Wait a few seconds, then tap the switch to turn Wi-Fi on again.

toggle wifi on ipad

If that doesn’t work, try forgetting your Wi-Fi network on your iPad. The first time your iPad connects to a Wi-Fi network, it saves information on how to connect to that particular network. If the connection process gets changed in any way, your iPad may fail to connect to the network.

To forget a Wi-Fi network, go back to Settings -> Wi-Fi and tap the more information button (look for the blue i) to the right of the network you want your iPad to forget. Then tap Forget This Network at the top of the menu.

forget wifi network on ipad

After forgetting the network, rejoin it by tapping on it under Choose A Network… in Settings -> Wi-Fi. You’ll be prompted to reenter the network password if necessary. Check out our other article for more Wi-Fi troubleshooting tips!

Check For A Software And Netflix Update

If your iPad is running an outdated version of iPadOS or the Netflix app, you may experience technical issues that are addressed and fixed by the pending update. Apple and app developers frequently release updates to fix security and software issues as well as introduce new features.

First, check for an iPadOS update by opening Settings and tapping General -> Software Update. If an update is available, tap Download and Install or Install Now. If no update is available, your iPad will say, “Your software is up to date.”

tap install now to update ipad

To check for a Netflix update, open the App Store and tap your Account Icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Scroll down to the list of apps with updates available. If you see Netflix on the list, tap the Update button to its right.

update ipad apps

Delete And Reinstall Netflix

Deleting and reinstalling an app like Netflix gives your iPad the chance to download the app again as if it were new. If a file from the Netflix app has become corrupted on your iPad, this is an easy way to erase it and start over.

It’s important to keep in mind that deleting the app on your iPad will not delete your actual Netflix account. However, you will need to log into your Netflix account again once the app has reinstalled.

Press and hold the Netflix app icon until the menu appears. Tap Remove App -> Delete App -> Delete to uninstall Netflix on your iPad.

delete netflix on ipad

Now that Netflix has been deleted, open the App Store and tap on the Search tab at the bottom of the screen. Type Netflix into the search box. Finally, tap the cloud button to the right of Netflix to reinstall it on your iPad.

reinstall netflix on ipad

Check Netflix Server Status

Major apps and websites like Netflix occasionally have to perform server maintenance in order to keep bringing you the highest quality service. Unfortunately, when server maintenance is being performed, you usually aren’t able to use the app. You can check Netflix’s server status by visiting Netflix’s Service Status page.

Binge On, My Friends

Netflix is loading on your iPad again and you can get back to binging your favorite shows! Next time Netflix is not working on your iPad, you’ll know exactly what to do. Feel free to leave us a comment down below if you have any other questions.

About Author

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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Deb
1 year ago

I can sign in on my phone with no problem but when I sign in on my iPad, I get a message that my password is incorrect. Why does that keep happening. The password is correct

Susan Lynn Gaer
2 years ago

Netflix plays on my iPad. I did everything you suggested but it won’t download. It says no internet connection.

Editor
Colin Boyd
2 years ago

Hi Susan! We actually published an article all about what to do with Wi-Fi is not working on iPad! Here’s a link: https://www.payetteforward.com/ipad-not-connecting-to-wifi-heres-why-the-real-fix/

Hope this helps!

Linda Joyce
2 years ago

Thank you so much.

Amanda Wright
3 years ago

Followed everything you said, but it still doesn’t work. Can get Netflix on my Android phone, TV and PC but not my iPad. 🙁

Katherine
3 years ago

Thank you for clear and concise instructions. I am not a techie, but I could follow this. Thank you!

Anonymous
5 years ago

GOOD NEWS With me doing NOTHING.( just bitching about the greed of APPLE), suddenly , after some two weeks from my below seen comment, EVERYTHING WENT BACK TO NORMAL!!! Same iPad 2 , with same IOS 9.3.5 (anyway iPad 2 can not carry IOS 10), NO resetting or reconfiguring ( although i remember doing a couple of reboots), and NETFLIX is working like nothing had happened …. I think someone at NETFLIX got a clue about the outside world and backpedaled … Durring the “crisis” , enquiring online about NETFLIX, I saw a notice that NETFLIX decided to “upgrade” its… Read more »

Anonymous
5 years ago

how about i tell you the real fix. you are connected to netflix on to many other devices on the same network. create a hotspot from your phone and connect from it then disconnect from it. or just log some of your other devices out. been having this problem with my daughter for a while now.

Anonymous
5 years ago

I’ve tried everything explained above, in this page. My device is iPad 2 , running IOS 9.3.5. For more than a year, Netflix app worked flawlessly on it Suddenly, some ten days ago, Netflix started to give me the message ” Network Error. There is a problem connecting to Netflix. Please try again later.” Trying to reach “www.netflix.com” through Safary, brings another message ” Netflix Site Error. We were unable to process your request.Please go to the Netflix home page by clicking the button below.”, but the said button ( Netflix home ) is inactive. What happened !!?? Someone tripped… Read more »