Server not accessible from Android TV

Plex Media Server Remote Access
1

Server Version#: 1.42.2.10156
Player Version#: Latest Android TV version available in the appstore

Since like a week ago, my server has started to not be discoverable by the Android TV app. This applies both locally, with my TV, as well as in 2 other remote locations, both also running android tv.

At [random] times, the server/libraries are discoverable again, can be pinned again and media can be displayed as well. However, at a later stage in the day, the library is not discoverable again and the server is not displayed at all (the “+ Your media” button shows instructions on how to get access to a server, like the accounts would have no access).
The server is definitely discoverable. Opening the web app, or the iOS app from the same network, everything works just fine. It’s just the Android TV app that does not sees it. Restarts of the docker container does not seem to do much, sometimes the server becomes discoverable again for a brief period by the android tv app, but it’s so inconsistent that I think it’s more of a coincidence.

And yes, remote access is enabled, port is forwarded (again, other apps like web or ios can access the server just fine).

For now, I had to switch both my 2 friends and my TV to a 3rd party (competitor) app.

I would like to identify and fix the issue, so that at least I can switch my TV back to the plex app.

2

Up, 3 months later this is still a problem. Libraries from the server (and the server entirely) keep disappearing from the android TV app. Everything works fine in a browser.

The only way I found for this to be temporarily fixed is by toggling the remote access off and on from plex.tv server settings (under Remote access). However this fixes it only temporarily and it breaks again in a few days. I can’t be doing this all the time when family members reports problems with it.

Note: the server is properly port forwarded AND the location has a public static IP.

Also, it cannot be that I’m paying for a service (plex pass) and literally no one from Plex has looked on this complaint for a few months now. Am I on the wrong support channel?

Android TV is the only way I’m using the plex app and without it working for me it is a full disruption of service.

3

Plex Pass is a license to operate the server with additional features not a support license. With the 10 or so of these types of posts a day it is requested that you include your server debug logs to avoid playing 20 questions.

In 99% of cases it is a local configuration issue.
Is your Docker in host mode?
Is your router and all your devices pointing to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 for DNS?
Do you have any type of Ad block running?
On the Server Settings > Network page, have you entered any custom information into the blank fields?

etc.

4

This is not an enterprise product, what support licenses are you making up?
If you sell something to customers, you must be ready to offer some type of support so that what you sold it is working like intended. At least according to local EU laws we have here.

Yes, plex docker container is in host networking mode.

Yes, DHCP is set to 8.8.8.8 (and 8.8.4.4 for backup) via DHCP on the router and can confirm DNS and internet access is working fine on the host.

No adblock is running at all, neither on the client devices, nether on network level.

I have a “manual port” setting on the Settings → Remote Access page, port 32400, which is also port forwaded. In the Network page the only setting modified is the network to advertise to clients, for which I set “IPv4 only”.

I have a static public IP (no CGNAT or dynamic ip).

I’m happy to send the server logs to someone working at Plex for analyzing, but because it contains a lot of personal information (like full names of family members, user ids, ip addresses) I hope there is an understanding I won’t just publicly upload them here.

However, looking at the logs, I notice this log quite often:

DEBUG - MyPlex: mapping state set to 'Mapped - Not Published'.
DEBUG - MyPlex: Last published value didn't change, we're done.

I do not know if it has anything to do with the problem tho, but at the time this log was recorded I can say that the app wasn’t working.

It makes me believe that the plex server is not publishing the public address anymore to plex itself and either an wrong address or empty address is stored in Plex, so clients probably don’t know how to reach the server. However, if an empty or wrong address is stored, it should’ve been refreshed when restarting the docker container, which in this case, is not anymore (it’s still broken after restart). The only way to fix it, is by toggling the remote connection off and on in Server Settings → Remote Access page.

For this reason, I have now set up “Custom server access URLs” under the Network tab, which hopefully will require no more publishing the public address anymore.

If that was the problem or not (and if the custom server access url will fix it), we’ll see over the next few days/weeks.

5

Update: that fixed nothing.
Server is still not accessible from the Android TV app.
Weird thing tho: if I open Plex on the mobile app, select a media and stream it on the TV, the TV will play it just fine through it’s own Plex app (and it’s not proxying through my phone). However, the moment the media file finishes and I go back to homepage, the server is shown with a yellow triangle and no library is shown.

This was discovered at one of my friend’s house, so it was fully remote connection.

At this point I’m almost sure it’s just a problem with the android TV app and nothing to do with the server.