Does your Apple TV stuck at Apple logo and does not do anything? – Does your Apple TV’s white LED is blinking rapidly and won’t boot? – Here is how to fix the white light of death!

 

Fix for Apple TV white light of death is here! We understand that you probably have the white light of death right now, but do not worry. Similar things happen on Apple’s iPhone, and iPad, and Apple TV is just one of them. We meant that this is very common issues with modern electronic devices. 😀 Like we have been doing in the past years, today, here we have few solutions that might fix your Apple TV before you take this to Apple Store, and also before you throw away your Apple TV to buy a new one. Try this first. You might save your money for the new Apple TV. This instruction is good for Apple TV 4, 3, and earlier versions. Are you ready? Let’s do it quickly, and keep watch your favorite TV shows!

 

Symptoms – If you have any one of the following problems, you may try this solution to fix

Apple TV turns on, but it displays nothing on screen.

Apple TV turns on, but it stuck at Apple logo, and it does not boot.

Apple TV keeps restarting.

Apple TV works, but it freezes often.

Apple TV works, but you get error messages.

 

Before Start – What generation Apple TV do I have?

So far, there are 4 generations of Apple TV manufactured. 1st generation of Apple TV has totally different shape and colour, but from 2nd generation, it is hard to tell the differences comparing it to 3rd or 4th generation Apple TV. When you are resetting with iTunes, the 4th generation Apple TV and earlier generation Apple TV have slightly different instructions. Make sure what generation of Apple TV you have, and apply the right instruction for your Apple TV. Here is how to identify your Apple TV model: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT200008 (Click the Apple website link)

 

Method 1 – Restart your Apple TV (Apple TV Remote Required)

To restart your Apple TV, you need Apple TV remote controller. The remote control looks like the picture above. By pressing and holding the “Down Arrow” and “Menu” buttons at the same time for 3-10 seconds will restart your Apple TV. The white LED will blink really fast, and it means it is restarting, then you many release the buttons that you are holding. See what happens after you restart Apple TV. If you are lucky, your Apple TV may work again after restarting! If you lost your remote, your option is to try our second method. The factory reset!

 

Method 2 – Restore Apple TV (iTunes, USB Cable Required)

Resetting, Factory Default Apple TV (4th Generation)

When Apple TV turns on:

If your Apple TV turns on, it is easy to do the factory default. Go to Settings > System > Reset, and choose a reset option

• Reset: This option is the fastest way to return your Apple TV to factory settings and doesn’t require Internet.
• Reset and Update: This option returns your Apple TV to its factory settings and installs software updates. This option requires Internet.

When Apple TV won’t turn on: (iTunes and USB C type cable required)

1. Unplug every cables from your Apple TV.
2. Run iTunes on your computer. Make sure that you have the latest iTunes.
3. On the back of your Apple TV, plug in a USB C type cable, and connect it to your computer.
4. After connecting the USB cable, Connect the power cord for Apple TV (3rd or 4th generation)
5. In iTunes, you should see the Apple TV summary page. If you don’t see the Apple TV summary page, click  in the upper-left corner.
6. Click “Restore Apple TV…” to reset. This will remove all of your current settings.

Resetting, Factory Default Apple TV (3rd, 2nd Generation and Earlier)

When Apple TV turns on:

If your Apple TV turns on, it is easy to do the factory default. Go to Settings > System > Reset, and choose a reset option

• Reset: This option is the fastest way to return your Apple TV to factory settings and doesn’t require Internet.
• Reset and Update: This option returns your Apple TV to its factory settings and installs software updates. This option requires Internet.

When Apple TV won’t turn on: (iTunes and Micro USB type cable required)

1. Unplug every cables from your Apple TV.
2. Run iTunes on your computer. Make sure that you have the latest iTunes.
3. On the back of your Apple TV, plug in a USB C type cable, and connect it to your computer.
4. After connecting the USB cable, Connect the power cord for Apple TV (3rd generation) Leave the power cord unplugged (2nd generation)
5. In iTunes, you should see the Apple TV summary page. If you don’t see the Apple TV summary page, click  in the upper-left corner.
6. Click “Restore Apple TV…” to reset. This will remove all of your current settings.

Result: Our Apple TV (2nd Generation) works after restore in iTunes!

(Picture description: restored 2nd generation Apple TV connected to a 20″ HP LED LCD monitor) As you see the pictures that we took, our 2nd generation Apple TV started to work after doing a factory reset in iTunes. The first method, restarting did not work for our case. Also, when we connected the Apple TV, we connected the power cord together, and because we connected both power cord and a Micro USB cable together for 2nd generation Apple TV, iTunes did not recognise the device. For 2nd generation Apple TV, just connect a Micro USB!

 

Apple TV is still not working? – Time to contact Apple

Unfortunately, if restoring did not help your Apple TV to work, Your Apple TV might have hardware issues inside. Which means, you will need to contact Apple about it or you can bring it to the closest Apple Store for repairs. We hope all of you have fixed this white light flashing problem! Also, if you have iPhone and iPad and have troubles, check out our troubleshooting blog posts on our blog!