2. iPhone Won't Play Recorded Videos in Camera Roll
"The problem I'm having is the recorded videos won't play on my iPhone. Whenever I hit play button it says cannot open. It's only the long videos that are doing this."
Reasons: It's really a nuisance when the recorded videos won't play on iPhone in Camera Roll. Reasons can be various, ranging from video format incompatibility issue, the video itself is damaged or invalid, issue with software update, to the faulty iTunes syncing.
Solutions:
Step 1: Do a hard reset. Hold down lock and volum up buttons down till iPhone turns off and turn it back on again. Generally, 99% of video issues will be fixed.
Step 2: Update iOS to the latest version
Step 3: Check if the video is damaged
Step 4: Export the video from your iPhone to Mac or PC and test to see if it can play normally.
Step 5: Repair the video or just discard it if it is not so important. Try another video to see if iPhone will play it successfully.
3. iPhone Won't Play Videos on Apps (Facebook, Splice, Clips, etc)
"My iPhone will not play videos on the YouTube app. Whenever I try to play a video it just shows up with the circular loading icon. This is the same in Facebook and Safari. Any fixes out there?"
Reasons: Many users complain iPhone won't play videos from other apps like Facebook, Instagram, or video editors like Splice or Clips. This is attributed to either the Wi-Fi issue, caches, or occasionally app down issue. Sometimes, software update causes app incompatibility issue and further leads to video playback error on iPhone.
Solutions:
Step 1: Reboot iPhone
Step 2: Close and Reopen the app
Double press the Home button to open the App Switcher > swipe up the app to close it > reopen the app and find a video to see if your iPhone can play it.
Step 3: Check for updates
Open App store > tap Updates and look for the app in the pending updates > click Update > enter Apple ID password if asked > go back to the app and see if the video not playing on iPhone issue is fixed.
Step 4: Update to new iOS version
Tap Settings > General > Software Update > tap Download and Install and enter password if asked.
Step 5: Uninstall and reinstall the App
Press the icon of the app till you see the jiggle X in the upper left corner of the app > tap the X to delete and uninstall the app > go to App Store > search the app and tag Get > click Install next to the app to reinstall it on your iPhone.
Step 6: Turn Wi-Fi off and back on
Step 7: Clear the app's cache
Step 8: Reset network setting
Tap General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Then you can rebook iPhone and see if the video is played on iPhone properly.
Step 9: Download and convert online videos such as YouTube to iPhone.
4. iPhone Won't Play Videos on Safari
"Why won't my iPhone play videos on safari? My internet is good and software is up to date. The play button just keeps spinning but it just wouldn't play please help."
Reasons: Apple discussion forum are flooded with complaints from iPhone users reporting videos fail to play in Safari. The iPhone video playback failure in Safari is due to outdated iOS version, issue with software update. Sometimes, bad network connection and too many junk files or website data are the main culprits that videos keep buffering and stuttering when they are played on Safari.
Solutions:
Step 1: Performa software update
Tap Settings > General > Software Update > tap Download and Install and enter password if asked.
Step 2: Clear cookies and caches
Tap on Settings > go to Safari > scroll down and Clear History and Website Data to get rid of the caches, cookies, and browsing traces. Then open the video in safari to see if it can be played on iPhone.
Step 3: Make sure to have good network connection.
Step 4: Wait for another iOS version
Sometimes, software update will lead to various errors, such as Safari not working. You have to wait for another iOS version and update it to fix the issue.