Wondering why videos are not playing on your iPhone? This can be confusing. And this is after shooting the video on the same iPhone. Fortunately, there are workable ways to fix when videos won’t play in Photos app on iPhone.
1. Make Changes From Photo Settings
If you have enabled to save photos and videos to iCloud platform, you have two options to keep the uploaded media on iPhone.
Optimize iPhone Storage: This is ideal when your iPhone is running low on storage. This option will upload full resolution photos and videos and replace them with smaller, device-sized versions.
Download and Keep Original: This is suitable for iPhone users with a large amount of storage. It will store the original photos and videos directly on the device.
Let’s say you selected Optimize iPhone Storage and now you want to play 500MB video from Photos app. The app will try to download and play the full resolution video from iCloud server.
It is difficult to download a high quality video from iCloud with an unstable internet connection. For a buffer-free viewing experience, you can select ‘Download and Keep Original’ and store the media on iPhone.
Stage 1: Open Settings on iPhone.
Step 2: Go to the Photos section.
Stage 3: Select ‘Download and Keep Originals’.
2. Use Files App to Play Videos
The Default Files app also comes with a built-in video player. If you’re having any issues with Photos not playing videos, you can save the video in the Files app and try your luck there.
Stage 1: Open the Photos app on iPhone.
Step 2: Long press on a video that is giving you trouble.
Stage 3: Select Share and tap Save to Files.
Step 4: Place the video wherever you want in the Files app, ideally in your iPhone storage.
Step 5: Open the Files app and navigate to the saved location.
Step 6: Find the video and tap the play button.
3. Use VLC Video Player
Although the default Files app works fine, it does not support media formats such as .mkv. If you have downloaded such videos from Telegram, WhatsApp or the web, you cannot play them using the Files or Photos app.
In this case, VLC Video Player is your best bet. Compatible with all popular video formats. Here’s how you can use VLC to fix videos not playing on iPhone issue.
Stage 1: Download and install the app on iPhone.
Step 2: Open the Files app and select a video that isn’t playing.
Stage 3: Long press the video and select Share from the context menu.
Step 4: It will open the default iOS share sheet. Select VLC from the list.
iOS will open the VLC app and start playing the videos.
4. Check Available Storage
If your iPhone is running on low storage, the device may encounter problems opening and playing videos. You will notice device lag as well as frequent errors with app installation, video playback and more.
On iPhone, you can open the Settings app and go to the General menu. Select iPhone storage. You will see a detailed breakdown of device storage.
Check what is taking up a large storage space and uninstall unnecessary apps or games from the phone. You can also upload media to Google Photos, OneDrive or iCloud and delete the originals from the phone.
5. Cool Your Phone
This applies to those who live in hot weather or have just closed a PUBG or Call of Duty Mobile game. Your iPhone may feel warm during graphics-intensive gaming, streaming, or video recording.
Give your iPhone a few moments to let the device temperature drop. Then unlock the phone and try to play the videos again.
6. Update iPhone
The Photos app is part of the iOS suite. You can’t just go to the App Store and update the Photos app. To enjoy new Photo additions and fix bugs like videos not playing, you should install the latest iOS update.
Open Settings and go to the General menu. Select Software Update and download the latest iOS build to iPhone.
Enjoy Smooth Video Playback on iPhone
Unlike some Android competitors, there is no separate video player built into the iPhone. You must view the video in the Photos app to enjoy all the functions like editing, sharing and more. But it’s all irrelevant when the video doesn’t open in the first place.
Use the above cheats and fix the problem. Which method worked for you? Share your experience in the comments below.
Support our work ❤️
If you enjoyed this article, consider leaving a tip to help us keep publishing great content.
