Video Not Playing in WhatsApp: How to Fix

WhatsApp is known for its high-end messaging features, allowing users to share photos, videos, and documents seamlessly. Lately, many users are reporting that “videos on WhatsApp not playing” in the app.

This is a common issue that occurs due to various reasons, like internet connectivity issues or corrupt video files. But worry not. This article equips you with the best solutions to resolve "WhatsApp video not playing” within minutes. Give it a read to get your videos playing smoothly like before!

Part 1: Why WhatsApp Videos are Not Playing?

In addition, there can be other reasons like video corruption, bugs in your phone’s software, or issues with the app itself. We are going to cover all these factors in the solutions.

Part 2: How to Fix WhatsApp Videos Not Playing

Resolving the issue of video not playing in WhatsApp is not cumbersome if you know what’s causing it. Try the following tips to ensure seamless playback of the incoming or status WhatsApp video.

Quick Fixes

• Make sure the video is fully downloaded in the app. Generally, it’s shown by a double-tick at the right-bottom of the video.
• Update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store.
• Ensure your phone has enough free storage available. Offload unnecessary apps or media files if it doesn’t.

Solution 1: Manually Save the Video

The first step you should do is to manually save the incoming video if it’s not showing in the Gallery or Photos app. This way you can play it through the built-in video player of your phone.

To save a WhatsApp video:

Step 1: Open WhatsApp and head to the desired chat containing the video.

Step 2: When the video is downloaded, long-press it and hit Save (for iPhone).

Step 3: On Android, tap the video and click the three-dots icon at the top, and hit Save.

Solution 2: Save MKV WhatsApp Videos in Files

If the incoming WhatsApp video is in the .mkv format, WhatsApp won’t play it. However, you can still watch the using a professional video player like VLC. But before that, download the video file in the Files app.

To do that:

Step 1: Go to the WhatsApp chat and click the video file to download it.

Step 2: Now, long-press on the file to select it and tap the Share icon at the bottom.

Step 3: Choose “Save to Files” to move it to the Files application.

Step 4: Navigate to the location and use VLC or a similar player to watch it.

Solution 3: Allow Background Refresh  

The background refresh is a built-in feature on both iOS and Android devices that updates the apps’ data continuously. It can result in quick draining of battery but also ensures the smooth functioning of WhatsApp.

Here are the steps to enable Background App Refresh:

For iPhone

Step 1: Open Settings and scroll down to find WhatsApp. Tap it.

Step 2: Now, tap "Background App Refresh" and toggle on the switch to enable it.

For Android

Step 1: Launch Settings and click "Data Usage."

Step 2: Look for WhatsApp in the list and enable "Background data access" for both Wi-Fi and cellular data.

Solution 4: Clear Cache on Android

If WhatsApp videos not playing on Android,try deleting the cache files from Settings. Each app on your phone, including WhatsApp, saves temporary files called cache. With time, these files accumulate and might cause performance issues.

To fix this, clear WhatsApp cache files as illustrated in the steps below:

Step 1: Head to Settings > Apps & Notifications.

Step 2: Now, tap “View all apps” or “Manage apps and find WhatsApp.

Step 3: Click Storage & Cache and hit “Clear Cache” to delete them.

Solution 5: Check WhatsApp Servers

It might happen that the WhatsApp servers at the moment are under maintenance. To check this, navigate to the DownDetector website and confirm if there are any issues with WhatsApp in your location.

Solution 6: Update Google Photos App

If old WhatsApp videos not playing on Android,try to update the Google Photos app from Google play. Many Android users on Reddit reported that this fix has successfully resolved the issue for them.

Solution 7: Reinstall WhatsApp

If the WhatsApp videos not playing after implementing the aforementioned solutions, re-install WhatsApp as a last resort. This will fix any issues within the app that are causing the video playback error.

But before proceeding, back up your WhatsApp to ensure all your chat data is secure. To backup WhatsApp:

• Open WhatsApp > Settings (For Android, tap the three-dots icon > Settings) > Chats > Chats backup > Back Up Now.
• Be sure to enable the toggle for “Include Videos.”
• This could take a while, so be patient.  

• After that, long-press the WhatsApp icon on the home screen and hit “Delete/Uninstall.”
• Now, go to the Play Store or App Store and reinstall WhatsApp.
• While setting it up, select to “Restore the backup” when it prompts.

Now, check if WhatsApp videos are playing smoothly or not.

Solution 8: Contact WhatsApp Support

Still getting the issue? You have no option but to contact WhatsApp Customer Service and seek their professional help. They might redirect you to a WhatsApp discussion forum. But it still is worth a shot if videos on WhatsApp not playing no matter what you do.

Bonus Tip: Transfer WhatsApp Videos to your PC Wirelessly  

Worried about WhatsApp videos consuming all the space on your phone? Or are there plenty of important videos that you don’t want to lose? Use AirDroid Personal to move all the videos to your PC within minutes.

This feature-rich tool supports cross-platform file transfer at a remarkable speed of 20MB sec. Whether you want to share video from Android or iPhone to Windows, or between two phones, AirDroid got you covered.

Its web version assists in transferring files between PC and smartphone without any installation requirements.

FAQs

Q1: Why my WhatsApp status video not playing

The leading cause of WhatsApp status video not playing is the poor internet connection. Make sure your Wi-Fi or mobile data is working fine by opening a random webpage and refreshing it. If the internet is good, then restart your phone and

Q2: Can I choose specific WhatsApp videos to save instead of saving all of them automatically?

If you have enabled WhatsApp's “auto-download” feature, it will save all the incoming videos. You cannot pick specific videos to be saved automatically.

The best solution is to disable this feature in WhatsApp > Settings > Storage and data, and turn off the option for “Media auto-download.” Now, you can manually download your favorite video by tapping it in the chat and selecting the “Save” option.  

Final Remarks

And that’s all the information you need to resolve the frustrating issue of video not playing in WhatsApp. To effectively address the problem, implement the above solutions in the same order. In addition, use AirDroid Personal for wireless transfer of WhatsApp videos and other data from your phone (Android and iOS) to a PC.

With this tool, you can:

• Effortlessly transfer files between any two platforms.
• Share large videos at a super-fast speed of 20MB/sec.
• Manage Android files remotely from a computer.
• Mirror Android on a PC as well as control its notifications and SMS.