Videos that won't play on a phone are one of the most common mobile issues — and the cause is rarely a hardware problem. The issue typically falls into one of five categories: unsupported video codec, corrupted file, insufficient storage, outdated app, or DRM (digital rights management) restrictions.
This guide covers all five causes with fixes for both iPhone (iOS) and Android.
Part 1. Diagnose the Problem First
The error message (if any) is the fastest path to a fix. Different messages indicate different root causes.
| Error or Symptom | Most Likely Cause | Jump to |
|---|---|---|
| "This video format is not supported" | Unsupported codec or container | Part 2 |
| Video plays audio but no picture (black screen) | Codec issue (video track) | Part 2 |
| Buffering endlessly | Network issue or server down | Part 4 |
| "Cannot play video" (Android) | Storage or app issue | Part 3 / Part 4 |
| Video opens but freezes after a few seconds | Corrupted file | Part 5 |
| "This content is DRM protected" | Rights management restriction | Part 6 |
| Video was in gallery, now missing | File deleted | Part 6 |
💡 Tip: Try the video in a different app before troubleshooting. If a video plays in VLC but not in your default gallery app, the issue is the app — not the file. VLC is the most useful diagnostic tool for mobile video problems.
Part 2. Fix: Unsupported Codec — Install VLC
Both iPhone and Android have limited built-in codec support. iPhones natively support H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, and MOV. Android varies by manufacturer but generally supports similar formats. Less common codecs like VP9 (WebM), older DivX/Xvid formats, or unusual MKV configurations may not play natively.
Install VLC on iPhone:
- Download VLC for Mobile from the App Store (free)
- Open VLC → use the built-in Wi-Fi upload, Files import, or iTunes File Sharing to add videos
- VLC plays virtually any video format including MKV, AVI, FLV, WMV, and most H.265 content
Install VLC on Android:
- Download VLC for Android from the Play Store (free)
- VLC auto-scans internal storage — your video files appear immediately
- Tap any video to play, regardless of format
🗣️ r/Android user: "VLC on Android is the definitive answer to any codec problem. I had a folder of old DivX movies from 2003 and VLC played every single one without any setup."
| Format | iPhone Native | Android Native | VLC Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP4 (H.264) | Yes | Yes | No |
| MP4 (H.265/HEVC) | Yes (iPhone 7+) | Most modern phones | Rarely |
| MKV | No | Varies | Often |
| AVI (DivX/Xvid) | No | Varies | Often |
| WebM (VP9) | Partially | Yes | Sometimes |
| MOV | Yes | Partially | Sometimes |
Part 3. Fix: Storage Full — Free Up Space
When a phone's storage is nearly full, video playback can fail — the app may need temporary space to buffer or decompress video data during playback.
Check storage:
- iPhone: Settings → General → iPhone Storage
- Android: Settings → Storage (path varies by manufacturer)
Free up space:
- Delete unused apps
- Move photos and videos to iCloud, Google Photos, or a computer
- Clear app caches: on Android, Settings → Apps → [App Name] → Storage → Clear Cache
- Use the iPhone's Offload Unused Apps feature (Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Enable)
🗣️ r/iPhone user: "My iPhone was showing 'cannot play video' for everything. Found out I only had 400MB free. Offloaded some apps, freed up 3GB, and all videos started playing again."
⚠️ Important: iPhones require significantly more free space than the video file size to play and encode video. For 4K video playback, Apple recommends at least 1–2 GB of free storage. If storage is very low, the phone may refuse to play even short clips.
Part 4. Fix: Outdated App or Corrupted App Data
An outdated video player or a corrupted app cache can cause playback failures even for formats the app should support.
Update the video app:
- iPhone: App Store → your profile icon → scroll to see pending updates → update the gallery or video app
- Android: Play Store → your profile icon → Manage apps → update the video player
Clear app cache (Android):
- Go to Settings → Apps → select the video player app
- Tap Storage → Clear Cache
- Reopen the app and test video playback
Reinstall the app if clearing cache does not help:
Uninstall the video app and reinstall from the App Store or Play Store. This resolves issues caused by corrupted app data that cache clearing does not fix.
💡 Tip: For Samsung Galaxy phones, the default video player is Samsung Video Player (or Gallery). If it cannot play a file, try Google Photos or MX Player in addition to VLC — different apps handle edge cases differently.
Part 5. Fix: Corrupted Video File
A video file that was partially downloaded, interrupted during transfer, or came from a faulty source may be corrupted and unplayable by any app.
Test signs of corruption:
- VLC can play part of the video but stops suddenly — indicates truncated file
- Video plays but has visual artifacts, frozen frames, or distorted audio
- File size appears normal but playback lasts only 2–3 seconds
Fix a corrupted video file:
Transfer the file to a computer and use:
- Stellar Repair for Video — repairs MP4, MOV, MKV, and AVI files
- VLC on desktop — can sometimes transcode/repair partially corrupted files via the Media → Convert/Save function
If the video was partially downloaded from a streaming service or cloud storage, try downloading it again from the source.
Part 6. Recover Deleted Video Files With Ritridata
If your video files are missing from the gallery rather than just failing to play — perhaps accidentally deleted from Camera Roll or a storage folder — Ritridata can recover them.
For iPhone deleted videos:
Check the Recently Deleted album in the Photos app first (files stay there for 30 days). If that window has passed and you have an iTunes/Finder backup, restore from backup.
For Android deleted videos:
Android does not have a built-in "Recently Deleted" folder for all apps (Google Photos has one — check Photos → Library → Trash). If deleted from file storage directly:
- Connect the Android device to a computer via USB — or remove the storage SD card if applicable
- Install Ritridata on the computer
- If the Android is connected via USB with MTP mode: Ritridata may scan internal storage on some Android configurations
- For SD card video recovery: insert the SD card into a card reader and run Ritridata's Deep Scan
💡 Tip: Google Photos for Android has a Trash folder (Library → Trash) that keeps deleted photos and videos for 60 days — significantly longer than the iPhone's 30-day window. Check here before attempting any third-party recovery.
FAQ
Q: Why do some videos play on my computer but not on my phone? Computer video players (like VLC on PC) support a much wider range of codecs than mobile devices. Your phone's native player may lack support for certain codecs (DivX, Xvid, VP8) or container formats (MKV with specific audio tracks). Install VLC on your phone to match desktop playback capability.
Q: Why does my video play audio but show a black screen? A black screen with audio means the audio codec is supported but the video codec is not. This commonly happens with H.265 (HEVC) on older Android phones (pre-2017) or with unusual video encoding profiles. VLC can often handle these files through software decoding.
Q: Can DRM-protected videos be played on any player? DRM-protected videos (from services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+) can only be played in their official apps. Third-party players like VLC cannot access DRM-protected content. If you downloaded a video from such a service for offline viewing, you must use the official app.
Q: Why does video playback stutter on my phone? Stuttering during playback indicates either the phone's processor cannot decode the video fast enough (common with 4K H.265 on mid-range phones), or the network cannot sustain the required bitrate for streaming. Try lowering video quality settings or enabling hardware acceleration in VLC settings.
Q: Does VLC for iPhone have all the same features as VLC for Android? VLC for iOS and VLC for Android have slightly different feature sets due to platform differences. Both play the same wide range of formats. Android VLC has more codec and network streaming options; iOS VLC has a cleaner interface but slightly fewer advanced settings.
Q: How do I transfer videos from computer to phone for playback? On iPhone, use AirDrop, iCloud Drive, or iTunes/Finder File Sharing to transfer videos. On Android, connect via USB (MTP mode) and drag files to the DCIM or Movies folder, or use a cloud service like Google Drive. Large files transfer fastest over USB.