YouTube Videos Not Playing on Android Phone? Fix It with 15 Ways

As I read this query posted by an Android user, I realized that video playback errors like these are still encountered by so many people. Ideally, you can encounter YouTube videos not playing on Android due to an app or network-related issue. However, if even offline videos are not playing on Android phones, then the issue can be more technical. In this post, I'm going to discuss each of these scenarios with dedicated mobile repairing video solutions.

Part 1: Why Videos Are Not Playing on Android Mobile Phone

Ideally, there could be different reasons for getting the error “YouTube videos won't play on phone”, depending on whether it is on an app like YouTube or the video is saved on your phone.

What leads to Online YouTube Videos Not Playing on Android?

YouTube is one of the most popular apps to watch videos online, but there are times when the app itself seems to malfunction. Here are some of the major reasons for YouTube videos loading but not playing Android:

Why Are Saved YouTube Videos Not Playing on Android?

If the YouTube video has already been downloaded, but you can't play it on your Android phone, then it can have the following reasons.

Part 2: 8 Ways to Fix YouTube Videos Not Playing on Android (for Online Videos)

Used by over a billion people worldwide, YouTube makes it easier for us to watch all kinds of videos online via its free application. However, if the YouTube videos are not playing on Android, then you can consider following these suggestions:

Fix 1: Reopen the YouTube App

To start with, you can try the easiest solution to fix YouTube not working on the Samsung phone issue. If the app has been hanged, then you can quit it and stop YouTube from running in the background. Just tap on the app switcher icon on your phone and swipe the YouTube app card. You can also restart your phone if you want and later launch YouTube to check if it has fixed the online videos not playing on the Android problem.

Fix 2: Check your Phone's Internet Connection

Before proceeding with other solutions, please ensure that your Android is connected to a stable internet connection. You can go to its network settings to ensure it is connected to a stable WiFi network and that the mobile data is enabled. Additionally, you can also go to its Settings or the Control Center to turn on the Airplane mode. Now, wait for a while and disable the Airplane mode to enable your phone's connection again.

Fix 3: Update your YouTube App

If you are running an old our outdated YouTube version on your device, then it can also make online videos not playing on Android. Once you launch an outdated version of YouTube, you will get a prompt to update the app. alternatively, you can also launch Play Store and update YouTube from there as well.

Fix 4: Clear YouTube's Cache Data

Sometimes, the accumulation of too much cache data on the app can make it malfunction. To fix the YouTube videos not playing on Android, you can simply erase its cache. Just go to its Settings > Apps > YouTube > Storage and tap on the "Clear Cache" button. Afterward, confirm your choice and wait as YouTube would clear the app's cache.

Fix 5: Turn off the VPN feature

A Virtual Private Network helps us browse the web or use applications like YouTube in a secure manner. Though, sometimes the presence of a VPN can result in online videos not playing on Android. To resolve this, go to your phone's Settings > Wireless & Network > VPN and disable the feature as of now. If you use a third-party VPN app, then simply launch it, and turn it off.

Fix 6: Reset Network Settings

Have you recently made some changes in your phone's network settings that have resulted in videos not playing on the Android gallery? Well, in this case, you can simply reset its network settings to their default value. For this, go to its Settings > System > Reset and select the "Reset Network Settings" option. Confirm to reset your phone's network settings and wait for a while as your device would be restarted with factory network settings.

Fix 7: Disable the Data Limit

Almost all the new Android phones have a feature to limit mobile data usage. Ideally, the feature is to protect the overcharge of using the mobile data, but sometimes it can result in YouTube videos not playing on Android too. Well, to fix this, you can just go to its Network or General settings to locate the data limit feature on the phone. Additionally, you can also find the feature on YouTube Settings > General that you can disable to turn off any limit on the app usage.

Fix 8: Adjust your Phone's Date and Time

It might surprise you, but if your phone's date and time are not correct (outdated), then it can lead to video playback errors on Android. The good thing is that it can easily be fixed by visiting its Settings > Date & Time and manually entering the correct date. To make things easier, you can simply turn on the automatic date and time feature here as well.

Part 3: 7 Ways to Fix YouTube Videos Not Playing on Android (for Saved/Downloaded Videos)

If the video is already saved on your Android phone and you are still able to play it, then you can consider the following suggestions to fix the video playback error on Android.

Fix 1: Use Professional Video Repair Software

Downloading videos from YouTube can seem like a great way to save your favorite content for offline viewing. However, many potential problems can arise when downloading and playing back these files, such as video corruption.

In this case, professional video repair software will be your ideal choice. I would recommend Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair as it supports all the leading video formats and fixes various problems related to them. 

The main features of Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair:

Wondershare Repairit - Video Repair

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• Repair damaged videos with all levels of corruption, such as video not playing, video no sound, out-of-sync video or audio, playback errors, header corruption, flickering video, missing video codec, etc.

• Repair videos of diverse formats, including MOV, MP4, M2TS, MKV, MTS, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MXF, KLV, INSV, M4V, WMV, MPEG, ASF, etc.

• Repair damaged or corrupted videos caused by video compression, system crash, video format change, etc.

• Repair critically damaged or corrupted videos available on SD cards, mobile phones, cameras, USB flash drives, etc.

• Repairit has a quick and advanced scanning mode. You can use either depending on the level of corruption the video file has undergone.

• No limit to the number and size of the repairable videos.

• Compatible with Windows PC, Mac OS, and supports PC to mobile transferring/sharing.

Here's how you can learn how to fix videos that are not playing on desktop.

Step 1: Add the corrupt videos to Repairit

To initiate things, you can just copy your videos from your Android phone to the computer and launch the Wondershare Video Repair. Afterward, drag and drop the videos to the interface or click on the Add button to manually locate the corrupted videos.

Step 2: Do a Quick Video Repair

Once you have added the videos that you wish to repair on Repairit's interface, you can view their details. Just click on the "Repair" button now to start the quick repair process.

When the repairing process is completed, Repairit will inform you and would also let you preview your videos. You can now preview and save them to any secure location.

Wondershare Repairit Online

• It supports customers repair 150 videos per month and supports each video of 3GB online.

• Repair critically damaged or corrupted videos available on SD cards, phones, cameras, USB flash drives, and more.

• The online version supports various video formats: MOV/MP4/M2TS/MKV/MTS/3GP/AVI/FLV/MXF/M4V.

• Security enough: videos are transferred via a 2048-bit encrypted connection and deleted after 3 hours.

• It fixes videos online without damaging the original quality or integrity.

Fix 2: Try Downloading the Video Again

If the downloading process was halted in between, then you might encounter an issue like this. The easiest way to fix the videos not playing on the Android gallery is by downloading it again. That is, you can just go to its online source and download the video once again.class="img-fluid" alternatively, you can copy it from your computer or get it from any other source as well.

Fix 3: Restart your phone

As surprising as it might sound, sometimes a simple trick like this can help you if your phone will not play videos. All you got to do is long-press the Power button and tap on the "Restart" feature once you get the Power options. Wait for a while for your phone to be restarted and play the video now.

Fix 4: Download a Supported Media Player

Chances are that the video format that you have would not be supported by the native media player on your Android. To fix this, you can download a third-party video player like VLC or MX Video Player. Both of these video players are available for free and they can be downloaded from their Play Store page.

Fix 5: Clear the Cache of the Media Player

Even if there is nothing wrong with the downloaded video, the problem can also happen due to a malfunctioning media player as well. For instance, if you are using the VLC Media Player, then its accumulated cache data can also cause the videos not playing on the Android phone issue. To resolve this, just go to your phone's Settings > Apps > VLC Media Player > Storage and tap on the "Clear Cache" button. Furthermore, you can also clear the app data from here to boost the app.

Fix 6: Transfer Video to Phone's Internal Storage

The last time when I encountered that my Huawei cannot play videos, I got to know that the problem was with a corrupt SD card. Therefore, if the SD card that you have on your Android is corrupted, then you should consider moving your videos to your phone's internal storage. Simply open the File Manager, browse to the SD card, and select the videos you wish to move. Copy them from the SD card and paste them to your phone's internal memory afterward.

Fix 7: Update your Android's Firmware

In case you are running your device on an old or outdated Android version, then you should consider updating it. Outdated firmware can lead to several issues, including the videos not playing on the Android problem. You can just unlock your device and go to its Settings > About Phone > System Update and check the latest supported version of Android that is available. Later, you can download the update and install it on your phone.

Part 4: How to Prevent Video Playback Errors on Android Phone

Since it is better to be safe than sorry, you should follow some measures to make sure you won't encounter video playback errors on Android. To prevent the videos not playing on Android issue, follow these steps:

There you go! I'm sure that after following this guide, you will be able to fix issues like offline or YouTube videos not playing on Android. As you can see, I have already listed specific app and device-related solutions to resolve the videos not playing in Gallery Android. However, if there is a more serious issue with the video file, then take the assistance of Wondershare Repairit. An all-in-one video repairing software, it can fix several video issues through its user-friendly DIY solution.