Is your Apple TV not working? If you see a blinking white light on your Apple TV showing that it’s on and receiving power but you’re not getting any visuals then you’re unfortunately suffering from what’s known as a blinking light of death. This is a pretty common issue with Apple TVs and it’s usually not an easy fix but here you’ll learn a couple of things you can do to try and resolve the Apple TV blinking light issue.
What does the light on the Apple TV indicate?
The light on your Apple TV indicates different modes that your Apple TV is on at the moment. The light can flash at different speeds and show different colors or it can be turned off as well. These different light modes and flashes indicate the current status of your Apple TV.
The light has 5 different modes to show you the Apple TVs’ different statuses.
- If your Apple TV is off or on standby the light will also be off.
- If your Apple TV is on the light will glow.
- When your Apple TV is turning on and starting up the light will flash slowly.
- When you are using your remote the light will flash once for each command that is given.
- Finally, when your Apple TV is going through a software update the light will be flashing quickly.
How to Fix Apple TV Blinking Light
According to the above information about Apple TV’s different light modes, we can know that your Apple TV must have some problems if it got the white blinking light of death. Keep reading to learn 5 ways to fix the problem.
1. Check the HDMI cable and ports
If your Apple TV doesn’t turn on and keeps showing a flashing light then you can try and check to make sure that all your cables and ports are connected correctly and that your cables are not damaged.
The first thing you should do is unplug your HDMI cable from both your Apple TV device and your TV. Leave it unplugged for a few seconds and then plug it back in. Really push in the cable on both sides to make sure that it isn’t loose or has a bad connection.
After you’ve plugged in your HDMI go into your TV settings and make sure that you’ve chosen the correct HDMI port for where your Apple TV is plugged into.
Another thing you can do is power cycle your devices. Unplug your Apple TV from the wall and unplug your TV too. Leave them both unplugged for about a minute or two and then plug them back in. If none of that works then you can try switching your HDMI cable to check if it is defective.
2. Try another TV
If checking your cable connectivity and switching out old cables for new cables hasn’t worked to fix Apple TV blinking light, then the problem could possibly be with your TV. Maybe your TV is too old or the ports on it are faulty and no longer working. Try going and using a different TV.
Go and plug your Apple TV into the TV you have in your living room or any other room in your house. If you don’t have another TV and can’t afford to buy a new one then just for the purpose of checking if your Apple TV works try to get in touch with a friend and see if you could go over to their house and use their TV. If you see that your Apple TV works at your friend’s house on their TV then at least you’ll be able to tell that it’s your TV at home that is the problem.
3. Force restart Apple TV
Another method you can try to fix Apple TV blinking light issue is restarting it. This isn’t just a regular restart though, it’s a force restart which as you can tell by the name will literally force your device to completely shut down and restart. Doing this may help in a situation where your Apple TV is getting stuck when trying to turn on and freezing before it gets a chance to fully boot up.
- With your Apple Remote, press and hold down the Menu button and Down button until your Apple TV light flashes and your device restarts.
- With your 1st generation Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote, press and hold down the Menu button and TV/Control Center button until the light on your Apple TV flashes and your device restarts.
- With your 2nd generation Siri Remote or Apple TV Remote, press and hold down the Back button and TV/Control Center button until your Apple TV light flashes and your device restarts.
4. Restore Apple TV via Recovery Mode
If nothing you’re doing is resolving the Apple TV blinking light issue, then you can try to put your Apple TV into recovery mode to restore it.
Putting your Apple TV into recovery mode is basically like putting it into DFU mode so that you can restore it and get it working again. When in Recovery Mode your Apple TV is capable of communicating with iTunes to update or restore your software.
Since you don’t have access to the menu on your Apple TV then to put it into recovery mode you’ll have to plug it into the power outlet and then unplug it about 4 or 6 times and eventually you’ll see the Recovery Mode screen pop up and you’ll be able to factory reset it.
Once in Recovery Mode connect your Apple TV to iTunes and you will get a message saying that you connected a device that is in Recover Mode then you will be given the option to Update and Restore it. Click on the Restore option and follow the instructions on iTunes until the process is complete.
5. Use a tool
Your last option is to use a third-party software tool to try and get your Apple TV fixed. If none of the methods above has worked to fix the Apple TV blinking light no matter what you’ve tried then this may be your only solution before turning to Apple support. There are plenty of programs out there that you can download that say they can help you fix any issue with Apple devices including the Apple TV. Some of these programs are pretty good but there’s one program that you should try first. The name of the program is iMobie AnyFix and it can be used to help you get this blinking light of death problem resolved.
With iMobie AnyFix you will get 24/7 customer support with all your issues. It is a quick way to fix your device malfunctions with just a few simple clicks. AnyFix has been used by over 100,000 satisfied customers and is available for free download but also has paid versions. Try it out if nothing else works and see if it’ll help when you have no other option.
