If Stremio streams stop loading on a Xiaomi Mi Box S, restart the entire box first: open the Android TV power menu and choose Restart. This is the most consistently reported workaround for this specific problem. If you need a quicker recovery, force-stop Stremio, reopen it, and try playback again; this may help temporarily without rebooting the device.
What this Xiaomi Mi Box S problem looks like
The issue has been reported on the Xiaomi Mi Box S (2nd Gen), also identified as MiTV-AFKR0, running Android TV 11. Stremio may work normally after a fresh boot, then fail after the box has been used for a while with apps such as Netflix, YouTube, or other streaming applications.
Typical symptoms include:
- Stream discovery still works, but playback never starts.
- The player remains on an endless loading spinner.
- Several streams appear to fail in the same way.
- Force-stopping Stremio sometimes restores playback for one or two sessions.
- A full device restart restores playback more reliably than restarting Stremio alone.
This pattern is different from a single unavailable stream. It points toward a temporary state in the Stremio app, its playback process, Android memory management, or the device’s local streaming components. However, the available report does not prove one specific root cause, and it does not establish that every Mi Box S or every Stremio version is affected.
Quick recovery: restart the Mi Box S
Use this first when Stremio is stuck loading:
- Stop trying different streams and press the Home button on the Xiaomi remote.
- Open the Android TV power menu. Depending on the device interface, you may reach it by pressing the power button or choosing the power option from the home screen.
- Select Restart and confirm.
- Wait for Android TV to load completely.
- Open Stremio and try playback again.
A restart clears temporary processes and memory held by the operating system. It does not remove your Stremio account, addons, or app settings.
If the box does not respond to the normal menu, use the device’s physical power control only as a last resort. Avoid repeatedly disconnecting power while Android TV is writing data.
Faster workaround: force-stop Stremio
Force-stopping the app is less disruptive than rebooting the box and was reported to help temporarily:
- Open Settings on Android TV.
- Go to Apps or See all apps.
- Select Stremio.
- Choose Force stop, then confirm.
- Return to the home screen and launch Stremio again.
- Try the same playback test.
This closes the Stremio process rather than restarting Android TV. If playback works only briefly after force-stopping, that supports the report’s temporary-process theory, but it is not confirmation of a memory leak or a faulty streaming server.
Clear Stremio’s cache, not its data
If force-stop does not help, try clearing the app cache:
- Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps > Stremio.
- Open Storage & cache.
- Select Clear cache.
- Choose Force stop once more, then reopen Stremio.
Clearing cache is normally less destructive than clearing storage or app data. Do not choose Clear storage, Clear data, or an equivalent option unless you are prepared to sign in again and restore any local app preferences. The reported workaround says that clearing cache may help in some cases, but it was not shown to provide a permanent fix.
Reduce the chance of the problem returning
On a 2 GB Android TV box, close demanding apps before launching Stremio:
- Press Home.
- Open the recent-apps view if your Android TV interface provides one.
- Dismiss apps you no longer need, especially video or media apps.
- Wait a short time, then open Stremio.
Also check for updates to:
- Stremio from the Google Play Store or the official Stremio installation package you already use.
- Xiaomi system software under the device’s system update settings.
- Android TV system components offered through Google Play, if updates are available.
Menu names can vary by launcher and firmware, so do not change unrelated developer or memory settings based on instructions for a different Xiaomi model. There is no confirmed setting in the report that permanently prevents this failure.
Check whether the failure is app-wide or stream-specific
After restarting Stremio or the box, test more than one legitimate source that you are authorized to use. If one stream fails but another starts, the problem may be the individual source, its availability, or an addon rather than the Mi Box or Stremio player.
If every available stream remains stuck, note whether:
- Search results still appear.
- The internal player opens at all.
- Audio starts without video.
- The issue occurs only after other apps have been used.
- Restarting the box fixes it again.
Community addons are independently operated and are not part of the official Stremio application. An addon can return unavailable, incompatible, or poorly responding sources, so addon behavior should not automatically be treated as an official Stremio failure. For diagnosis, compare more than one authorized source and avoid judging the device from a single result.
What worked for affected users
The report associated with this issue describes the following results:
| Action | Reported result | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Restart the Xiaomi Mi Box S | Playback worked reliably afterward | The strongest reported workaround for this case |
| Force-stop Stremio | Sometimes restored playback for one or two sessions | Useful quick recovery, but temporary for the affected user |
| Clear Stremio cache | Tried as an additional recovery step | May help, but no permanent result was established |
| Turn frame-rate matching off | Tried without resolving the issue | Not a confirmed fix for this loading symptom |
These are community-reported observations, not a universal guarantee. They suggest that restarting the device or app can reset a stuck runtime state, but they do not prove whether the underlying trigger is available memory, an in-memory buffer, the player, or another Android TV process.
If rebooting is needed every time
If the problem returns frequently, record the pattern before changing more settings. Note the Mi Box model, Android TV version, Stremio version, approximate uptime, apps used beforehand, whether force-stop helps, and whether all authorized sources are affected.
Avoid clearing Stremio data or reinstalling immediately if you want useful diagnostic information; those actions can remove local state without identifying the cause. If you do reinstall, use the official Stremio distribution channel and confirm that the issue is still present after a clean sign-in.
A useful bug report should include device and firmware details, reproduction steps, timestamps, and logs if requested by the Stremio maintainers. Do not post account credentials, private tokens, or addon configuration secrets. If an external player is involved, test the internal player separately because this report concerns playback in Stremio’s internal player.
FAQ
Does clearing cache replace a full reboot?
Not reliably. The affected report says force-stop, with or without clearing cache, may help briefly, while restarting the entire Mi Box S is the most dependable reported recovery.
Is the 2 GB RAM capacity definitely the cause?
No. It is a plausible contributing factor because the issue appears after extended use and Android TV may reclaim resources from background apps, but the report does not confirm a specific memory fault or Stremio defect.
Will changing frame-rate matching fix the problem?
It was tried in the report without resolving the loading failure. Leave that setting at your preferred value unless you are troubleshooting a separate display or refresh-rate problem.
Do I need to reinstall Stremio?
Usually not as a first step. Restart the box, force-stop Stremio, and clear only its cache before considering a reinstall. Reinstalling may require signing in again and does not guarantee a fix.
Last reviewed: August 22, 2026