[12 Ways] Fix Videos not Playing on iPhone

Videos have become an integral part of our daily existence. Whether it's capturing cherished moments or immersing yourself in the realm of YouTube and TikTok, videos hold a significant place. However, at times, when you attempt to play them, certain issues such as "YouTube/Facebook videos not playing on iPhone" can arise, causing significant frustration.

Why do these errors occur? Several factors can contribute to this issue:

While these issues might seem daunting, don't worry. This ultimate guide provides 12 methods to help you efficiently resolve the problem.

How to fix videos are not playing on iPhone camera roll

Occasionally, iPhone video is not working normally in your camera roll. While this situation happens, you can utilize the following solutions to address the problem.

Solution 1. Restart your iPhone

Firstly, try to reboot your device. According to your iPhone model, you can operate with suitable instructions.

On iPhone 8 Plus/8/X or later: Press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Continuously hold down the side button until the Apple logo becomes visible on your screen.

On iPhone 7 Plus or 7: Press and hold Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons > Continue to hold both buttons until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

On iPhone 6 or earlier: Press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button > Continue applying pressure to both buttons until the Apple logo becomes visible on your screen.

Solution 2. Repair corrupted/damaged Video

Sometimes, the video can’t play issue could be due to video corruption. If you find out the video file is indeed damaged, you can use a video repair tool to recover and restore the corrupted file.

Solution 3. Update the iPhone

An outdated iOS version can also contribute to video playing error. To resolve this, ensure you update to the latest iOS version by accessing the Settings app, then navigating to General > Software Update > Download & Install.

Solution 4. Restore iPhone to factory settings

If videos still can’t play in the iPhone Gallery, then you need to reset your iPhone to factory settings as the last solution. Under this circumstance, FoneTool can be an ideal choice to finish the task.

This professional iPhone management tool can help you backup your iPhone before factory reset to PC/iPhone/external drive without losing data. And unlike iTunes/iCloud, transferring with this app only depends on a USB cable rather than any Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. So you can manage your data without data leakage.

And it offers a super-fast transfer speed, for example, 100 photos can be moved in 3 seconds. Except for data backup, the iPhone eraser function also can be a surprise. You can selectively or fully erase iPhone data in a few clicks. And if you enable the deep erase technology, it can help you delete everything on iPhone permanently.

Now you can get FoneTool by the download button below, and learn how to back up iPhone data before the erasing. If you don’t need a backup, please skip to the second part to reset your iPhone directly.

Part 1. Fully backup iPhone

Step 1. Launch FoneTool > Connect your iPhone to a PC > You may need to tap Trust on your device.

Step 2. Click Phone Backup > Full Backup > Get Started. (If need, you can choose Selective Backup to backup iPhone photos/music/videos/contacts/messages.)

Step 3. If you need, check Enable Backup Encryption. After enabling, your data such as Fitness records, Health, and Keychain can be private > Select a storage path to store your backup > Click Start Backup to start the task.

After a while, all your iPhone data can be moved to the PC. Now you can erase your iPhone easily.

Part 2. Erase iPhone easily

Step 1. Choose Toolbox in FoneTool > Select Data Eraser.    

Step 2. Choose Erase all data > Get Started.

Step 3. Check the on-screen instructions > Tap Erase Data button to confirm the choice.

When the resetting process is finished, you can go to Backup History to restore your iPhone.

How to fix videos not playing on iPhone apps

In addition to videos in Gallery, a significant number of individuals like watching videos through various apps on iPhone. If you encounter difficulties with videos playing on applications, consider employing the following 8 methods for resolution.

Solution 5. Check the Internet connection

If the issue is caused by Internet connection, then confirm that your cellular data is enabled or your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.

If it’s enabled, go to Settings > Cellular > Apps Using WLAN & Cellular. Scroll down and locate the app you used to check whether it is allowed to use WLAN or cellular network.

Solution 6. Check server status

Videos failing to play on your iPhone can also result from server-side problems. Many streaming platforms routinely provide updates about their server status on their websites, allowing you to verify the situation. If it is caused by a server outage, the only thing you can do is wait.

Solution 7. Delete corrupt downloads and redownload

If you are unable to play a downloaded video in the app. Try to delete the corrupt videos and redownload them to watch the content. It's advisable to connect to a Wi-Fi network during the redownloading process.

Solution 8. Force quit and relaunch the video app

Forcing quit the app with the App switcher can be a straightforward remedy.

For iPhone X or later models: From the screen bottom, swipe up to the middle while holding your finger down > After App Switcher interface shows, swipe left or right to locate the targeted app on your screen > Swipe it upwards to force quit it.

For iPhone 8 or earlier models: Double-tap the Home button quickly, then the recently used apps will appear > Swipe left or right to locate the app, then swipe it upwards to force quit it.

After that, you can relaunch your app to check if videos can be played.

Solution 9. Convert the video to compatible formats

Incompatible video format will be another reason. When this happens, try to convert your videos to a compatible format. iPhone is equipped to handle formats like H.264, HEVC, MP4, MP3, MOV, MPEG-4, protected AAC, audible AAC, M4A, etc.

Solution 10. Free up iPhone memory

Inadequate storage space can also contribute to the videos not playing on iPhone issue. Firstly, check the device storage: Go to Settings > General > Storage. If there isn't enough space, consider clearing up unnecessary data on iPhone or trying to delete some app caches/cookies/history.

With the powerful FoneTool, you can also erase your private data, such as photos, music, videos, Safari history and more. Before deleting, remember to back up your important data with FoneTool. And here’s how to erase:

Step 1. Connect your device to computer via USB > If asks, tap Trust on iPhone.

Step 2. Open FoneTool and click Toolbox > Data Eraser > Erase private data, then click Get Started to continue.

Step 3. Check each icon to choose the targeted data > If need, check Enable Deep Erase Technology to ensure complete data erasure > Click Start Erase.

Besides, if there are too many similar pictures on your device, FoneTool can also help you remove duplicate photos on iPhone. (Go to Toolbox > Photo Deduplication)

Solution 11. Update or reinstall the problematic app

The software error can also lead to videos playing error. To solve it, try to update the app in the App Store or delete the problematic app and reinstall it.

Solution 12. Reset all settings

If there are some wrong settings in your iPhone, videos may not be played normally. In this situation, reset your iPhone settings to fix the issue: Go to Settings app > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

Conclusion

Now you can know how to fix videos not playing on iPhone issue, whether in Photos app or others. And from the detailed instructions, we believe that you can see FoneTool is an easy-to-use iPhone management app. With its various and useful functions, you can also delete podcasts from iPad completely.

FoneTool - All-in-one iPhone Data Manager

Transfer, backup and manage data on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in an easy way.

• iOS 17 Compatible
• iPhone 15 Supported

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