Plex server intermittently disappears from client apps (Apple TV / Fire TV) – server still running,

Plex Media Server
1

Post

Hello,

I’m experiencing an intermittent but persistent issue where my Plex Media Server disappears from client apps (Apple TV, Fire TV, LG TV), even though the server itself is still running and streaming continues for active sessions.

Server details

  • Plex Media Server version: 1.42.2.10156

  • Running in Docker (plexinc/pms-docker)

  • OS: Linux

  • ISP: Digi (Spain)

  • Server has ~20 users, usually max 4–5 concurrent streams

What happens

  • The server suddenly disappears from the server list on Apple TV / Fire TV apps

  • On some clients, libraries vanish completely

  • At the same time:

    • The server is still running

    • Active remote streams continue without interruption

    • Plex Web (local access) works

    • Mobile apps sometimes still see the server

  • Restarting the Plex container immediately fixes the issue and the server reappears on all clients

This suggests the problem is related to server presence / registration with plex.tv, not an actual server crash.

Things I have already tried

  • Changed external port from 32400 to a custom port

  • Disabled IPv6 on router and server

  • Removed reverse proxy (Nginx) entirely

  • Confirmed Remote Access is green

  • Verified port forwarding and firewall rules

  • Tested both LAN and remote clients

  • Moved server between different LAN ports

  • Added daily scheduled restart as a workaround (which works)

  • Healthchecks show the server responding locally even when it disappears from clients

Despite all this, the issue still occurs after some uptime.

Observations

  • This did not happen in earlier months

  • The problem started recently (last few weeks)

  • It seems to happen after several hours or days of uptime

  • Restarting Plex forces a re-registration and resolves it every time

2

Any luck addressing this? I have a very similar setup, Plex running in docker and the same behavior. Uses host most for networking. I can even access Plex through the servers IP address but the libraries are missing.

I use DUMB, which has its own dashboard and I can easily just reload the server from there and it registers and appears across all apps and browsers immediately again.

I’m about to spin up a separate LXC with Plex and going to see if it will run from that better. I prefer to keep all my services in one docker, but if I can get it to stop doing this running it separate I will.