So I have been reading a few forum posts recently where people have come across Kodi freezing on the load screen. Just wanted to share a possible solution for people that have struggled with this issue.
First off, always try to force stop and clear cache of Kodi before doing anything further. Most of the time this will fix minor issues you are experiencing and get things back on the right track.
However, if your Kodi never progresses past the initial loading screen than I have found I have to actually delete a specific file causing an error. After looking through my Kodi Log I come across an error that reads something like this: “ERROR: SQL: [textures13.db] SQLite error SQLITE_ERROR (no such table”.
If you take the time, using one of the file explorer applications (example ES File Explorer), you can actually find this specific file (textures13.db) , delete it, and be able to reopen Kodi without getting stuck.
I have seen a few people post about installing Kodi from fresh, and I know that can be time consuming. If you ever come across this scenario, please consider giving this method a try and see if it fixes your issue.
PS
Deleting this file will not have any negative affects on your Kodi addons, favorites, IPTV services, etc. Kodi will simply repopulate the file that gets deleted the next time it launches successfully.
What causes the issue? I believe that certain addons populate a lot of imagery from various sources (IMDB, TMDB, etc) and some of these files cause an issue sometimes at random, or at others times when the thumbnails folder limit gets exceeded.
I have just installed KODI 20.5 on the Walmart Onn 4K Pro streaming device, and have used it for a few days with zero issues. However, today KODI is freezing on the load screen as described in your pose. Have searched for the file with ES File Explorer, textures13.db is not found.
Anyone know of any other reason for KODI to freeze on the load screen?
Had 21 installed, however I encountered jerky streaming across multiple add ons. That’s why I backed up to 20.5. Have smooth streaming with 20.5
I also had an issue with Seren in 21.
That is on your end. You should always be using the current stable version and that is 21. The dev’s optimize the working addons for the stable Build
When I created this original post I was using an old fire TV device that allowed me to use a file explorer to access the file being discussed.
Unfortunately, I have also come across the stuck on loading screen issue with Kodi using the Onn 4K device as well. I am sorry to say that this device is much more restrictive in terms of accessing these files when compared to older devices. You have to pretty much have root access to find this file now. I don’t recommend people rooting their devices, unless they are highly technically sound.
I do recommend to all Kodi users that they take the time to install and use a maintenance tool that deals will cache and thumbnail maintenance. Simply cleaning these folders before exiting Kodi will help alleviate this issue.
If you do run into the stuck loading screen issue and you are using an ONN device, then I am sorry to say that a fresh Kodi install may be necessary.