Vizio TV Stuck in “Searching for Available Updates”: A Frustrating Experience and Solutions

If you’ve ever faced the frustrating issue of your Vizio smart TV getting stuck in a never-ending loop of “searching for available updates,” you’re certainly not alone. Many users have encountered this glitch, casting a shadow over their viewing experience. Recently, I found myself in this predicament with my 32″ E-series Vizio TV while streaming content from my computer. Suddenly, the screen displayed the message “searching for available updates,” quickly followed by “loading,” and then it would start all over again—on an infinite loop.

Initially, the stream continued for a few moments, but eventually, it halted altogether. The incessant “searching” message persisted, rendering my television virtually useless whenever it was connected to the internet. This issue not only disrupted my streaming but also interrupted my navigation through the TV’s menu. Even if I attempted to run an application, the constant appearance of the “searching” bar at the bottom made any form of entertainment unbearable.

Seeking Solutions: What to Do?

After trying to resolve the issue by powering my TV off and on, restarting my modem/router, and exploring the settings for an option to disable automatic updates—without success—I felt a sense of despair. However, I decided to reach out to others in the community to see if they had faced similar challenges or discovered effective solutions.

With that in mind, here are a couple of workarounds that have surfaced to help alleviate this issue:

For Wireless Connection Users:
1. Navigate to the TV’s Menu and go to Network.
2. Select WPS to initiate the connection process.
3. Once the TV starts connecting via WPS, immediately cancel the process. This action will disconnect your TV from the network.
4. Reconnect to your preferred network by re-entering your password. For many users, this method has successfully stopped the “searching” message.

For Wired Connection Users:
Although I haven’t personally tested this solution, several users have reported positive results:
1. Unplug the Ethernet cable from your TV.
2. Attempt to connect to a wireless network, but cancel the process before completion.
3. Reconnect the Ethernet cable to the TV. This method has proven helpful for some.