A DNS cache stores recent name-resolution answers so a client does not need to repeat the full lookup process for every request. Caches can exist in the operating system, a local router, a network resolver and other components. Each answer has a lifetime, so a service changing its address can become visible at different times across networks. Restarting a player does not necessarily clear every cache on that path. This explains why two devices can temporarily obtain different valid information after a migration.
DNS cache and Artwork cache
DNS stores name-resolution data; artwork caches store image resources.
How it works
Cached answers reduce lookup work and can make repeated connections faster to establish. When the permitted lifetime ends, the resolver normally needs fresh information. Negative answers can also be cached under applicable DNS rules, so a briefly missing record may remain unavailable locally after it has been corrected elsewhere. Cache behavior should be investigated at the layer actually retaining the answer.
Recognizing the symptom
A stale address can direct requests toward an old endpoint even though current authoritative information points elsewhere. That differs from old channel artwork stored in an app cache or an expired account stored on the server. Clearing the wrong kind of cache may discard useful settings without affecting name resolution. Identify whether the symptom concerns reaching the hostname or displaying outdated resources.
Making a useful comparison
Compare the same hostname through another permitted network and note when the infrastructure change occurred. Allow published cache lifetimes to expire, or use the device's supported network-refresh procedure where appropriate. Do not repeatedly reset every application or edit account credentials. A controlled comparison provides more evidence than several simultaneous changes whose individual effects cannot be separated afterward.
An illustrative example
A phone on mobile data obtains a new server address, while a home resolver still returns an earlier cached answer. The player works after the relevant cache refreshes. The account never changed, and deleting all local app data would not have addressed the upstream resolver cache retaining the old answer.
Practical actions
- Compare networks
- Allow the stated lifetime
- Use supported cache-clearing methods