Why is Kodi not working on Android box?

Kodi is an open-source home theater software application that allows users to play media files and access streaming content from the internet. It is popularly used in combination with Android TV boxes, which are low-cost devices that connect to TVs to enable smart TV functionality.

Although Kodi works well on Android in most cases, users can sometimes experience issues like crashing, buffering, or inability to access media content. Some common causes of Kodi problems on Android boxes include:

Some key background points drawn from the provided sources:

– Kodi has about 600,000 daily users accessing media databases (according to https://kodi.tv/article/new-server-and-some-stats/)
– The Kodi forums have over 1 million users registered (according to https://kodi.tv/article/new-server-and-some-stats/)

I aimed to provide a brief background on Kodi and Android boxes and an overview of the common issues we’ll be covering more in-depth throughout the article. Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand this introduction section further.

Outdated Kodi Version

Keeping your Kodi software up-to-date is important to ensure compatibility with add-ons and fix bugs or security issues. According to the Kodi blog, new releases primarily focus on bug fixes and backports, with occasional new features.

Recent Kodi versions like 20.3 “Nexus” have improved:

Stability and performance
Playback of various media formats

Add-on compatibility and improvements

To update Kodi on an Android box:

Open Kodi and go to Settings > System > Add-ons > Install from repository

Select Kodi Repository and install the Kodi Updater add-on
Restart Kodi and run the Kodi Updater to install the latest Kodi version

Keeping Kodi updated ensures continued performance and compatibility. Check for new versions regularly or enable auto-update in Kodi’s settings.

Unsupported or Buggy Add-ons

Add-ons play a key role in Kodi, extending its functionality for playing media and streaming content. However, unreliable or buggy add-ons can cause Kodi to freeze or crash. Add-ons rely on scrapers and resolvers which fetch media links for Kodi to play. If these scrapers or resolvers stop working, the add-on will fail. Old, unsupported add-ons trying to fetch dead links is also a common source of issues.

Some common add-on bugs include:

Failed playback or failed streaming

Add-ons freezing during searches/content menus
Errors like “check the log for more information” while using add-ons
No streams or sources found

Installing reputable add-ons from trustworthy developers helps avoid many problems. Reliable sources for add-ons include the official Kodi repository, and highly respected repositories like a4kScrapers and The Oath.

Corrupt Configuration

Kodi stores its configuration data in several places. When these configuration files get corrupted, it can prevent Kodi from working properly on your Android device.

One issue that can occur is that the userdata folder becomes corrupted. This folder contains things like your Kodi settings, add-ons data, thumbnails, and more. If this folder gets corrupted, the simplest solution is to clear the Kodi configuration via a factory reset.

To reset the Kodi configuration on Android:

Open the Kodi app
Go to Settings > System > Reset

Choose “Erase All Settings for All Profiles”

This will erase your existing Kodi configuration and allow you to start fresh. If Kodi starts working properly after this, it confirms the issue was a corrupted configuration.

Another option is to clear the Kodi cache partition, which can also become corrupted over time. To do this:

Go to your Android device’s Settings app
Find the Apps or Application Manager section
Select the Kodi app

Choose “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data”

After clearing the cache/data, try launching Kodi again to see if the issues are resolved.

Underpowered Hardware

Minimum hardware requirements for Kodi running on an Android TV box include:

1 GB RAM
16 GB storage space (microSD card or native memory)
Broadcom BCM7425 SoC or equivalent (quad-core 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A53)

Popular Android boxes like the Roku Ultra or the NVIDIA SHIELD Pro easily meet these requirements. However, cheaper “no-name” Android boxes can have less powerful processors, insufficient RAM, and little internal storage space.

For example, a common low-cost Android box is the Tanix TX6 running an Allwinner H616 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor, 2GB RAM, and 16GB onboard storage. While this box meets the minimum requirements, the slower processor and limited RAM can result in choppy Kodi performance, especially with large libraries or add-ons that require significant system resources.

If inadequate hardware is suspected, consider upgrading to a box with a faster processor (1.5 GHz+), more RAM (2GB+), and expandable storage. The small increase in price will pay off with a much better Kodi experience compared to the most basic Android TV boxes.

Some recommended hardware upgrades:

NVIDIA SHIELD TV (Tegra X1+ processor, 3GB RAM)
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K (IMG GE8300 GPU, 2GB RAM)

T-bao X8S Pro (S922X chipset, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage)

Investing in more capable hardware ensures Kodi runs smoothly even with large media libraries and multiple add-ons. Lagging video, crashes, and “Kodi not working” issues are often simply due to underpowered boxes struggling with the media center software workload.

Network Connectivity Issues

Kodi relies on a stable and fast internet connection to stream content smoothly. If your network connectivity is slow or experiencing interruptions, Kodi may have issues loading sources or stream content properly.

Here are some troubleshooting tips for network issues:

Test both your WiFi and ethernet connections. Switch connections and check if Kodi works better on one versus the other. Reboot your router/modem if issues persist.
If using a VPN while running Kodi, try toggling your VPN off. VPNs can sometimes throttle speeds or cause connectivity problems. Running Kodi without one may resolve issues.

Check streaming speeds from different devices in the home. Try running a speed test from a website or apps like Speedtest to verify internet speeds. If only slow on devices running Kodi, it points to an app issue.

Fixing network dropouts, slow speeds or poor connectivity will often get Kodi working again on your Android device. Ethernet offers the most reliable connection versus WiFi so opt for that if your TV or media box supports a wired network.

Incorrect Video Settings

Sometimes Kodi stops working properly on Android boxes due to incorrect video output settings that don’t match the TV or display capabilities. Kodi has extensive video configuration options that control resolution, HDR, refresh rates, and other advanced parameters. If these are set incorrectly for your display, it can prevent videos from loading or playing properly in Kodi.

Try going through Kodi’s video settings and adjusting options like the preferred resolution, refresh rate, display mode, and number of pixels decoded. For example, enable 4K and HDR only if your TV supports those capabilities – having them enabled otherwise can crash Kodi. You may need to experiment with different values to find the optimal combination of settings that works reliably with your Android box and display.

Additionally, increasing Kodi’s video cache size can help buffer more video stream data in advance before playback starts. This prevents choppy playback if your network bandwidth temporarily drops. Setting the cache higher than the default if you experience frequent video buffering issues in Kodi.

Blocked Kodi Ports

Kodi requires certain ports to be open in order to stream content properly. The most common ports used are TCP/UDP 80, 443, 8080, 8081 and more. If these ports are blocked on your router or firewall, it can prevent Kodi streams from working correctly.

To fix blocked ports, you’ll need to check your router settings and make sure the necessary Kodi ports are open. Refer to your router manual for specifics steps, but generally you’ll visit the port forwarding or virtual server sections. Add rules to open at least ports 80, 443, 8080, 8081 for both TCP & UDP protocols. This allows external access to these ports which Kodi depends on.

Here are a few guides with instructions for port forwarding on common routers:

– Port Forwarding on Your Router for Kodi

– Port Forwarding for Kodi

Opening the proper Kodi ports using router port forwarding typically resolves connectivity issues caused by blocked ports.

Corrupted MicroSD Card

Many Android boxes allow users to insert a MicroSD card for additional storage space for apps, media files, etc. However, sometimes these external SD cards can become corrupted over time, especially if the box experiences an unexpected shutdown like a power outage or overheating issue.

You can check if your MicroSD card is corrupted by going into Settings > Storage and looking for errors. Another option is to use a disk checking app like F2S Android Toolkit which can scan external disks and memory cards for bad sectors or file errors.

If your MicroSD card does show signs of corruption, the best solution is usually to fully reformat the card after backing up any files you want to save. To reformat, go to Settings > Storage, select your SD card, tap the three-dot menu icon, and choose “Format”.

If reformatting doesn’t fix the issue, then the MicroSD card itself has likely failed and should be replaced. Given the low cost of standard MicroSD cards today, it’s often easier to simply replace a corrupted card rather than trying to repair it.

To avoid corruption issues in the future, make sure to properly unmount or “eject” external SD cards before removing them from your Android TV box. Also confirm your box is kept in a well-ventilated area and is connected to an Uninterruptible Power Supply to prevent unexpected shutdowns leading to possible SD card or storage corruption.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting Kodi issues on an Android box involves some key steps like checking for and updating to the latest Kodi version, disabling or removing unsupported add-ons, clearing the cache and saved data, adjusting hardware acceleration settings, and making sure network connectivity is strong. Resetting Kodi to default settings or doing a factory reset on the Android box itself can also help resolve problems that originate from corrupt settings or data.

If you still can’t get Kodi working properly after trying the tips here, visit the Kodi forums or r/Kodi on Reddit for more troubleshooting advice. You can also find step-by-step tutorials for common fixes on sites like KodiFireTVStick.

With some targeted troubleshooting and configuration changes, Kodi can once again be restored to full working order on an Android box. Identifying the specific points of failure is key to getting playback, streaming, and add-ons functional again.