Solved: Why Won’t Videos Play on My iPhone?

One of the best things to do on the iPhone is watch videos. But sometimes, the videos won't play on iPhone. If you're wondering, "Why won't videos play on my iPhone?" here are a few potential solutions. 

Jump To:

• Internet & App Solutions
• Video File and Format Solutions
• Force Restart iPhone
• Videos Won't Play on iPhone FAQ

Internet & App Solutions

The first set of potential solutions we'll look at involves fixing videos that won't play on an app that are only accessible via an internet connection. If the video that can't play on your iPhone is downloaded to your phone via iCloud or in the Photos app, then you can skip these solutions.

1. Check Internet Connection

The easiest way to check your internet connection is by going to the Control Center. Swipe down on the top right of the screen and long-press on the Wi-Fi button.

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1. If you are connected to the internet, you will see a check next to the Wi-Fi network you are connected to.
   
   
2. Tap Wi-Fi Settings to adjust your connection.
   
   

2. Force Quit Application

If the app is being slow and buggy and this is contributing to why the videos won't play on the iPhone, you may want to force quit the app.

1. Open the App Switcher.
   
   
2. Swipe up on the app you want to force quit.
   
   

3. Update or Reinstall the App

Sometimes, an app can act strange when it needs to be updated. You can manually update apps by going to the App Store.

1. Open the App Store.
   
   
2. Tap your profile.
   
   
3. Scroll to find the app and tap Update.
   
   

Video File & Format Solutions

If the video that won't play on your iPhone is located in a file or in your Photos app, then it might be because the video is in a format that is incompatible with the phone or it may have become corrupted. If you like learning about how to use your iPhone, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day.

1. Convert the Video Format

One of the main reasons why a video won't play on iPhone is because the video format is not compatible with the iPhone or the Photos app. Luckily, converting a video is fairly simple, but do note that doing so may take up to a few hours, depending how long the video file is. To find a video conversion tool, simply google "convert a video" and select any of the video conversion tools. 

2. Repair Corrupted Video

Sometimes, it's not that a video is in an incompatible format, but instead that the video is corrupted. Files can become corrupted for a variety of reasons, including premature shut-downs or insufficient downloads. Repairing a corrupted file can be a bit tricky and may require professional assistance. There are a few online tools that claim to offer this service, but there is no guarantee they will be able to recover the corrupted file. 

3. Check iPhone Storage

Lastly, you may be unable to load and play videos because you have run out of available storage. You can check your iPhone's storage by going into Settings.

1. Tap Settings.
   
   
2. Tap General.
   
   
3. Tap iPhone Storage.
   
   
4. From here, you can view how much available storage you have. 
   
   

You may even be given a recommendation about how to save storage, as can be seen in the image above.

Force Restart iPhone

If none of these solutions work and you still can't get videos to play on your iPhone, then I would try force restarting the device. If videos still won't play on iPhone, then I would suggest reaching out to Apple Support or taking your device to the Apple Store.

And those are the solutions for why won't videos play on iPhone. Hopefully one of these solutions worked for you! Next, learn how to reverse a video on iPhone.