If you cannot play videos on your camera roll, there could be various reasons why this happens. When videos won’t play, they can be trapped on a circle loading icon for a long period, and even then, the video may still not load. Occasionally, your videos may be loaded, but it takes a considerable amount of time for them to buffer and eventually play. There are numerous instances in which your iPhone or iPad may load videos in your camera roll without playing them. In this article, I will be highlighting some of the amazing fixes for the iPhone videos not playing.
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Why are iPhone videos not playing on my iPhone?
Videos buffering but not loading
If your iPhone’s camera roll videos are not playing, Optimize Storage is enabled. This will become apparent when your videos begin to buffer. This feature attempts to optimise the storage on your iPhone by minimising the amount of space your camera roll uses.
This is because Optimize iPhone Storage is attempting to optimise your camera roll, which results in videos loading and taking longer to play. With Optimize Storage enabled, you may find that your images are fuzzy.
If your iPhone’s storage is nearly full, you’ll need to free up space so that it doesn’t optimise your storage by restricting the amount of space your camera roll uses. After freeing up space on your iPhone, you can disable this feature.
You will discover that this only occurs in your camera roll for iPhone-recorded videos. Or it might occur with videos saved to your camera from apps such as Snapchat, Facebook, and Safari. If you occasionally enjoy watching videos, the last thing you want is for the video to load. Depending on the size of the file, this loading time may be slow at times; however, it should not take too long.
iPhone videos not playing
If your iPhone is unable to play videos, then there is a problem with the app’s video playback functionality. If there is a bug in the application, the video may not play. You must ensure that your applications are up-to-date in order for videos to play.
For instance, if YouTube videos do not play, you must update the apps or troubleshoot any issues that could impede video playback.
If there is a problem with the internet, videos within apps may not play. Videos hosted on an app can only be viewed if you have a strong internet connection; otherwise, buffering can occur, which can be frustrating. You must ensure that you have a reliable internet connection.
How to fix iPhone videos not playing
If videos won’t play on your iPhone or your iPhone camera roll, you must first identify if the issue is limited to your camera roll before proceeding with troubleshooting. Moreover, if videos on your camera roll are not playing, you will need to change the iCloud settings which could affect video playback.
If your videos are not playing within apps, you must modify the settings that could be preventing videos from playing on your iPhone. Typically, this issue lies within the programmes themselves; however, you will need to troubleshoot it.
1. Disable Optimize iPhone storage
When Optimize Storage is enabled, all of your videos are uploaded to iCloud when you stop using your iPhone for an extended period of time while the device is connected to WiFi. This indicates that your camera roll stores a compressed version of your videos to save space.
This implies that your photographs and videos must load before you can view the decompressed version of a video stored in your iCloud.
You must enable Download and Keep Originals to store actual photographs and videos rather than compressed versions. This implies that your camera roll will only store the original version of your photographs and videos, eliminating the need to load additional versions.
To enable Download and Keep Original:
- Go to Settings
- Click on Photos
- Select Download and Keep Originals
2. Empty Storage Space
If you don’t recall activating Optimize iPhone storage for your videos, it’s possible that your iPhone did so automatically to save space. This indicates that you will need to create storage space because your device is attempting to alert you that there is insufficient space.
The best option to erase a significant amount of storage at once is to delete several applications. If you believe you don’t need all the programmes on your iPhone, though, you can delete some. When you offload an app, the app’s data and files are deleted, but the app itself remains on your iPhone; this removes the app’s storage on the device.
To Offload an app:
- Go to Settings
- Select General
- Click on iPhone Storage
- Tap on Offload App
- Choose the app you want to offload and offload it
3. Use the iCloud Website to access your videos
If you are still unable to load content from your iPhone, you can alternatively access your videos through the iCloud website on your PC. After you have accessed the content on your computer, you may then transfer it to your iPhone.
- Open the web browser on your computer and go to the iCloud website
- Login to your account
- After selecting Photos, you should be able to see your videos. Download the desired ones to your computer.
You can now transfer all downloaded images and videos to your computer. With the app, you can transfer content to your iPhone.
4. Restart your iPhone
Restarting your iPhone will refresh the device’s software. If a bug or malfunction is preventing your content from loading, restarting your iPhone may eliminate it and resolve the issue you’re experiencing.
5. Convert the videos into a compatible format
If the videos you’re trying to add to your camera roll were downloaded from a website rather than captured by the iPhone’s native camera, they may not be supported. These videos will never play on your iPhone because it lacks the capability to play them.
Instead of wasting time trying to play the videos, you can convert them into formats that your iPhone can play. There are numerous video converters that will allow you to convert foreign videos into iPhone-compatible formats such as MOV, m4v, and mp4. Once you’ve converted the video, you may play it again from your camera roll and you’ll find that it’s now playable.
6. Check and repair corrupt iPhone video
Possibly, the video file you have that would not play is corrupt. Even though you captured it using your iPhone, there is still a possibility that it is corrupt. There is a greater likelihood of corruption if the video was downloaded via email or chat.
If you wish to see a corrupt video, you must transfer it from your iPhone to a computer and repair it using video repair software, such as Stellar Repair for Video, which supports iPhone video file types such as HEVC, MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.
It can repair corrupt iPhone video files in three simple stages, allowing you to transfer the film back to your iPhone and watch it there.
7. Force close photos app
Since photographs and videos are buffering in the Photos app and this is the source of the issue, force-closing the Photos app may eliminate the problem and cause the content to begin loading. Open the multitasking view by sliding up from the bottom of the screen, and then close the Photos app by swiping it up.
8. Restart internet connection
If there is an issue with your internet connection, videos may load slowly or buffer. If you usually have a weak internet connection, such as sluggish WIFI, this may be a common occurrence. You must ensure that you turn off and then on your WiFi, or switch to data. After doing so, you can revisit the app to determine if the videos are not playing. If they are still buffering, you can put this to something else.
9. Update the app
If you’re still unable to play videos, then you need to upgrade the app. Bugs are the most prevalent causes of trouble within an app so it’s ideal that you get rid of the bug by installing the newest version. The primary reasons why as are updated are due to bugs therefore if your videos are loading which has rendered you unable to watch them, you need to update the app.
To update an app, go to the App Store, touch on Updates, and select the Update button next to the app. After you’ve done this, you need to go back to the app and see if videos are playing.
10. Factory reset
If a forced restart fails, a factory reset will be required. A factory reset entails erasing all data from your device and restoring it to its original settings. For this to work, you must be willing to lose all of your data, but if it is backed up, you will be able to retrieve it. There are two ways to restore your iPhone to factory settings, but the simplest is through the settings app.
To revert to the factory settings:
- Go to Settings
- Select General
- Go to Reset
- Choose Erase All Content and Settings
- You will be prompted to backup your data at this point
- Select Back Up then Erase
- Enter your passcode to confirm the factory reset.
- After entering the passcode hit OK
- Once the reset is complete then check to see if your camera roll play videos
11. Contact Apple Support
If you have attempted all of the procedures and are still unable to play videos from your camera roll, there appears to be a deeper problem that cannot be fixed with troubleshooting steps. You will need to contact Apple for assistance to resolve this issue. Live chat is accessible via the Apple Support website.
